National

Premiers urge Trudeau to extend deadline for charitable donations after postal strike

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 24 Dec, 2024 11:51 AM

Canada's premiers are calling on the federal government to extend the deadline for claiming charitable donations on tax returns through to the end of February.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford made the request in a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday, sent in his capacity as chair of the Council of the Federation.

Canada’s premiers are joining the call from charities whose fundraising efforts have been impacted by the Canada Post strike, urging the federal government to extend the deadline for claiming 2024 charitable donations.

It’s the least that can be done to support our amazing… pic.twitter.com/hHHkmXVNHa
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) December 24, 2024

Ford says the premiers are echoing calls from charities to help account for a decline in mail-in donations due to the Canada Post strike, which brought letter mail to a standstill for a month starting in mid-November.

The premiers are requesting that the federal government extend the deadline from the end of the year to the end of February 2025, which would allow donors to send their cheques later than usual but still get credited for the 2024 tax year.

The Salvation Army reported over the weekend that holiday donations had fallen by 50 per cent this year, which it attributes to the strike.

Trudeau's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

More than a quarter of Canadians will spend at least 100 bones on Halloween: poll

A new poll suggests more than a quarter of Canadians will spend $100 or more on Halloween, with roughly 70 per cent of respondents saying they'll fork over as much money as they did last year on candy and costumes. That's according to polling firm Leger, which surveyed 1,520 adults this month on their Halloween habits.

More than a quarter of Canadians will spend at least 100 bones on Halloween: poll

Recounts rarely alter elections. There's another reason they matter, says B.C. expert

Premier David Eby's NDP claimed victory on Monday in B.C.'s Oct. 19 election, but the counting isn't over. Two judicial recounts were triggered at the end of the "final count," by an NDP candidate's 27-vote victory margin in Surrey-Guildford, and a Conservative candidate's 38-vote win in Kelowna Centre.

Recounts rarely alter elections. There's another reason they matter, says B.C. expert

Ottawa urged to halt imports of endangered monkeys for drug testing, amid U.S. probe

The influx of long-tailed macaques from Cambodia, which the U.S. alleges are being illegally captured from the wild, has animal advocates, researchers and opposition politicians sounding the alarm over animal welfare and potential public-health risks. The latest push comes from the federal NDP, which is urging Ottawa to bring "immediate attention" to the issue.

Ottawa urged to halt imports of endangered monkeys for drug testing, amid U.S. probe

Telecommunication theft in Abbotsford

Police say they're investigating an increase in thefts targeting Telus communication lines in the Abbotsford area. A statement from Abbotsford police says the thefts have interrupted 9-1-1 service and resulted in 100-thousand-dollars' worth of damage.

Telecommunication theft in Abbotsford

Pedestrian struck in Surrey

Mounties in Surrey are asking the public for dash-camera footage after a crash that sent a pedestrian to hospital with serious injuries. R-C-M-P say it happened last night in the area of 188 Street and 60 Avenue, where the man was allegedly struck by the driver of an Audi Q-3 S-U-V.

Pedestrian struck in Surrey

'Not how we do things,' Freeland rejects secret Liberal leadership ballot idea

Last week, 24 members of the caucus signed on to a letter calling on the prime minister to step down, but the next day Trudeau said firmly that he will lead his party into the next election. Some of the dissenters are now calling for Liberal MPs to vote in a secret ballot on whether Trudeau should remain leader.