CRA revokes charity registrations

Summary#

The Canada Revenue Agency published a notice under the Income Tax Act saying it will revoke the registered charity status of a long list of organizations that asked to have their registration ended. The revocations take effect on the date the notice appeared in the Gazette: March 28, 2020.

What it does#

• Lists many organizations that requested their charity registration be revoked.
• States that the Canada Revenue Agency sent a notice of intention to revoke each registration.
• Says the revocation is effective on the date the notice was published in the Canada Gazette (March 28, 2020), so those organizations are no longer registered charities as of that date.

Who's affected#

• The specific organizations named in the Gazette notice (examples include METOCHOS MINISTRIES LUTHERAN BIBLE CAMP ASSOCIATION INC., LA FONDATION DES AMIS DU MUSÉE RÉGIONAL DE KAMOURASKA INC., and CANCER CARE ONTARIO). The full Gazette item lists many more across provinces and territories.
• People or groups who donate to, volunteer with, receive services from, or fund these organizations.
• Funders or partners who require an organization to be a registered charity for grants or tax reasons.

Why it matters#

• Being no longer a registered charity usually means an organization can’t issue official donation receipts and may lose tax-related benefits that come with registration. Donors should check before claiming any donation tax credits.
• The change can affect funding, partnerships, and how community services are delivered if those organizations were relying on charitable status.
• The notice is largely administrative: it records that these organizations asked to stop being registered and makes that change official on March 28, 2020.