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Charitable donations up, number of donors slips: StatsCan

Canadians made $8.6 billion worth of charitable donations in 2007, an increase of 1.4 per cent over the previous year, according to Statistics Canada figures released Tuesday.

Canadians made $8.6 billion worth of charitable donations in 2007, an increase of 1.4 per cent over the previous year, according to Statistics Canada figures released Tuesday.

  2007 charitable donations (Statistics Canada)
Donors Median ($)

Tax filers claiming donations (%)

 Canada  5,698,880  250  24
 N.L.  82,740  340  21
 P.E.I.  26,660  360  26
 N.S.  157,420    310  23
 N.B.  124,840  300  22
 Que.  1,282,210  130  22
 Ont.  2,291,180  310  26
 Man.  229,180  330    27
 Sask.  183,870    320  26
 Alta.  601,460  350  24
 B.C.  708,490  340  23
 Yukon  4,680  250  21
 N.W.T.  4,530  250  17
 Nunavut 1,610  470  10

The federal agency noted the number of donors decreased 0.9 per cent to 5.7 million during the same time period. The median donation in 2007 held constant.

"Among donors in 2007, the median donation was $250, meaning that half of the donors gave more than $250 and half less," Statistics Canada said in a release.

"This was unchanged from 2006, unlike in prior years when the median donation had consistently increased."

Manitobans led the country with 27 per cent of its tax filers claiming a donation. Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan followed, with 26 per cent of residents making donations.

While Nunavut recorded the lowest proportion of filers claiming a donation, it also had the highest median donation among the provinces and territories, at $470.

This marks the eighth straight year Nunavut recorded the highest median donation, according to Statistics Canada. Prince Edward followed with $360 ahead of Alberta at $350.