Preparing for Transition under the New Societies Act

This information applies to British Columbia, Canada. Last reviewed for legal accuracy by Mary Childs, Michael Blatchford and Steve Carey in November 2016.

All existing societies in BC are required to “transition” within a two-year period from when the new Societies Act came into effect on November 28, 2016. Transitioning involves filing an application online. Here are the steps a society should take to prepare for filing the transition application:

Optional preliminary step: Order a transition package

To file the transition application, you will need to submit an electronic version of the society�s constitution and consolidated bylaws. To put this material together, you may want to order a transition package from the Corporate Registry for $40. This step is optional. A transition package for a society includes certified copies of any documents that the Registry has on file for the society, including the original constitution, the original bylaws, and any special resolutions amending the society�s constitution or bylaws. You can use the filings to create complete, consolidated versions of the constitution and bylaws (see steps 3 and 4 below). You can order a transition package online.

Transitioning an Existing Society: A How-to Guide for Non-profits in BC © Drew Jackson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 Canada Licence.