An umbrella for the east coast

Last year, CharityVillage reported on the imminent arrival of an official umbrella organization for nonprofits in Nova Scotia. Late in December 2012, it finally happened. For the genesis of the story, readers can go back and read here and here....

Act II: An update on the Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act

Some 50,000 Ontarian nonprofits are still waiting eagerly for the province to proclaim the new Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act (ONCA) into force after more than two years since it received royal assent at Queen’s Park. As CharityVillage reported in July...

With this column I bid you farewell as the author of a regular monthly column on the CharityVillage site. This column began in November 2003, and I sincerely thank you for all your questions and feedback over the years. I...

Imagining the future: An update on Imagine Canada’s Standards Program

One of these days, someone in the for-profit sector is going to look at what the folks over at Imagine Canada are doing with their new Standards Program and wonder why nonprofits are the envy of organizations everywhere with respect...

The executive director sent an email to our office saying the vice chair of the board, who is also his spouse, was acting in his place for a month while he was on a trip. Do staff members have to...

When is excellence not excellent?

Back in my grad school days, I was in a seminar called ‘Public Intellectuals, Institutional Critique’ where, among many other things, we grappled with the embrace of all things “excellence” in the academy. As I delve deeper into my work...

Community building on the coasts: BC and Nova Scotia introduce new social venture legislation

They may be Canada’s two coastal bookends, but two provinces, Nova Scotia and British Columbia, have recently taken almost identical measures to increase the power and reach of social venture organizations in each region. On December 4, 2012, Nova Scotia...

Volunteer screening: More than just a police records check

Volunteerism. It’s a wonderful activity that offers rewards for all involved. Sadly, there is a segment of the population, albeit slight, that sometimes targets nonprofits for criminal activity. A recent example is the revelation by Scouts Canada in 2011 of...

I’ve resolved to do more volunteering in my community. What’s the most ethical way to spend my limited time? Should I help my elderly neighbour, my professional association or a community charity? I hope your choices are not mutually exclusive....

Looking back, looking forward

2012 will go down as something of a mixed bag of events and happenings for Canada’s nonprofit sector. Numerous changes, both proposed and now-enshrined, in law and policies for charities made for an interesting year. The good news is, we’re...
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