Society Act (BC) Changes

Important note: Effective November 28, 2016, the old Society Act was replaced by the quite different Societies Act. All existing BC societies will need to file transition materials by November 28, 2018 or face dissolution. For more information, go to Societies Online. We would be pleased to help in preparing and filing transition materials for your society.

Effective November 1, 2004, a number of changes have been made to the Society Act (BC). The changes are aimed at reducing the paperwork burden at the Corporate Registry.

Some of the changes include:

1. No more vetting of the society's bylaws by the Corporate Registry when incorporating a society or making changes to the bylaws. The Registry now acts only as the public repository for the bylaws (that is, you still have to file them, but they won't look at them). So if you're incorporating a society, or making changes to the bylaws of an existing society, you'll want to be sure to have a lawyer review the bylaws to make sure they comply with the requirements of the Society Act. We have incorporated a number of BC societies in different areas of endeavour, and would be pleased to hear from you if you need help with your society.

2. No more need to file financial statements with the Corporate Registry after the annual general meetings.

3. No more need to obtain the consent of the Minister of Finance when incorporating a society as a "social club".

4. No more need to get an order from the Registrar for permission to give notice to members of the society or for voting methods at meetings of members. Instead, it's up to the society to follow whatever method of notice or voting is contained in the society bylaws.

In 2005, the Corporate Registry will implement an online filing system for annual reports of societies.