McCarthy Tétrault Anti-Racism Solidarity Fund

McCarthy Tétrault has initiated a Solidarity fund in support of the Black Lives Matter and anti-racism movements. This fund will be divided equally across a number of Black-led, anti-racist organizations across Canada. Donations are open until Friday, September 11. Read More

The Impact of Internet Access in Indigenous Communities in Canada and the United States: An Overview of Findings and Guidelines for Research 

The Internet Society’s report analyzes the available research on the effects of information services for personal use, health care and education, business and commercial activities, non-profit organizations, and local/tribal governments within Indigenous communities in Canada and the United States. Read More

Beyond Solidarity Statements: Brave Workplaces as a Pre-Requisite for Addressing Systemic Discrimination 

“The reality is that most workplaces are likely to be discriminatory as a result of our settler-colonial history and the way our society is ordered.” This article notes systemic discrimination as a pressing reality and why addressing it is crucial. It also argues that “organizational culture” is a barrier to address systemic discrimination and foster “brave workplaces.” Read More

New Ontario Bar Association President Wants to See Major Shifts in the Legal Profession

This article suggests that Black people make up about 3.2 percent of Ontario’s 55K lawyers, while women, Black, Indigenous, and people of colour continue to be underrepresented in the senior ranks of most major firms. In response, Charlene Theodore, the first Black lawyer to assume the presidency of the 113-year-old Ontario Bar Association, stresses the time for reports and debates on the existence of systemic racism in the legal profession. Read More

Access to Housing is Not Just a Political Issue, COVID-19 Has Made it a Matter of Life and Death 

This opinion piece highlights a recent nationwide Nanos poll which found that 36 percent of Canadians have experienced homelessness or know someone who has.  Dr. Naheed Dosani and Dr. Trevor Morey, both health care advocates, argue that the Recovery for All framework, launched by the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, gives a useful six-step recommendation plan that applies to all levels of government, the private and the third sector on the process of giving Canadians the opportunity for safe and better housing. Read More

Cybersecurity for Foundations

When implementing a cybersecurity practice to protect your foundation’s data, think CIA: Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability. Grantbook sits down with an IT security professional Marc Joffe, an expert on how foundations can build cybersecurity practice and mitigate risk. Read More

Data.org’s Inclusive Growth and Recovery Challenge

This challenge is an open call for inclusive growth proposals from and for anywhere in the world that harness the power of data science to help communities thrive against COVID-19’s economic impacts. They have launched this $10M challenge that includes two evaluation phases based on practical and impactful judging criteria. The awardees will be announced in January 2021. Read More

New Report on Multicultural Canadians and the Future of Giving

From the communities surveyed - South Asian, Chinese, Filipino, Black (Afro-Caribbean/African), Arab and Iranian - this study finds that newcomers to Canada and second-generation citizens are driven to give and volunteer out “of a strong sense of duty to advance the well-being of their communities.” This report aims to study the relationship between the effectiveness of fundraising and giving patterns within newcomers to Canada and second-generation citizens in the light of COVID-19. Read More

Health Canada Changes Course on COVID Testing at Home 

Is Health Canada considering to approve home COVID-19 tests to screen for the virus? In response to the evolution of the pandemic, Health Canada opened applications for home testing devices for screening purposes. It is useful to note that screening tests are to monitor large groups of people for illness, while diagnostic tests investigate the symptoms. Read More

Ontario Liberals Launch Back-to-School Whistleblowing Website

Ontario’s Liberal party launched a whistleblowing website to highlight potential problems with the province’s back-to-school plan in which submissions will be accepted anonymously. Would one for Quebec also be useful to “document what they are seeing on the front-lines?” Read More

Mobilizing Canada to Address the Climate Crisis, Panel Discussion on September 23rd

A virtual event, on September 23 from 4:30 pm to 6 pm (ET), will hold a discussion with author Seth Klein, Radio-Canada journalist Diane Bérard, City Councillor of Ville de Montréal Marie-Josée Parent, and President and CEO at the Foundation of Greater Montreal Karel Mayrand. The panel will highlight Seth Klein’s book, supported in part through a grant from the McConnell Foundation, which explores how to align politics and the economy with what science has shown is necessary for addressing the climate crisis. Read More