What is the Societies Act?

There are more than 27,000 non-profit societies in BC, providing services and programs that touch virtually every citizen. The Society Act, which governs those organizations, was last revised in 1976. Since the British Columbia Law Institute’s 2008 ‘Reform of the Society Act’ Project, the Ministry of Finance has been considering a new Act.

In April 2015, the new Societies Act (known as Bill 24), received Royal Assent. The new Act came into force on November 28, 2018. This gave the BC registry time to get new forms and electronic systems up and running. there was a two year transition period by which time time all societies in BC had to make the switch to the new Act.

Societies Act FAQ’s

Frequently asked questions about the Societies Act created by LFNP on Clicklaw.

Societies Act “Need to Know” Slide Deck

A Powerpoint presentation on the “must knows” of the Societies Act.

Societies Act FAQ’s for Housing Providers

Frequently asked questions about the Societies Act for non-profits who provide housing.

Overview of changes to the Societies act

As mentioned above, the Societies Act underwent significant changes in 2018. This article summarizes these important alterations to note.

Societies Act Webinars

Created in 2016, these webinars were meant to guide non-profit Societies through changes in the act, presented by Legal Director, Martha Rans.

See the Webinar, Part 1

See the Webinar, Part 2