Property Taxes and Your Nonprofit: An Important Update
Throughout the fall and winter of 2024, the Nonprofit Chamber participated in the Ministry of Municipal Affairs consultation on the Community Organization Property Tax Exemption Regulation (COPTER), which provides Alberta municipalities with criteria and conditions to use for determining property tax exemption eligibility for Alberta nonprofit organizations.
Throughout the consultations, the Nonprofit Chamber emphasized consistency, fairness, and transparency in applying COPTER. The principles governing COPTER were established in 1997 and we urged a review of those principles to more accurately reflect the breadth and depth of the sector, while also increasing the ability for municipalities to achieve the policy intent of supporting nonprofits that contribute to public benefit.
Federal Tariff Relief Announcement
Stabilizing supply chains, protecting jobs, and maintaining confidence in key industries is not a quick fix it will take sustained effort from government and business alike. While I understand the monumental challenge this government is facing, there's a clear gap. In the entire response, there is one mention of nonprofits.
Federal Consultation on Expanded Data Collection
The federal government has opened consultation on draft legislation that would significantly expand its data collection for nonprofits.
An Update on the Personal Information and Privacy Act Review
Starting in January 2024, the Standing Committee on Resource Stewardship began a comprehensive review of Alberta’s Personal Information and Privacy Act (PIPA), which is required every 6 years.
PIPA is Alberta’s private sector privacy law. As such, it only applies to nonprofits for information collected, used or disclosed for commercial activity. This principle was established when the legislation came to effect in 2004 and was upheld in the 2015 comprehensive review of the legislation
Alberta Non-profit Listing Dashboard
On December 23, 2024, the Government of Alberta launched the Alberta Nonprofit Listings Dashboard, a new, publicly accessible tool designed to provide valuable data about the province's nonprofit organizations in an interactive and user-friendly format.