46 BCBusiness February 2015
Take some 12,000 registered
charities in B.C., add in a dearth of com-
pany headquarters and their accompa-
nying larger share of charitable dollars,
and it's easy to see why there are high
demands on the province's individuals
and smaller businesses to give. And give
they do: from health care to arts, British
Columbians each donated, on average,
$390 in 2012—some 44 per cent more
a year than the national figure of $270,
according to Statistics Canada.
When you look at B.C. in a continental
context, however, it's a different picture.
The Fraser Institute's Generosity Index—
measuring the percentage of tax filers
contributing to charity and the amount
they contributed—revealed in 2013 that
B.C. ranked 51st (with New Mexico) out of
64 provinces and states, behind Vermont
and just ahead of Louisiana. Some local
philanthropists point to the U.S. estate
tax, where a deceased person's estate is
taxed on any value above US$5.34 million,
as one reason why America's wealthy give
more (Canada doesn't have an estate tax).
"I believe that if government wanted
to encourage more philanthropy, a
carrot-and-stick approach might work,"
says Michael Audain, chair of Vancouver-
based developer Polygon Homes Ltd. and
one of B.C.'s most significant philanthro-
pists. "Levy a punitive death tax on, say,
75 per cent of assets but give a credit for
charitable donations over the 10 preced-
ing years."
For now, however, there are notable
philanthropic powerhouses leading the
way in donations and volunteering in the
province. And while "The Power Givers"
is not designed as an all-encompassing
who's who of B.C. philanthropy, Audain
and his wife, Yoshiko Karasawa—plus
seven other charitable couples—show
how they are cultivating a culture of giv-
ing back in the province.
The
Power
Givers
B.C. has many pressing
philanthropic needs,
including underfunded
schools, overstuffed
hospitals and myriad social
problems. Meet eight
prominent couples who
are stepping up and giving
back to the province
that's made them the
successes they are
b y L u c y H y s L o p
W h y
T h e y
G i v e
