At IPC, we built IPC Cares to bring together the various efforts we make towards enhancing the communities within which we operate. By adopting causes that are close to our hearts, we keep ourselves committed and accountable.

Last year alone, as a company, we supported the aid efforts on the Fort McMurray fires, palliative care through The Healing Cycle Foundation and women and children through The Salvation Army.

Perhaps the most significant effort we undertake, and one that we believe is representative of the kind of work that inspires and keeps us committed to our CSR efforts, is the community development project in Honduras with The Carpenteros & Friends. Last year’s project involved a group of IPC staff and Advisors volunteering their time and energy on the ground. Very little is as inspiring and rewarding as living the lives of the people you’re helping, and every one of the people who took the journey came back a changed person, even more determined to stay committed to making a difference in the world!

We also made countless small but significant contributions of our time and resources within our communities through many grassroots charities we believe in, and the ripple effect of their efforts are always rewarding.

Each year, from coast to coast we participate in Junior Achievement's projects and in-school events that aim to help kids improve their knowledge, skills and confidence in making the best financial choices. Each year more than 226,000 young Canadians experience a Junior Achievement program from over 13,500 committed business mentors, including many from Investment Planning Counsel.

The JA programs - Dollars with Sense and Economics for Success - are delivered in schools by volunteer advisors. And research has shown that over 75% of Junior Achievement's past participants believe the programs had a significant impact in developing their financial literacy skills -- saving more, borrowing less and doing better financially than the average Canadian.