Manitobans most generous in Canada, StatsCan report says

Manitobans are generous people.

According to a new Statistics Canada report released Tuesday, 25 per cent ofManitobansdonated to charitable organizations in 2013, making Manitobathe most generous of all the provinces.

• Canadian generosity in decline with just 22.3% of tax filers giving to charity

Manitobans gave about $390 per person, beating the national average of $280.

Manitoban Michael Gieshas been donating for close to 15 years. He donates about six per cent of his salary to the United Way.

Gies started giving to United Way in 1999by joining an at-work donation campaignand continued with his payroll deductions.

Gies and his wife are nowgiving at a trailblazer donor level, meaning that they give between $5,000 and $7,500 every year.

"My wife and I are incredibly lucky that we don't need the access to charity that unfortunately a lot of other families do," Gies said."If you have the means, you should support, because you never know if you're going to need it."

The couple picked the United Way as their charity because they said their money then reachesmore than a hundred different agencies.