Canadians Helping Canadians

Global Learning Giving Initiative

GLGI, a Canadian company, is pleased to present the "Global Learning Giving Initiative". This program is a unique opportunity that allows you to help Canadian charities provide Canadians access to computer based education and globally recognized certification. We are a trusted and leading group of experts with a passion to give, and assist those to achieve a higher quality of life.

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We have helped over 1 million Canadians acquire a higher education

Our donated courseware materials, support to outreach and resource centres as well as industry recognized certification programs, all work to empower the individual open new opportunities and promise a brighter quality of life for both the students and the larger community.

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Why so many Canadians work with our program

The structure of the GLGI program has been created with the help of leading Canadian tax experts. Participation in the GLGI program is simple and starts by completing our application forms with a representative from your local area.

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Make a difference in the lives of those in need

Charities play and important role in the Canadian society. Our federal and provincial governments provide generous tax incentives to encourage individuals to make contributions to registered charities.

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Keep up with our latest achievements and involvements

Our GLGI Journal is designed to give you the inside story about the groups we are involved with, and how we helped change lives for the better. Also provided in the journals are valuable tax information, contest giveaways, and updates on our Learn To Earn program.

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A chance to win outstanding prizes

We would like to thank you for your donations and support of our programs. If you submit a comment or an article idea, you will be entered in a draw to win a free laptop. We want the GLGI Journal and web site to be communication tools for you, your family and friends. E-mail or fax questions to GLGI. Your input makes all the difference.

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  • «Who We Are»
  • «What We Do»
  • «Our Program»
  • «Why Participate»
  • «GLGI News»
  • «GLGI Testimonies»   
Thu, Feb 23, 2012
Newsletter

Assembly of First Nations

NatAbDay2

Summer 2010
 

The annual Assembly of First Nations took place in Winnipeg this past July. The gathering provides First Nations Chiefs or their designated representatives a forum at which they can:

- Maximize opportunities for exchange, dialogue and the development of consensus on fundamental issues and common interests to further the International Year of Action. 

- Contribute to focused dialogue on matters of critical importance to our Nations, including moving forward on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous 

- Peoples; Treaties; Education; Citizenship; Climate Change and Economic Interests. 

- Provide mandate and direction through designated regional caucus sessions and the resolutions process. 

Opening ceremonies saw the grand entry of First Nation chiefs in their regalia parade through The Forks, Winnipeg’s most popular gathering place. Accompanied by the rhythmic and spellbinding beat of the pow wow drums and the chant of their calls to gather, the vision of procession was breathtaking. One couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride to be a part of this assembly.

GLGI was asked to support Eskasoni First Nation in the hosting of their booth at the simultaneous trade show aimed at providing organizations an opportunity to connect with First Nation communities across Canada. Showcasing Mi’kmaqIT, Eskasoni’s new computer learning centre, proved to be very productive. The need for education – free, relevant and accessible education – is rampant across all First Nation communities.

 

Attendees to the booth were pleasantly surprised by the amount of courseware offered through our program and were even more astonished to learn that this much needed education was being offered at no cost to their communities. 
Mi’kmaqIT saw the registration of many individuals to their learning portal through this event. Whole communities and learning facilities have also expressed interest to house their own learning centres.

There was a free draw for a netbook and Eskasoni awarded it to Ken Sanderson, a Policy Analyst from Aboriginal and Northern Affairs, Manitoba.
We had an opportunity to reconnect with Chief Lawrence Paul of Millbrook First Nations who generously introduced us to other Chiefs enabling us to further develop our network of champions for the learning programs.

We applaud Eskasoni’s initiative to promote the learning program across Canada and continue to support their efforts in ensuring the distribution of our valuable courseware to every Canadian with a desire to better their skills.

NAD and GHC Learning Annex

National Aboriginal Day at Glooscap Heritage Centre 

NatAbDayIf you’ve never experienced a National Aboriginal Day celebration then you are missing out on one of the most moving events in Canada. Go to Truro Nova Scotia and see one with camera in hand and capture the essence of a Nova Scotia First Nations community:   the Mi’kmaq of the Glooscap Heritage Centre.

The GHC is unique because it is managed through a native – non-native partnership. The centre is a place of pride for the Millbrook First Nation and it attracts tourists from all over the world. The Centre is not far from the Bay of Fundy which is in the bidding for “New 7 Wonders of the Natural World” status, for their claim to the world’s highest-recorded tides.  This is also ancient Mi’kmaq territory, part of the legend of Glooscap.

Glooscap is an aboriginal word meaning “Man from nothing.” According to local folklore, Glooscap was the first man created from a bolt of lightning in the sand. He features in many Mi’kmaq stories. In tribute, the centre boasts a 40-foot statue of Glooscap holding a torch.

The Mi’kmaq (pronounced, mig’maw) belong to the many Canadian Aboriginal groups known as First Nations. The Mi’kmaq inhabit the land nearest the sunrise, along the Atlantic seaboard in Canada. Their 10,000-year-old legacy honours ancient knowledge, healing powers, traditions and a firm belief in the “Great Spirit.”

