By Pepper Parr
December 11th, 2025
BURLINGTON, ON
This is not good news.
And it isn’t something we can blame on the pandemic.
A twenty percent slide in two decades. Why?
The graphic was prepared by the Fraser Institute – nothing in the way of a narrative to support the graphic. The Fraser is a responsible organization that can be relied upon to provide solid data.
The province (was it all of Canada) has just come through a Give Tuesday event. Everyone was looking for financial support. We’ve yet to see any data and how much was raised. We suspect it would have been a disappointing figure: with meat prices said to rise 7% and grocery bills getting higher and higher – there is only so much to go around.
The concerning part for most people is that 2% cohort that takes away millions in salary, bonuses and stock options – men and women who earn 200% more than the average worker.
How much money can any one person spend?
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That is just one statistic that needs to be weighed against other metrics.
Perhaps more people are giving of their TIME – as volunteers in the community.
Volunteer service groups – like at Sound of Music, sports and recreation.
Some people donate food to foodbanks (and don’t get CRA tax receipts)
Others donate blood. Or drop off gently used items to the Salvation Army .
Many give at the grocery store when they cash out at the self-serve checkout (allowing the large grocery chain to make a BIG donation).
How many not-for-profit charities were closed down by CRA who rigorously audited returns and made demands such that they could not continue?
Many Canadians do not want to donate to large charity organizations with high admin fees – while only a small percentage goes to the needy. For every dollar donated to Canadian Cancer Society, only 59 cents goes to the cause. (In F2025 C.C.S. received $144 Million donations with overhead spending of 41%.)
And eventually – some donors get fatigued – after giving for 50 years and it didn’t solve world hunger. Just started more wars.