Michael J. Fox said it's meaningful to him that his foundation is now an officially registered charity in his home country. (CBC)

Source: cbcnews.ca

Edmonton-born actor and philanthropist Michael J. Fox was in Toronto on Thursday to announce his Parkinson's research foundation is now a tax-exempt charity in Canada.

"We know cures aren't going to fall from the sky," Fox, 48, told a news conference. "We come to work every day ready, and strategic and offering solutions to stubborn problems."

As of the start of 2009, all donations to the foundation from Canadian residents are tax deductible.

The announcement was made in association with the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine and Toronto Western Hospital, both part of Toronto's University Health Network, institutes that Fox praised for doing cutting-edge research.

Fox said it's meaningful to him that the foundation is now an officially registered charity in his home country.

Family Ties earns Fox fame

The actor was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 1991 at the age of 30. After starting his acting career in British Columbia, he rose to fame in the 1980s sitcom Family Ties and starred in the TV series Spin City and the Back to the Future movie trilogy.

Parkinson's destroys dopamine in the brain, a chemical that controls motor functions. It generally strikes people much older than Fox. Boxer Muhammad Ali also has the disease.

Fox's fundraising announcement has drawn criticism from Parkinson Society Canada, representing some 100,000 Canadians with the ailment. The society fears competition could cut deeply into the group's $10-million annual funding needs.

"I think it may result in some possible confusion around the roles of the organizations and around the relationship we might have, and it may possibly affect the revenue raising across the country," said Joyce Gordon, the president and CEO of the Parkinson Society of Canada.

Cure the goal

The groups share a common goal of finding a cure for Parkinson's. Until then, people with the disease will need support, which is the role of the society, she said.

Fox agreed, telling reporters: "The only thing that we're in competition with is whatever's causing these cells to die."

Fox added that his foundation is not meant to compete with other organizations that support Parkinson's patients and address their quality of life issues, but rather to add funding and awareness for the disease, since a "rising tide raises all boats."

"As somebody with Parkinson's, I am very concerned about the financial aspects and the money staying in Canada," said Karen Ireland of Oakville, Ont.

It's hoped that Fox's foundation will complement what is already being done in Canada, but the fear is that it could impact programs and services in this country, which has few neurologists specializing in the disease, added her husband, Bruce Ireland.

The foundation's goal is to speed up Parkinson's research, with the aim of finding a cure in Fox's lifetime.