 If you come to watch National Aboriginal Day festivities you will meet Chief Lawrence Paul, the respected Chief of the Millbrook First Nation. In office since 1984, Chief Lawrence is directly responsible for the economic growth and thriving social programming available to Millbrook residents. His achievements for the Mi’kmaq have cemented his reputation as the most respected Chief of the region.

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GLGI Journal Tax Tip

“Service Canada now allows ROEs to be filed electronically”

The ROE is the most important document used by the government assessing an Employment Insurance (“EI”) claim – the information is used to establish whether the employee qualifies for EI benefits, what rate of EI is available and how long EI benefits can be claimed.

Benefits for the employer and employees:

  1. Efficient, reliable, and easy to use.
  2. The electronic service permits employers to retain key ROE data in their payroll system for easy reference and record keeping.
  3. Minimal risk of error.
  4. You can easily retrieve or amend copies when needed.
  5. Employers will save money and time in administration, storage and postage, from filing electronically.

 

“Save Time by sending your money to CRA online”

The Canada Revenue Agency’s (“CRA”) My Payment service simplifies the process of making payments. This service can help anyone—from a business submitting its goods and services tax/harmonized sales tax (GST/HST) installments, to an individual making a payment toward a personal income tax amount owing.

Benefits for the tax payer:

  1. The payment is direct, so you won’t have to worry about cheques being lost in the mail
  2. You don’t have to worry about cheques being lost

Info Source

InfoSource has been supplying the current GLGI program with courseware since the program’s inception in 2004. During the 6 years that have elapsed, tens of thousands of individuals have benefited from the training courses that have been donated via the GLGI program.

Based just outside of Orlando, in central Florida, InfoSource has been in business as a training company since 1983. What started as a small business, writing technology textbooks; has now grown into a software company which authors and distributes a broad range of web-based training and assessment modules via a Learning Management System hosted on servers operating from the company’s own ‘state of the art’ data center. Today, more than 2,000 schools and corporations across North America as well as customers in Europe, India, and Asia license InfoSource training services.  More than 2 million individuals per year use the company’s training modules.

 One of the challenges that the company continually faces is the need to keep up with changing technology trends. Richard Williams, Business Development Manager for InfoSource, comments: “More than any other industry, the technology industry is characterized by rapid and frequent change.   Since much of our training is connected with using technology we need to be continually investing in new training courses to ensure that our offerings continue to meet the market’s requirements.”

The same is true for the recipients who benefit from the GLGI program. Only a few years ago – employers might have viewed basic computer competency as a bonus when interviewing a prospective employee. In 2010 ‘digital literacy’ is both a pre-requisite and a necessity for securing that initial interview. The InfoSource training courses that are supplied to First Nations via the GLGI program will provide essential and valuable computing skills training which will equip students with a sound base of technology competency plus up to date skills in those applications which are likely to be needed most frequently in the workplace. In addition, students have access to a range of ‘SoftSkills’ modules which teach topics ranging from team skills to negotiating skills – all which are so crucial to success in today’s workplace.

In addition to valuable job related training, InfoSource plans to bring an additional benefit to the First Nations communities by making available tools which will allow First Nations users to create their own educational materials. As well as being able to author ‘traditional’ e-learning programs – First Nations communities will be able to use a new Video Course Capture facility. Richard Williams comments: “One of the concerns that we hear most frequently from First Nations communities is the potential loss of their linguistic and cultural heritage as those members that are most familiar with their history grow older. We believe that making available a simple to use and flexible recording capability, and combining it with the capacity to safely store and subsequently distribute these recoded materials, will greatly assist First Nations in preserving their unique and valuable culture for future generations”

InfoSource is pleased to be a supplier to the GLGI program and looks forward to continued participation in the years to come.

Frequently Asked Questions


Q. Why is the Global Learning Giving Initiative a unique opportunity?

A. The Global Learning Giving Initiative allows approved applicants an opportunity to receive and donate educational courseware to charities. This courseware allows the charities to provide free education to those who would otherwise not have the opportunity to avail themselves of this education.

An approved applicant:
May receive the courseware at no cost. They can then choose to donate the courseware as a “gift-in-kind” at “fair market value” to the charity.
May also make a cash donation to a registered charitable foundation which supports registered charities involved in education and training.
The charitable donation tax receipts will be issued for each donation.

Q. How diverse are the charities?

A. The Charities are across Canada, from Nunavut to British Columbia. Southern Ontario and the Maritimes also have First Nations communities. Many groups are involved in the work force development and significant numbers are not-for-profit, women’s shelters and/or programs for youth. It is a wide spectrum and we’re finding that, in this tight economy, more and more businesses are turning to us and asking how they can help their unemployed workers.

Q. What happens if the CRA chooses to reassess this program?

A. CRA has a three year window to reassess this program before they are statute-barred from doing so. If the CRA does choose to reassess, GLGI will take the appropriate steps to coordinate a vigorous defense of the program in the Tax Court of Canada. It may be possible that a representative case would be chosen from all reassessed clients, and the entire program would be tried based on that one case.
GLGI has established a Defense Fund in the amount of $1,000,000 – an amount considered adequate to competently defend the program ( to the Supreme Court if necessary ) should a challenge arise.

Q. Is there a limit to the amount a donor may donate in any taxation year?

A. The limit is the same as for a registered charity, which is 75% of your net income that year.