The Humane Society of Canada Denied Appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada

As reported by the Toronto Star, the Humane Society of Canada for the Protection of Animals and the Environment, a charity led by Toronto’s Michael O’Sullivan, will not get a chance to stave off impending revocation of its tax-free status with an appearance before the country’s highest court.

This means the Canada Revenue Agency can proceed to revoke the organization’s charitable status and they will no longer be able to issue tax receipts for donations.

According to the Star, among the expenses flagged by the auditors examining the charity’s 2006 income tax return were: $27,000 in superhero-themed comic book purchases; $22,000 in meals eaten mainly in Toronto; a $4,000 O’Sullivan family trip to Disneyland in California; $1,800 in alcohol; and a $67 charge at LaSenza Girl lingerie store.

In a release from the Humane Society of Canada, Michael O’Sullivan states, “The HSC is disappointed, but not defeated. We will not be deterred by a few rogue bureaucrats, or a couple of reporters on an unfair personal crusade. We will fight on."

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Top court puts Humane Society of Canada on borrowed time
Humane Society of Canada in dogfight to keep tax free status

Humane Society of Canada Registration Revoked

According to a recent report in the Ottawa Citizen, Michael O'Sullivan, the Executive Director of the Humane Society of Canada is alleged to have collected more than $250,000 in expenses including $70,000 that the CRA categorized as personal expenses. 

Included in these expenses were “a large number of personal meal expenses, the cost of comic books purchased through PayPal, liquor purchases from the LCBO, grocery purchases, tickets to entertainment events in the UK and the USA, and expenses of Mr. O’Sullivan and his family at Disneyland.”

A CRA audit found the humane society’s books and records didn’t separate O’Sullivan’s personal expenditures from its charitable spending, and did not demonstrate a direct linkage between the society’s spending and its charitable activities.

The Federal Court of Appeal upheld the CRA decision to revoke the Humane Society of Canada’s registration as a charitable organization.

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Humane society threatens Canmore with lawsuit over possible cull of feral rabbits

If Canmore’s politicians choose lethal means to deal with its burgeoning bunny population, they will face a legal challenge from the Humane Society of Canada.

In a recent letter to the mayor, the chairman and CEO of the humane society, Michael O’Sullivan, said the group is opposed to killing Canmore’s rabbits because it is inhumane and doomed to failure. O’Sullivan said if Canmore chooses a lethal solution to a human-caused problem the society will mount a legal challenge against it.

“As the Humane Society of Canada, we feel we need to draw a line in the sand,” he said in an interview. “We hope it does not come to that because we want to work with people to solve this.”

Read the full article in the Calgary Herald