Toward an understanding of religious organizations and social capital in Canada

The value of religious organizations to society over the last few years has come into question. Various cities and municipalities have at times used their ability to disallow rezoning applications for religious organizations wishing to build within their cities. Losses of tax revenue from the property and increased costs associated with additional traffic have prompted this legal stance. The government of the United States of America has passed into law protective measures to assist religious organizations against their cities. The question of the benefit of religious organizations is not a simple discussion. However, over the last twenty years the discussion and study of social capital is developing into an understanding of how it can be measured. Canada is leading the way with their studies through Statistics Canada into key indicators of social capital: giving, volunteering and participation. This paper is designed to contribute to this discussion and add to the knowledge of the impact of religious organizations on social capital in Canada.