Whether you’re transitioning a society, starting a new project, learning to manage volunteers, building capacity, or otherwise, here are some useful resources for you.
Societies Act
- Societies Online – A link to Societies Online, the BC Corporate Registry’s societies web portal.
- Transition Guide provided by the BC Corporate Registry – An excellent short guide on the basics of the transition process under the Act and a list of common issues of interest to transitioning societies.
- Alexander Holburn Societies Act Update – A brief manual on the new Societies Act and the transition requirements, written by local societies lawyers at Alexander Holburn Beaudin + Lang LLP.
- New Act (Bill 24) (CanLII version)
- Regulations
- BC Corporate Registry Societies Act Website
- BC Corporate Registries FAQs (Updated Nov. 2016)
- Societies Act White Paper [2014, Mirror] – This was the discussion paper on the draft legislation created after a period of public consultation. Though the legislation has since changed, many of the comments to draft are useful for interpreting sections of the new Act. It was removed from the Ministry of Finance website in 2018 and is mirrored here for research and private study.
- Restoring a Dissolved Society – BC Supreme Court Practice note describing how to restore a dissolved society under the Societies Act.
Representing your society or yourself in court
- Introduction to Self-Representation.
- Community Law Program – BC Judicial Review Guide
- CanLII.org – A free online repository of Canadian case law. This link is to a sub-page of CanLII only detailing reported recent Societies Act cases, while this is to reported cases mentioning the Society Act . I suggest using the search function to see if there is anything that is similar to your matter or going to the Acts directly and searching by section of the legislation.
- Court Services Online – an pay-for-service online repository of court filings. If representing yourself and a similar case exists, it may be worthwhile to view the online court filing and see what other societies / persons drafted in their “Legal Basis” section of their claims and to see completed example applications in order to know what you are working with.
- University of Victoria Law Centre – A service of UVic that assists those needing legal advice and may be able to provide representation.
Free Services
- Lawfornonprofits.ca – A website to connect small and mid-size societies with FAQs, law students for Q&A, and other free resources such as local transition hubs. A project of Pacific Legal Education and Outreach and Martha Rans, a Vancouver-based societies and charity lawyer.
- Transitioning an Existing Society: A How-to Guide for for non-profits in BC, a publication of the People’s Law School (Drew Jackson) – A robust guide published by the People’s Law School and Public Legal Education BC detailing the step-by-step process for transition, put together by Drew Jackson.
- BCBusinessDisputes.com – A project of the commercial litigation group of Alexander Holburn Beaudin + Lang LLP in Vancouver, providing some background information on various business disputes.
Charitable Purposes
- The Difference between a registered charity and a non-profit
- Canada Revenue Agency guidance
- Canada Revenue Agency List of Registered Charities
Volunteer Management and Engagement
- Volunteers and the Law (2000), a publication of the People’s Law School
- Volunteer provision and management organizations
- Volunteer Victoria – A not-for-profit volunteerism organization servicing Greater Victoria
- The Vantage Point – A not-for-profit leadership organization (formerly Volunteer Vancouver)
Robert’s Rules of Order
- John Noonan is a Professional Registered Parliamentarian and an all-around impressive presenter and meeting parliamentarian. He is based in Vancouver but works throughout BC and Alberta. He provides various workshops as well.
- Eli Mina is a Professional Registered Parliamentarian. He provides workshops on Robert’s Rules and effective meeting strategies, and has many books available on his website.
- Jurassic Parliament – A company which operates a easy-to-navigate blog on the operation of Robert’s Rules of Order, and has many good resources on parliamentary procedure (if your society operates using Robert’s Rules).