The Section is pleased to welcome you back to another year of working together on law reform and Section activities. We are a very dynamic Section with an active Executive and working committees. It’s an exciting time to be practicing in this area of law and we invite you to get involved! This is a team effort and I am thankful for our executive leadership of Kate Bake-Paterson (Vice-Chair), Florence Carey (Past Chair), Heather Keachie (Communications Officer) and Ryma Nasrallah (Secretary).
Advocacy Submissions
The Section is very involved in law and policy reform. We regularly participate in consultations on proposed changes, including the review of draft legislation, policies and guidelines as well as making submissions to CRA, Corporations Canada and other government bodies.
The Section recently made a submission to the Finance Canada’s consultation on Disbursement Quota. The submission was the result of many months of collaborative effort by our Section Executive from across the country. The submission highlighted the concerns that our Executive had with raising the DQ, namely the concern that in a low interest environment, raising the DQ could require an encroachment on capital fund. The submission also suggested that expanding what constitutes a charitable disbursement for the purposes of the DQ, such as including program-related investments, could support and encourage charities to use their investments as a way of also achieving their charitable purposes.
Want to contribute to the next advocacy initiative? Contact us for more information and to get involved!
“Ask Me Anything” Member Engagement Session – Register Now!
The Section is excited to host an informal lunchtime “Ask Me Anything” session where Section members can meet the Section Executive, hear about their work and how they got into their practice area. Participants will also get a chance to meet fellow practitioners from across the country. Registration is free for CBA members.
The Section Executive will chat about what first brought them into the practice of charity and not-for-profit law, and what keeps them going in this field (spoiler: the amazing clients are a big part of that!). We would love to hear from you: what attracts you to this area, what specific challenges you face, and what the CBA can do to help support you in your practice.
Looking forward to seeing you there!
Date: November 18, 2021
Time: 1:30pm ET
REGISTER NOW →
Essay Contest Winner
The Section is pleased to announce Gregory Cherniak as the winner of the 2021 Charities and Not-for-Profit Law Student Essay Contest for his paper, “Dream-Saver? Olympic Boycotts and the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act’s Oppression Remedy”. The award consists of a cash prize of $500 and complimentary registration to the Section’s annual online Charity Law Symposium. The prize is presented annually for the best scholarly paper submitted to the Section on a subject relating to Canadian charity and not-for-profit law. Congratulations Gregory!
Jane Burke-Robertson Award of Excellence
The Section also sponsors the CBA Jane Burke-Robertson Award of Excellence in Charity and Not-For-Profit Law, in memory of the late Jane Burke-Robertson, which is awarded every two years to a long-standing CBA member who has made a significant contribution to the legal profession in the area of charity and not-for-profit law. This year’s Award was presented at the May 2021 Charity Law Online Symposium to Susan Manwaring. You can read more about Susan’s contributions to Charity and Not-for-Profit Law.
Get Involved
The success of the Section comes from the dedication of our volunteers and Section members; we invite you to engage with the Section:
Thank you,
Elizabeth Moxham
Chair, Charities and Not-for-Profit Law Section (2021-22)