According to nationwide figures released by Statistics Canada this past week, Toronto residents footed the bill for almost $1-billion of the more than $6.9-billion that Canadians donated to registered charities in 2004. We also had the second highest median donationin the country. But before we started patting ourselves on the back, we were curious to see how our generosity broke down across the city.
TORONTO
Total amount given to charity in 2004: $984,451, 000
Median donation: $370
Percentage of Torontonians who gave to charity: 25.8%
M3H:
TORONTO'S MOST GENEROUS NEIGHBOURHOOD?
District: The North York stretch roughly bound by Highway 401, Sheppard Avenue, Allen Road and Bathurst Street
Total number of tax filers in 2004: 22,670
Median income: $24,900
Total amount given to charity: $36,260,000
Percentage of total income donated to charity: 3.64 per cent
Median donation: $540 -- on par with Abbotsford, B.C., the city with the highest median in the country.
M5V:
TORONTO'S LEAST GENEROUS NEIGHBOURHOOD?
District: The downtown zone roughly bound by Lakeshore, Queen Street West, Strachan Avenue and University Avenue
Total number of tax filers in 2004: 9,490
Median income: $41,900
Total amount given to charity: $2,806,000
Percentage of total income donated to charity: 0.54 per cent
Median donation: $200 -- almost 15 per cent below the national median
M4V and M4T:
COMMUNAL EFFORT AWARD
The neighbouring areas that include Summerhill, Moore Park and Deer Park each boast a participation rate of just under 45 per cent. In other words, almost half of the tax filers in the two postal areas opened their wallets for charity in 2004. Of the two, eastern neighbour M4T can claim the upper hand, with a median donation of $800, compared with M4V's $700.
Source: Statistics Canada