Canadians are among the most generous people in the world, but there are worrisome signs that the responsibility of supporting charities is falling on fewer sets of shoulders.
But Barr says that while Canadians' generosity should be praised, a worrying trend has emerged in recent years.
From a high of almost 30% in the early 1990s, the proportion of taxpayers claiming charitable donations on their tax returns had fallen to 23% by the 2011 tax year.
The average annual donation, meanwhile, has climbed from $458 in 1984 to $1,437 (or $748 in 1984 dollars) by 2010, according to data compiled by Imagine from Statistics Canada and Canada Revenue Agency figures.
Figures released on Feb. 13 by Statistics Canada showed that 5.71 million tax filers claimed charitable contributions for the 2011 tax year, down 0.6% from the year earlier. Giving totaled $8.47 billion, up 2.6% from 2010.
The median donation nationally was unchanged from 2010, at $260. Average donations ranged from $430 for the 0 to 24 age group to $2,000 for those 65 and over.
Manitoba had the highest percentage of tax filers declaring a donation, at 25.9 per cent, followed by Saskatchewan, at 25.0 per cent, and Prince Edward Island, at 24.9%.
The metropolitan area with the highest median donation, for the 10th straight year, was Abbotsford–Mission, B.C., at $630. Calgary followed at $400, Vancouver and Victoria at $390, and Kelowna, B.C., and Saskatoon at $380.
Statistics Canada qualified the numbers with the reminder that tax filers can carry donations forward for up to five years after the year in which they were made, which might skew year-to-year comparisons on the amount of giving.
