For years, many nonprofit leaders have been calling for better representation within the federal government. The hope is for a sector that has as great an impact on government policies as it does on the people and causes it serves. In this episode, we delve into the campaign for a federal “Home in Government” for the charitable sector and how, if successful, this could improve nonprofits’ influence on policy that affects them directly and indirectly. We’ll also hear from the first Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development and Non-Profits in British Columbia to find out more about her work, and how a Home in Government actually looks in practice. 

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Meet Our Guests in Order of Appearance 

Annika Voltan

Executive Director, Impact Organizations of Nova Scotia (IONS)

Annika Voltan is the Executive Director of Impact Organizations of Nova Scotia (IONS), where she works to develop the capacity and influence of the community impact sector. She was previously the Executive Director of Inspiring Communities where she worked to help grow the field of systems change through fostering activities related to nesting social change initiatives, evaluation and learning.

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Annika has experience working across federal and provincial government departments, academia and the business sector. She has a PhD in social entrepreneurship and has research interests in networks and social innovation. Annika has three young children and can be found exploring nature and the local craft beer scene.

 

Niki Sharma

Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development and Non-Profits, Legislative Assembly of British Columbia

PS Sharma was elected as the MLA for Vancouver-Hastings in 2020 and is British Columbia’s Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development and Non-Profits. Niki is a lawyer and community builder dedicated to making life better for people. Her legal practice focused on representing Indigenous people, including residential school survivors. She is a passionate advocate for reconciliation. 

The Honourable Ratna Omidvar

Independent Senator for Ontario, Senate of Canada

In 2016, Ratna Omidvar was appointed to the Senate of Canada as an independent Senator representing Ontario. From 2018 – 2019, Senator Omidvar served as the Deputy Chair of the Special Senate Committee on the Charitable Sector. She is currently the Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology. Senator Omidvar has over 30 years of experience working in the charitable sector at senior levels of management as well as serving as a board director and a volunteer with over 35 organizations.

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For over 16 years she transformed a small, private foundation – Maytree – into a champion for anti-poverty, diversity and inclusion and immigrant and refugee policy issues.  

Currently, Senator Omidvar is a Director at the Samara Centre for Democracy, a Director at the Century Initiative, a Council Member at the World Refugee and Migration Council and Chair Emerita at the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council. 

She is the co-editor of Five Good Ideas: Practical Strategies for Non-Profit Success (2011). 

Mark Blumberg

Partner, Blumberg Segal LLP

Mark Blumberg is a partner at the law firm Blumberg Segal LLP (Blumbergs) in Toronto and works almost exclusively advising non-profits and registered charities on their work in Canada and abroad. Mark has written numerous articles, is a frequent speaker on legal issues involving charity and not-for-profit law and is the editor of www.canadiancharitylaw.ca – Canadian website dedicated to news about the Canadian charitable sector as well as legal and ethical issues for Canadian charities operating in Canada or overseas. 

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He also has established the websites www.CharityData.ca, the largest portal of data on the Canadian charity sector, and www.SmartGiving.ca a website encouraging informed charitable giving. Mark is particularly interested in the regulation of non-profits and charities in Canada, philanthropy, transparency requirements for the voluntary sector, providing accessible information on regulatory issues, and the use of data to make more informed decisions on the charity sector.

Mark was on the Charities Directorate Technical Issues Working Group for 4 years, which is a bi-annual meeting between the Charities Directorate, the Department of Finance and the charity sector to discuss technical and policy issues pertaining to registered charities and the Income Tax Act (Canada). Mark was a member of the Canadian Bar Association National Charities and Not-for-Profit Law Section for 6 years. Mark is a member of the Exempt Organizations Committee of the American Bar Association.

Mark lectures frequently to various industry and professional groups on charity compliance issues including the Chartered Professional Accountants Canada (CPA Canada), as well as CPA Ontario, BC and Alberta, the Canadian Bar Association, Ontario Bar Association, Canadian Association of Gift Planners, Association of Fundraising Professionals, Ontario Hospital Association, and many other organizations.

Mark has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Toronto, an LLB from the University of British Columbia and an LLM from Osgoode Hall Law School in Tax Law.

You can contact Mark at mark@blumbergs.ca or 416-361-1982 locally or 1-866-961-1982 toll-free.

Cathy Taylor

Executive Director, Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN)

Cathy Taylor (she/her) has been a member of the ONN team since June 2012. Throughout her 20 years working in the nonprofit sector, including as the founding Executive Director of the Volunteer Centre of Guelph/Wellington, she has been passionate about collaboration and leadership in the sector. Cathy works with sector colleagues from across Ontario and Canada, as well as private sector and government officials, to create an enabling policy environment for nonprofit organizations. 

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Cathy’s roots are in the environmental movement and she has been active in municipal politics. She holds a degree in political studies and history from Queen’s University, and attended the Maytree-York University Executive Directors Leadership program. Outside of work, she enjoys time with her family and her garden in Erin, Ontario.

About your Host

Mary Barroll

President of CharityVillage

About your Host 

Mary Barroll, president of CharityVillage, is an online business executive and lawyer with a background in media, technology and IP law. A former CBC journalist and independent TV producer, in 2013 she was appointed General Counsel & VP Media Affairs at CharityVillage.com, Canada’s largest job portal for charities and not-for-profits in Canada, and then President in 2021. Mary is also President of sister company, TalentEgg.ca, Canada’s No.1, award-winning job board and online career resource that connects top employers with top students and grads. 

Resources from this Episode

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Learn more and listen to the full interviews with the guests here. 

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