Community Initiatives

The Institute has been a supporter of the

Canadian Women's Foundation (CWF) since its inception, and is a sponsor of the CWF's Annual Professional Breakfast - its major fundraising event. The Institute also provides the CWF with photography and print media and monitoring support.

The Canadian Women's Foundation is Canada's only national public foundation dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls. The CWF funds, researches and shares the best approaches to: ending violence against women, moving low-income women out of poverty, and helping girls become strong and resilient.

Ranked as one of the ten largest women's foundations in the world, the Canadian Women’s Foundation has raised over $31 million and supported more than 825 programs across Canada since 1991.

The Institute's

Free CA Tax Clinics program is a province-wide community service where volunteer Chartered Accountants prepare tax returns for low-income people, free of charge.

The Institute began the program in Toronto in 1969 as a pilot project involving 500 taxpayers. It has grown into a province-wide program with hundreds of volunteer Chartered Accountants and their associates helping thousands of low income people by preparing their income tax returns, free of charge.

Clinics operate from mid-February to the end of March in co-operation with a variety of agencies - including food banks, charities, hospitals, senior centres and homes, community centres, social service agencies and libraries. The Institute offers additional support to these agencies by providing them with an honourarium based on the number of tax returns prepared, to help the agencies carry out their valuable work.

The Institute is committed to the development of Ontario's youth. An important initiative is a gold-level sponsorship of

Youth in Motion (YIM). YIM, a registered charity, is committed to creating and fostering an educational environment that will improve the level of awareness of the diversity in career opportunities for youth. YIM programs and events are designed to motivate and empower youth to engage in career planning and exploration to shape a positive and rewarding future for themselves.

Since 1998, the Institute has been a major sponsor of the

Ontario Legislature Internship Program . The program brings eight recent graduates to Queen's Park every year to work with backbench members of the Legislature. The non-partisan program was established in 1975 by the Canadian Political Science Association and The Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

The focus of the program is upon the Legislative Assembly as a vital institution of government and, more particularly, upon the role of the backbench Member. Interns provide assistance of various kinds to some of these Members. In order to supplement their academic training with valuable practical experience.

The Institute's support of Ontario Legislature Internship Program is a key component of our profile raising efforts at Queen's Park. The program is both highly recognized and valued by Ontario's Legislators.