CARDUS

The “halo effect” is a measure of the socio-economic benefit that a religious congregation contributes to its local community.

Our most recent research suggests that for every dollar that a congregation spends, the local community receives an average of $3.39 in economic benefit. The halo effect for Canada as a whole is currently estimated to be $18.2 billion.

Although religious congregations do not exist for the purpose of benefiting the economy, their economic benefit is in fact significant. Furthermore, if governments or other agencies had to replace the programs and services that congregations provide to their local communities, the cost would be immense.

Visit haloproject.ca to calculate the halo effect of an individual religious congregation, or impact by postal code, city, province, or territory.

Publications

The Hidden Economy

How Faith Helps Fuel Canada's GDP

Valuing Toronto's Faith Congregations

Halo Project Phase 1

The Hidden Economy