WE Charity Seeks Public Apology from Toronto Sun

TORONTO, July 21, 2020 /CNW/ - Over the past weeks, WE Charity has faced an unprecedented level of public scrutiny regarding a contribution agreement to help the Government of Canada implement the Canadian Student Service Grant (CSSG). Scrutiny of the organization is entirely legitimate, but we expect this coverage to be accurate.

We were extremely concerned by a story published on Monday, July 20, on the Postmedia and Toronto Sun News platforms, under the byline of Brian Lilley, that lacked sufficient research and contained multiple errors of fact about WE Charity CFO, Victor Li. These unfounded assumptions made about our CFO are harmful to his reputation and unfair to him and his family.

• The article wrongly suggests that there were improper real estate transactions between WE Charity CFO Victor Li and Mingze Li. It also incorrectly identifies Victor Li as the father of Mingze Li: "The second was purchased from Free the Children, the charity now called WE. WE is where Mingze Li's father, Victor, works as chief financial officer."

In fact, there is no family relationship between the two individuals named. This was an assumption made by the Toronto Sun without adequate confirmation. In reality, Li is a common Chinese family name.

• The article wrongly implies there were improper real estate transactions involving WE Charity CFO Victor Li and WE affiliated organizations: "Victor Li has worked closely with the Kielburger (sic) brothers for years looking after the money at WE and according to public real estate documents, Li and his family have done many deals with either the Kielburgers or one of the many WE affiliated organizations." 

In fact, CFO Victor Li has never personally bought or sold any real estate with the WE organization (neither WE Charity, ME to WE Social Enterprise, nor ME to WE Foundation). This claim is unfounded and untrue.

• What's more, the article contains multiple errors and misrepresentations about the parents of Craig and Marc Kielburger and their private real estate. These claims are false and information regarding the private property of Fred and Theresa Kielburger, unrelated to WE Charity, is not in the public interest. "The family has traded some pieces of real estate multiple times before transferring them to a numbered company for what is recorded as a $0 transaction."

In fact, these are private family matters for estate planning purposes as Theresa and Fred Kielburger approach 80 years of age. These are routine decisions made by loving parents to help support their family's future, but the article makes them seem complex and improper. There is nothing inappropriate in their approach to property ownership or estate planning, which is supported by necessary and appropriate documentation. The properties in question are personal, and not owned nor were they ever owned, by WE Charity or ME to WE Social Enterprise. It is unfortunate that the reporting has included false claims and unnecessary intrusions on the privacy of two senior citizens.

WE Charity asks The Toronto Sun and Postmedia to publicly apologize to Victor Li for these false and unfounded claims. 

SOURCE WE Charity

WE Charity remains responsive to media requests about our organization. Journalists can contact WE Charity through [email protected].