Province’s generosity still No. 1 in nation

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/12/2010 (5439 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

IT’S our Prairie culture that makes Manitoba the country’s most generous province, but trouble may be on the horizon.

The Fraser Institute’s 2010 Generosity Index ranks Manitoba No. 1 in donations for the 12th year in a row.

Manitoba had the highest percentage of total income donated to registered charities — 0.94 per cent — and more than a quarter of Manitobans donate to charity.

“We’ve had a very good 12 years in Manitoba,” said Winnipeg Foundation CEO Rick Frost. “And I think it reflects a strong community commitment, and it reflects our close-knit community because we have to take care of one another.”

But after praising Manitobans for their generosity, Frost noted while the total value of donations may have risen in Manitoba, the number of people donating has steadily declined across the country since 2008 when the economic downturn began.

Even the most generous Canadians don’t match the level of giving in the United States, said the Fraser Institute. Generosity in the U.S. surpassed that of Canada, with 27.3 per cent of American tax filers donating to charity, compared with 23.6 per cent of Canadian tax filers.

Frost said in the U.S., universities, the arts and other endeavours tend to be funded by charities, while Canadians rely more on government funding. That could be changing, said Frost, pointing to three new parks, such as the one behind the Millennium Library, that are largely the result of generous public contributions.

“I think that we’re moving more in that direction because there’s greater expectations and less funding available from the government,” he said. “I think we’re shifting more toward an American model.”

Winnipeg’s culture could play a big role in our generosity, said Jan Lederman, a lawyer at Thompson Dorfman Sweatman and a professor of charity law at the University of Manitoba. Lederman said Winnipeg is a cultural hub because we maintain organizations such as the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.

Ontario and Prince Edward Island tied as the second-most generous provinces overall.

Quebec ranked last among the provinces, with 21.8 per cent of tax filers claiming charitable donations and giving only 0.31 per cent of total provincial income.

breanne.massey@freepress.mb.ca