Community
RCMP Regimental Ball donates thousands to Food Bank and Victim Services
From Red Deer RCMP
Red Deer RCMP present cheques to local charities after Regimental Ball
At a small gathering at the Red Deer RCMP detachment this afternoon, Superintendent Ken Foster and Inspector Dean LaGrange presented cheques for $7,500 each to Red Deer Victim Services and the Red Deer Food Bank; the funds were raised through community support of and donations to the September 15 Red Deer RCMP Regimental Ball.
“A Regimental Ball is primarily an opportunity for members, invited guests and friends to come together to socialize, and, in this case, to celebrate our 75th anniversary as Red Deer’s municipal police force,” explains Superintendent Ken Foster, officer in charge of Red Deer RCMP. “Over the years, these events have evolved to include a charity component, and we were proud to see the amount of money raised that night for Red Deer Victim Services and the Red Deer Food Bank, who each provide vital services and supports to our citizens.”
Funds were raised during the Regimental Ball through silent and live auctions and through the sale of raffle and 50/50 tickets. The ball was generously supported by a wide array of businesses, organizations and individuals, and the 320-seat event was sold out.
“It feels fitting to see $7,500 directed to each charity to parallel our 75th anniversary celebration,” says Foster. “I think I speak for all Red Deer RCMP members when I say how much we appreciate the significant support we receive from the community, every day when we’re out there doing our jobs, and on special occasions such as the Regimental Ball when that support is shown overwhelmingly through donations supporting the community organizations we were highlighting.”
The Regimental Ball was held on Saturday, September 15 at the Holiday Inn on Petrolia Avenue. The evening’s program looked to the past and to the future of policing, highlighting a new robot that will soon be used by Red Deer Victim Services in their work with children, honouring those who gave their lives in service to their communities through the Fallen Comrade Ceremony, and celebrating the tradition of having the most senior officer present serve dinner to the most junior officer present.
From the Fraser Institute
By Jake Fuss and Grady Munro
There would have been 1.5 million more Canadians who donated to charity in 2023—and $755.5 million more in donations—had Canadians given to the same extent they did 10 years prior
According to recent polling, approximately one in five Canadians have skipped paying a bill over the past year so they can buy groceries. As families are increasingly hard-pressed to make ends meet, this undoubtedly means more and more people must seek out food banks, shelters and other charitable organizations to meet their basic necessities.
And each year, Canadians across the country donate their time and money to charities to help those in need—particularly around the holiday season. Yet at a time when the relatively high cost of living means these organizations need more resources, new data published by the Fraser Institute shows that the level of charitable giving in Canada is actually falling.
Specifically, over the last 10 years (2013 to 2023, the latest year of available data) the share of tax-filers who reported donating to charity fell from 21.9 per cent to 16.8 per cent. And while fewer Canadians are donating to charity, they’re also donating a smaller share of their income—during the same 10-year period, the share of aggregate income donated to charity fell from 0.55 per cent to 0.52 per cent.
To put this decline into perspective, consider this: there would have been 1.5 million more Canadians who donated to charity in 2023—and $755.5 million more in donations—had Canadians given to the same extent they did 10 years prior. Simply put, this long-standing decline in charitable giving in Canada ultimately limits the resources available for charities to help those in need.
On the bright side, despite the worrying long-term trends, the share of aggregate income donated to charity recently increased from 0.50 per cent in 2022 to 0.52 per cent in 2023. While this may seem like a marginal improvement, 0.02 per cent of aggregate income for all Canadians in 2023 was $255.7 million.
The provinces also reflect the national trends. From 2013 to 2023, every province saw a decline in the share of tax-filers donating to charity. These declines ranged from 15.4 per cent in Quebec to 31.4 per cent in Prince Edward Island.
Similarly, almost every province recorded a drop in the share of aggregate income donated to charity, with the largest being the 24.7 per cent decline seen in P.E.I. The only province to buck this trend was Alberta, which saw a 3.9 per cent increase in the share of aggregate income donated over the decade.
Just as Canada as a whole saw a recent improvement in the share of aggregate income donated, so too did many of the provinces. Indeed, seven provinces (except Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador) saw an increase in the share of aggregate income donated to charity from 2022 to 2023, with the largest increases occurring in Saskatchewan (7.9 per cent) and Alberta (6.7 per cent).
Canadians also volunteer their time to help those in need, yet the latest data show that volunteerism is also on the wane. According to Statistics Canada, the share of Canadians who volunteered (both formally and informally) fell by 8 per cent from 2018 to 2023. And the total numbers of hours volunteered (again, both formal and informal) fell by 18 per cent over that same period.
With many Canadians struggling to make ends meet, food banks, shelters and other charitable organizations play a critical role in providing basic necessities to those in need. Yet charitable giving—which provides resources for these charities—has long been on the decline. Hopefully, we’ll see this trend turn around swiftly.
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