All posts tagged: municipal and school property taxes

Muslim non-profit organization obtains status as religious institution

A Muslim non-profit organization that sought to obtain the status of a religious institution in order to obtain an exemption from paying municipal and school property taxes won its case after Quebec Superior Court overturned a ruling by Quebec’s administrative tribunal.

In a ruling that reversed a recent trend by Quebec adjudicators who interpreted the notion of religious institutions narrowly and restrictively, Quebec Superior Court Justice Carol Cohen held that it should instead benefit from a broad and liberal interpretation. While the expression religious institution is not defined by Quebec law, Justice Cohen heeded guidance from Quebec jurisprudence as well the recent Supreme Court of Canada’s ruling in Loyola High School v Quebec (Attorney General) 2015 SCC 12, and held that that a religious institution exists when an organized group of persons establish or create an organization to facilitate the pursuit and realization for religious purposes.