As the COVID-19 pandemic raged in March, Bayan Khatib knew she had to act quickly. The executive director of the Syrian Canadian Foundation was in charge of a program that taught English to newcomers to set them on the path to integration, and another that funded and mentored refugee women who want to become entrepreneurs….
Earlier this spring, as Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood eased towards reopening after the COVID-19 lockdown, a local non-profit and a group of private donors banded together to purchase a $7.2 million rooming house with 38 affordable rental units. It’s the third property acquired by the Parkdale Activity-Recreation Centre (PARC) over a six-month period in the tenant-dominated…
This is the fourth piece in a new series about advocacy work in our sector. Civic discourse and participation are two of the most important indicators of a healthy, vibrant democratic society. In an increasingly polarized political environment, social sector organizations have a critical role to play in fostering social cohesion, facilitating meaningful political dialogue, and…
This is the third piece in a new series about advocacy work in our sector. Four years ago, 20 youth-serving organizations collaborated to create and shape a small piece of public policy: the Prime Minister’s Youth Council. It is not an earth-shattering achievement or priority, to be sure, but our efforts provide useful lessons…
Editor’s note: This is the second piece in a series about advocacy work in our sector. How charities and non-profits engage in policy and political advocacy has been an important topic of conversation topic for some time, and one The Philanthropist has engaged in through past writing, including a short series in 2016. The recent legislative change removing…
Note du rédacteur : Cet article est le deuxième d’une série sur la défense des intérêts dans notre secteur. Depuis quelque temps, il est beaucoup question de l’engagement des organismes de bienfaisance et des OSBL en ce qui a trait aux plaidoyers liés aux politiques publiques — The Philanthropist a déjà abordé le sujet dans le passé,…
Editor’s note: This is the first piece in a series about advocacy work in our sector. How charities and non-profits engage in policy and political advocacy has been an important topic of conversation topic for some time, and one The Philanthropist has engaged in through past writing, including a short series in 2016. The recent legislative change removing limits…
Note du rédacteur : Cet article est le premier d’une série sur la défense des intérêts dans notre secteur. Depuis quelque temps, il est beaucoup question de l’engagement des organismes de bienfaisance et des OSBL en ce qui a trait aux plaidoyers liés aux politiques publiques — The Philanthropist a déjà abordé le sujet dans le…
When Jason Kenney strode to the podium to announce his inquiry into “anti-Alberta” activities by environmental advocates who receive foreign funding, he had the inquiry’s answer in his prepared remarks. “For over a decade, a well-funded foreign campaign has defamed Alberta’s energy industry and sought to land-lock our oil,’’ the Alberta premier said. “The reputational…
There are few Canadian policy areas with a wider gulf between perception and reality than foreign aid. Canadians routinely and dramatically overestimate the generosity of a government that is perceived as being deeply altruistic, when, in fact, it is increasingly miserly. A Nanos poll done for the Canadian Partnership for Women and Children’s Health (CanWaCH)…