Debates in Charity Law, ed. John Picton and Jennifer Sigafoos. Hart Publishing, Oxford, England, 2020, pp 288. ISBN 978-1-50992-683-1 Over the summer of 2020, concerns surfaced in the media and in public debate about the relationship between the WE Charity and the federal government. These concerns refuelled ongoing discussion about the value of charities…
When Annabelle White received a large inheritance 12 years ago, she knew she wanted to give money to environmental causes. Having previously sat on the board of her grandmother’s foundation, she was wary of the complexity and attention that running her own foundation would involve. “When you start a foundation, you get pitched a lot,…
Il y a 12 ans, quand Annabelle White a reçu un important héritage, elle voulait donner cet argent à des causes environnementales. Ayant déjà siégé au CA de la fondation de sa grand-mère, elle craignait la complexité et l’attention qui seraient associées à la direction de sa propre fondation. « Lorsqu’on crée une fondation, dit-elle, on reçoit…
Dave Blundell was trying to fund a maternity clinic in rural Eziama, in southeast Nigeria, to prevent mothers dying in childbirth and children being sent to orphanages. A casual project meeting with local officials was abruptly halted with instructions for Blundell and his team to return the next day. When he did, he found a…
Dave Blundell essayait de financer une clinique de maternité de la région rurale d’Eziama, dans le sud-est du Nigéria, afin d’empêcher que les mères meurent en mettant leur enfant au monde et que des enfants soient envoyés dans des orphelinats. Une rencontre décontractée avec des agents locaux, en vue de discuter du projet, a été…
The Status of Religion and the Public Benefit in Charity Law, ed. Barry W. Bussey. Anthem Press, London, 2020; 240 pp: ISBN 978-1-78527-266-0 In the preface to this book, the editor, Barry Bussey, describes it as “an apologetic for maintaining the presumption of public benefit for the charitable category of the advancement of religion.” Bussey,…
For more than a decade, the owners of Canadian news organizations have seen a steady stream of the advertising revenues they need to keep their heads above water disappear, with most of it flowing instead to Google, Facebook, and other social media platforms. The depth of the economic shutdown triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic is…
The recently released Report of the Special Senate Committee on the Charitable Sector, “Catalyst for Change: A Roadmap to a Stronger Charitable Sector,” puts broad charity law reform in sight. The Report – which is available online – provides a series of thoughtful recommendations touching on almost all the major difficulties with the existing federal…
Both inside and outside of elections we are bombarded with social media posts, television and radio ads, and articles telling us what to believe about the leading policy issues of the day. Perhaps now, more than ever, we are aware that the information we see may be intentionally false and manipulative. Yet the issues we…
McLachlin, Beverley. Truth Be Told: My Journey through Life and the Law. Simon & Schuster, 2019 ISBN 978-1-9821-0496-2 After 20 years as a law student, lawyer, and judge, Beverley McLachlin was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada in 1989. She was 46, a widow, and the mother of 13-year-old Angus. In 2000, she…