New Societies Act

Courtesy of the BC Government:

A modern and updated Societies Act will allow not-for-profit organizations to operate more effectively and efficiently, while at the same time protecting the public interest, Minister of Finance Michael de Jong announced today.

Bill 24, the Societies Act, was introduced in the legislature today. The statute provides rules for the creation and governance of not-for-profit organizations in B.C.

The new Societies Act distinguishes between publicly funded societies and member-funded societies. Publicly funded societies, such as charities or others that receive significant public funding, will be subject to several new accountability measures. These include requiring that the majority of board directors not be employees or contractors of the society and that directors’ compensation be publicly disclosed.

Member-funded societies, such as sports clubs and professional organizations, will be exempt from these requirements.

The new act adopts specific corporate governance procedures from the Business Corporations Act, but generally provides societies with the flexibility to create governance bylaws based on their unique characteristics and the needs of the communities they serve.

As well, societies will be able to file documents electronically with the corporate registry.

The introduction of the new act follows two rounds of consultations with stakeholders and members of the public, during which the Province received more than 200 unique submissions. The input gathered from the consultation process allowed the Province to reflect and accommodate the diverse nature of the not-for-profit sector in B.C.

Subject to the approval of the legislature, the government expects the new act will come into force approximately 18 months after royal assent.

BC's Finance Minister, the Hon. Mike de Jong said:

“The new Societies Act provides not-for-profit organizations with greater flexibility in their internal governance, while enhancing accountability and transparency among publicly funded and charitable societies. We received valuable input and feedback during the consultation process, which has been incorporated into the final bill.”

Quick Facts:

There are more than 27,000 societies in B.C., ranging from small community-based organizations to large charitable organizations.

The current Society Act, which this bill replaces, was enacted in 1977.

The Province has carried out two rounds of consultation with stakeholders and the public. Responses to a discussion paper circulated in 2011 informed the drafting of a white paper in 2014.

The proposed Societies Act can be viewed on the BC Legislative Assembly website here