Ontario’s Not-for-Profit Corporations Act (ONCA) provides a modern legal framework for not-for-profit corporations, including charitable corporations. It sets out how not-for-profit corporations in Ontario are created, governed and dissolved. Once the ONCA is in force, existing not-for-profit corporations will have three years to transition.
In 2013, Bill 85 was introduced to amend portions of the ONCA. The Ontario Ministry of Government and Consumer Services had announced that without these amendments in place, the ONCA cannot come into force. Unfortunately, Bill 85 died when the provincial election was called on May 2, 2014. This means that a new bill will need to be re-introduced. According to the Ontario Ministry of Government and Consumer Services’ website, the ONCA is not expected to come into force before 2016.
Given that the Ontario Liberal Party introduced the ONCA and won the election, some are hopeful that an earlier proclamation date will be possible. That remains to be seen. Additional information and updates on the ONCA can be found on the Ministry’s website.
