NAME CONFUSION MAY LEAD TO DONOR CONFUSION
Charitable organization with similar name threatens the good reputation of another charity

Canadian Paraplegic Association Ontario would like to clarify that it is in no way associated with Canadian Quadriplegic Association. Although both organizations have similar names and have offices in the Toronto area, the similarities end there.

This past weekend, the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) announced that the “Canadian Quadriplegic Association” had lost its charitable status for various reasons including not maintaining any books or records to support its financial and charitable activities and not providing proper receipts. (The full story can be read at this link: http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/canada-revenue-agency-revokes-registration-canadian-quadraplegic-association-as-charity-1701803.htm).

In fact, Canadian Paraplegic Association Ontario is in the process of changing its name to Spinal Cord Injury Ontario to be inclusive of all people with spinal cord injuries and to provide clarity about what we do and who we serve. Due to financial reporting rules, we are using our new name on the CRA website, so if searching for us please look for Spinal Cord Injury Ontario and you will pull up all historical information as it pertains to the organization. Last year we worked with over 1,300 people with spinal cord injuries.

Canadian Paraplegic Association Ontario is committed to transparent financial reporting. We have won for the last two years in a row the Voluntary Sector Reporting Award which was created by the CA-Queen's Centre for Governance in partnership with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario and Sponsored by Price Waterhouse Cooper. (More information here: http://business.queensu.ca/centres/CA-QCG/voluntary_sector_reporting/index.php). We are also members of the Imagine Canada’s Ethical Fundraising Code Program. We are serious about accountability to our stakeholders.

Please feel free to come to our signature fundraising event – the Wheelchair Relay Challenge – held in communities across Ontario (see http://www.cpaont.org/wrc for details) – to meet our stakeholders and find out why they are committed to our organization.