How generous are Torontonians when it comes to giving to charity? Based on newly released figures, less of the city's residents donated to charity in 2024 than in the year prior.
According to a report from the registered charity CanadaHelps, the generosity of Torontonians is behind many of the country's other major urban centres. In a new ranking, Toronto placed 39th when it comes to charitable donations per capita for 2024 — a drop from 37th place in 2023.
Toronto ranked alongside several other larger cities, placing just behind Halifax, Ottawa and Vancouver.
In its year-end report, the organization said the Ontario region of Centre Wellington, which includes the towns of Elora and Fergus northwest of Toronto, was the most generous of Canada’s top 200 most populous communities in 2024.
A total of 6.27 per cent of 31,093 people among Centre Wellington’s population donated to a charity using the CanadaHelps website as of Nov. 30.
It's the second year the community has been named Canada’s most generous based on donors per capita.
“It is wonderful to see so many smaller cities ranked high on the list of Canada’s most generous communities this year, highlighting how communities can rally together to make a big impact,” said Duke Chang, the president and CEO of CanadaHelps.
“As we head into the end of the year, CanadaHelps is calling on all Canadians to give what they can this holiday season to support causes close to their hearts or make an impact in their local community, whether they choose to donate, volunteer, or engage in other forms of generosity," he continued.
CanadaHelps is itself a charity that advertises philanthropic investment through a website that serves as a safe and trusted destination for supporting any charity in Canada.
The organization worked with other charities to bring GivingTuesday to Canada in 2013.
Since 2000, more than 4.8 million people have donated upwards of $3.2 billion through the website.
The 10 most generous cities in Canada in 2024, based on the CanadaHelps report, are:
- Centre Wellington, Ont. (6.27 per cent)
- Collingwood, Ont. (5.6 per cent)
- Fort Erie, Ont. (5.27 per cent)
- North Vancouver, B.C.(4.62 per cent)
- Victoria, B.C. (4.58 per cent)
- Fredericton, N.B (4.25 per cent)
- St. John’s, Nfld. (4.23 per cent)
- Whitehorse, Yukon (4.1 per cent)
- Waterloo, Ont. (4.07 per cent)
- Brant, Ont. (3.94 per cent)
