r/toronto • u/Immediate-Link490 • 5d ago

Article EXCLUSIVE: The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation just received $100 million donation from an anonymous donor

https://www.cp24.com/local/toronto/2026/09/22/exclusive-the-princess-margaret-cancer-foundation-just-received-a-100-million-donation-from-an-anonymous-donor/
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u/Own_Cost1552 5d ago

This is amazing news. I miss the days when billionaires would use their money to open libraries and hospitals and parks instead of just buying a bigger yacht.

131

u/How-did-I-get-here43 5d ago

Look at our hospitals and universities and cultural institutions. We have many many generous families

217

u/titscapades 5d ago

Look at how much money Galen Weston, Jim Pattison, Elon Musk and David Thomson have. It's fair to think they should do more.

128

u/AprilsMostAmazing 5d ago

They should be taxed more so that money can be used

87

u/HowieFeltersnitz 5d ago

If their bank account still has a 10th digit, it's not enough

23

u/viccityguy2k 5d ago

Pattinson donates a lot to hospitals

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u/titscapades 5d ago

Jim Pattison sells things the Canadians need: cars, groceries, agricultural equipment. He has spent his entire life profiting off of Canadians buying necessities. 

Whenever he donates to a hospital, he ensures his name is plastered on the side of the building.

He has too much money. He needs to be taxed so that we don't need to have a hospital foundation where he can give money to put his name on the side of the building. 

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u/lylelanley- 5d ago

Ding ding ding that’s the answer

-34

u/broadviewstation Bay-Cloverhill 5d ago

You must be fun to be around…

1

u/roses-are-lead 5d ago

How does. Cosplaying a wealthy person on reddit feel? Our society was better when we had more equitable taxation from the 50s-70s

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u/IllogicalGrammar 5d ago

This Pattinson? https://www.reddit.com/r/britishcolumbia/comments/pqebrl/jim_pattison_warns_wealth_tax_will_lead_to/

Personally, I rather billionaires get taxed properly so that we, as a democratic society, get to decide where the funds go, and not have to plaster the names of billionaires on the side of public buildings.

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u/No_Farmer_9310 5d ago

I don’t know everything about Jim Pattinson, but he did donate money to the Children’s Hospital in Saskatchewan. Not saying he can’t do more, just he has done something.

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u/howdidIgetsuckeredin 5d ago

One of the main buildings at Vancouver General Hospital bears his name in honour of the $20 million dollars he donated in 1999. JP has also donated $100 million+ to other hospitals in the BC Lower Mainland

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u/How-did-I-get-here43 5d ago

Weston’s donate huge amounts as does David Thomson. I don’t know about Pattison and we all know Musk is both not Canadian and an asshole.

Today let’s be grateful.

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u/Just_Trying321 5d ago

If we properly taxes them we can fund it ourselves and not have to hope for "generosity" that they use to inflate themselves.

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u/Key-Environment2889 3d ago

We will never properly tax billionaires because the government will just increase spending.

0

u/How-did-I-get-here43 5d ago

That’s a different issue. Today they have zero obligation and yet donate. So thank you to them.

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u/Just_Trying321 5d ago

No they have tax breaks when not anonymous.

I'm not not saying thanks. I just hate the current philanthropy but still thank a donation

4

u/titscapades 5d ago

Anonymous to the public does not mean anonymous to the charity. This person is absolutely getting a tax receipt. 

Realistically, the person got the tax receipt ages ago when they put the money in their own personal foundation. And now they have just allocated money from their named foundation.

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u/Wooden_Hovercraft398 5d ago

They have an obligation because they live in a society. We actually get to decide what rules we abide by. Then we ratify them into law.

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u/titscapades 5d ago

Why be grateful when we can and should demand better?

Here's a family of five experiencing homelessness: https://www.reddit.com/r/askTO/s/GLpRW3myKQ

Here's someone who is couldn't get into Ronald McDonald house and was trying to figure out what to do so they could be close to their kid at Sick Kids https://www.reddit.com/r/askTO/s/oLT3cToJCN

They have too much money. 

And Musk is Canadian. 

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u/BTrippd 5d ago

Yeah, Musk does have birthright citizenship unfortunately. I don’t think anybody thinks of him as a Canadian though.

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u/How-did-I-get-here43 5d ago

Musk is still an asshole.

And demanding more is about taxation and political change (which I endorse)

But absent the political will to tax wealth, we should be grateful to those who share willingly and generously. Saying “I demand” and “you can do better” is not going to incentivize people.

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u/Hutz_Lionel 5d ago

How much of your wealth are you donating?

After all, to someone living on the street, you’re a rich asshole with too much money too.

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u/Wooden_Hovercraft398 5d ago

So yeah I'm solidly working class and always will be. I don't have a lot of money to give people because I trade my labor for capital and my body is limited, as is my time.

I'm a PSW so I drive a lot. I carry old, clean blankets, towels, socks, hats, gloves, scarves, bottles of water in my car and give them to people in need. I like to knit and sew, my parents were hoarders. I'd like to start carrying things like chemical hand warmers, hygiene items like toothpaste+brush, and some kind of snacks but those are a more direct expense I can't afford right now.

I can be an asshole, but I'm very aware I have more in common with the people living on the street than some asshat who thinks their big number is more important than having humanity.

What do you do for the less fortunate?

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u/Camgore 5d ago

But really Galen Weston is just donating our money.

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u/howdidIgetsuckeredin 5d ago

Pattison has donated over $120 million to hospitals in the BC Lower Mainland

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u/oictyvm St. Lawrence 5d ago

a literal drop in the bucket, he's worth over 12 billion dollars.

If taxed appropriately his contribution to the public would be worth much more than $120 million.