It’s taken years, but the Anglican Church of Canada has been rumbled: someone has finally noticed it is running a business not a religion.
From the CBC:
The Anglican Parish of Shediac declared $5 million in assets in 2015, as well as $350,000 in annual income from the rental of land or real estate. (CBC)
The Canada Revenue Agency is being asked to investigate whether the Anglican Parish of Shediac is complying with the laws of a charitable organization.
A complaint was filed Monday by a group of concerned residents who have taken issue with the church’s involvement in a proposed mega-campsite project in Pointe-du-Chêne.
The parish owns the land where the campground big enough for 600 to 700 trailers — the largest in the Maritimes — is set to be built, and it would lease the land to a group of investors that included Health Minister Victor Boudreau before he gave up his stake in the project after months of controversy.
But some Pointe-du-Chêne residents, including Arthur Melanson, grew worried when the church recently became the campsite’s proponent.
According to federal tax law, a charity is forbidden from running a business, unless it is directly linked to its mission.