Elin Bessner
Canadian Jewish News, Nov. 10, 2024
“UPDATE (10:20 a.m. 11/10/24): The CJN has learned that after losing this appeal shortly before the arrival of Shabbat on Friday afternoon—at which time it paused communications until Saturday night—JNF Canada sent an email to supporters to clarify it will not have to disperse its assets by Wednesday.”
Jewish National Fund of Canada has lost its first major legal battle to stop the tax department’s revocation of its charitable status, which came into effect three months ago.
Late in the afternoon of Friday, Nov. 8, a Federal Court judge dismissed JNF Canada’s application for a judicial review—and the judge also dismissed a request for an injunction to force the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to remove the official revocation notice that was printed in the Canada Gazette on Aug. 10.
Printing that notice triggered a series of steps JNF Canada was ordered to take under the Income Tax Act rules regarding revoked charities.
Firstly, it could no longer issue tax receipts for charitable donations made by Canadian supporters to fund a portfolio of social service projects in Israel.
Secondly, the CRA notified the former charity it was also required to wind down operations that date back to 1967—during which time the charity fundraised in Canada to support tree planting and other work in Israel. The CRA gives revoked charities the option of trying to disperse its remaining assets (JNF Canada’s asserts were stated as about $31 million in 2023) by giving them to another approved charity. … [To read the full article, click here]
