Recognition of the factors that may significantly affect the multiferroic properties of BiFeO3-based perovskites remains one of the most challenging tasks in condensed matter physics. To reveal the reasons behind the doping-driven instability of the cycloidal antiferromagnetic order in the polar phase of Bi(1-x)Ca(x)FeO(3-x/2), synthesis and investigation of the crystal structure, microstructure, local ferroelectric and magnetic properties of the ceramic samples of Bi0.9Ca0.1Fe(1-x)Ti(x)O(3-δ) (x = 0.05, 0.1, 0.15) have been carried out. The compounds possess a rhombohedral structure (space group R3c). The compositional dependence of unit cell volume in this series can be interpreted as suggesting the doping-induced elimination of anion vacancies at x ⩽ 0.1 and the formation of cation vacancies at x > 0.1. The filling of oxygen vacancies suppresses a weak ferromagnetic contribution characteristic of the parent Bi0.9Ca0.1FeO2.95. The appearance of cation vacancies restores the weak ferromagnetic phase. The key role of lattice defects in the magnetic behavior of Ca-doped BiFeO3 has been confirmed by the observation of a correlation between the magnetic properties and the morphology/ferroelectric domain structure of the Bi0.9Ca0.1Fe(1-x)Ti(x)O(3-δ) ceramics.