Posted On: December 19, 2024, Posted By: Lisa Queen, YorkRegion.com, Original Article.
Postal strike hit charities hard, East Gwillimbury Coun. Scott Crone says.
In the wake of the month-long mail strike and with ordered-back-to-work postal staff now facing a significant backlog to process, East Gwillimbury Coun. Scott Crone is sending out a plea to the federal government.
“I’m hoping for a Christmas miracle,” he said.
Crone wants Ottawa to extend the deadline for charitable donations to qualify for a 2024 tax credit.
Instead of the usual Dec. 31 deadline, he says Canadians should have until March 1 to donate to charities and claim the contributions on their 2024 tax returns.
He compares the situation to the deadline for contributions to Registered Retirement Savings Plans. Canadians can make contributions to their RRSPs until March 3, 2025 and claim them on their 2024 tax returns.
“This is all about helping the charities. They provide the services and support that governments can’t or won’t do. So, we have to support our charities in some way or another,” Crone said.
“It’s no cost to the government because they give the tax credits anyways. If we can do it for Canadian banks for RRSPs, surely to goodness we could do it for our charities, the people that communities and people depend on.”
Michael Braithwaite, CEO of East Gwillimbury-based non-profit Blue Door, loves the idea.
“As Blue Door works hard to support our most vulnerable in the most punishing of seasons, every dollar counts,” he said.
“If extending the deadline for charitable receipts helps to increase and provide opportunities for the community to contribute, we would very much be in favour.”
Crone is a former board chair of the Alzheimer Society of York Region.
“It’s a cause very near and dear to my heart,” he said, adding his parents had the disease.
He reached out to the organization during the postal strike to ask how the labour disruption was affecting it.
“They said ‘Not good,’” Crone said.
It got Crone to thinking, with the issue rolling around in his head for a while before he woke up last weekend with the idea of asking Ottawa to defer the charity donation tax credit deadline.
“It’s estimated that 40 per cent of people who donate give in the last eight weeks of the year. It’s in the holiday season. Addressed (direct mail) fundraising campaigns are huge,” he said.
“A lot of charities have lost out. I talked to two CEOs of charities in Ontario in the last 24 hours and they are struggling. So, this is a major hit for them.”
Imagine Canada, a national charitable organization supporting Canada’s charities and non-profits, reports 65 per cent of Canadians planned to donate to charities this holiday season, up from 49 per cent in 2023.
However, the postal strike hampered the ability of charities to receive donations, it said.
Crone said his recommendation comes at a crucial time, as many charities are facing increased demands for services and support, particularly during the winter months.
By allowing more time for donations, the extension could make a significant difference for both donors and the communities that rely on charitable programs, he said.