Do you donate your time and money during hard times?

A student plants a tree at Toronto's York University. The highest rates of volunteering were found among Canadians who were younger, while older volunteers clocked more hours. (Fabiola Carletti)


Canadians are generous even when times are tough, according to the 2010 Canada Survey of Giving, Volunteering and Participation.

The survey results, which were released by Statistics Canada on Wednesday, show that 24 million people raised $10.6 billion for charity in 2010 - meaning most of the Canadian population chipped in.

The average annual donation was $446 per Canadian donor, up slightly from 2007 when the average amount was $437, according to Statistics Canada.

The data for 2010 also showed:

• Donors in the West made the largest donations, on average.
• Donor rates were the highest in Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island.
• More than 13.3 million Canadians volunteered their time with a group or organization.
• Volunteers logged nearly 2.1 billion hours and, on average, they gave 156 hours of their time.
• Nova Scotians logged the most volunteer time (207 hours on average), but the highest proportion of volunteerism was in Saskatchewan.

Read more: Canadians a charitable lot despite economic woes

Does the data surprise you? Why or why not? Do you normally give to charity or volunteer your time? If so, tell us about your good deeds in the comments section below.

(These surveys are not scientific. Results are based on readers' responses.)