Ottawa charities welcome new deadline for charitable donation tax deduction

The federal government plans to extend the chance for people to claim charitable donations on their 2024 taxes.

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It's a decision Ottawa charities say will bring a bit of holiday relief.

Usually, the public would have until Dec. 31 to send in a donation to charity and claim it on their taxes, but donors will now have until Feb. 28 to do so.

Bronwen Dearlove with the Ottawa Humane Society says the organization's donation newsletter got stuck in the mail for weeks during the Canada Post strike and is only now reaching the doors of donors. She says the donation page serves as a reminder that the organization completely relies on donations.

"It definitely makes a difference," she said. "It's a very gentle, soft request to consider further giving."

Dearlove says she welcomes the extension of the tax deduction deadline. She says the organization is facing a $250,000 shortfall this year, money that would go towards helping animals in their care who need support and emergency surgery.

She says many donations often come in towards the end of the year through mail-based programs like their newsletter.

"From our perspective, anything that will encourage a donor to give is going to help us deliver our work," she said.

Bernie Forestell with the Shepherds of Good Hope also supports the move.

"It gives us the opportunity to use the extension to process gifts. Now that they're coming in," he said.

With the proposed new deadline extended for two months, the Shepherds of Good Hope says it's both good for the donor and for charities across the country.

"It gives donors a chance to just breathe a little bit, think about what donations they want to make," he said.

"It gives us that extra time too… that'll give us an extra two months in the year to process what we hope will be a huge influx of donations."

The announcement was made Monday, but legislation will not be introduced until Parliament returns from Christmas break on Jan. 27 amid a tumultous time for the government. It's not clear if the Liberal minority government will continue to have the confidence of the House of Commons.