The BC Ministry of Finance is continuing with its plan to modernize the Society Act, releasing draft replacement legislation and a call for submissions from interested stakeholders throughout the province.
On August 6, 2014, the Ministry of Finance issued a press release and a White Paper which includes draft legislation for a new Societies Act, complete with detailed annotations and explanatory comments. The White Paper represents the latest phase of the multi-year review of the Society Act which first began in 2009. In 2011, the Ministry released a discussion paper setting out some general principles and policy proposals for new legislation.
The draft legislation addresses many of the common complaints concerning the current Society Act and provides a welcome degree of modernization. While striving to "keep things simple" the draft legislation necessarily is somewhat more complex in comparison to the current Act, which dates from 1977.
Stakeholders are encouraged to provide submissions and feedback on the draft legislation. The Ministry takes pains to clarify that the draft legislation does not represent the final government policy, but is the next step in the development of replacement legislation that will better serve the 27,000 societies that exist in British Columbia. In our experience, the Ministry carefully considers all submissions from stakeholders and has transparently used feedback in prior consultations to adjust its thinking in this legislative process. We encourage every society in BC to carefully review the White Paper and to provide a submission on the issues that matter to the sector generally and to your specific organization.
To link to the Ministry's press release, click here.
To link directly to the White Paper and draft legislation, click here.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.