Legal / Incorporation

Information on regulations for co-ops in New Brunswick.

Québec's Act regarding co-operatives.

These model worker co-op by-laws, with annotations, were written for the Nova Scotia Co-operative Associations Act, but can be adapted readily to other jurisdictions.

This paper examines the relationship between worker co-operatives and employment law in Canada. It considers the definition of an employee, the rights of members, the rights of employers, the method of proper termination and the role of labour unions. It provides recommendations for worker co-operatives to consider as they navigate the legislation in order to create a strong co-operative and a workplace beneficial to its membership.   As a disclaimer, this paper should not be considered to provide any sort of legal advice.


Ontario Co-operative Association, 3 pp. Chart comparing the co-operative, corporation, partnership, and sole proprietor business models on a wide variety of attributes from values and decision making to survival rate and taxation. A second chart compares the co-operative with the investor-owned business and nonprofit organization based on principles, voting, shares, securities regulations, distribution of surplus, and dissolution.

Alberta Community and Co-operative Association, 2 pp. Brief comparison of co-operatives, investor-owned businesses, and nonprofit organizations based on ownership, voting, and sharing of surplus.

Government of Saskatchewan. Benefits of co-operatives to farmers and communities. Comparison of co-operative with other business structures.

Rural Adaptation Council Inc. and the University of Manitoba. Describes sole proprietorship, corporation, partnership, and co-operative business structure and the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Federal vs. Provincial incorporation for co-ops

How to incorporate a co-operative in Ontario

Excerpt:

This is an overview of the Alberta Cooperatives Act.

This is a transcription of the third CoopZone Telelearning Session on co-op legislation, presented by lawyer, Richard Bridge and developer, Marty Frost.  

The URL below will take you to a link with a downloadable copy of the recording of this tele-learning session, which last approximately 90 minutes. The attachment, also below, will take you to a summary transcript of the session.

A comparison of NFP co-ps and corporations.

A comparison of two business models.

Excerpt:

How do you Incorporate a Co-operative with Share Capital? 

To incorporate a co-operative with share capital, you need to send Credit Unions and Co-operatives 

Forms for registering a business in Newfoundland and Labrador can be downloaded at this site.

This document provides general and legal information to persons interested in organising a co-operative business. It also deals specifically with legal and policy requirements facing those persons interested in establishing fishery co-ops. Topics range from the general requirements that a business planning to incorporate under the BC Cooperative Association Act must meet, to specific licensing requirements for harvesting the sea's resources. Other topics include security regulations, liability, and the tax implications of forming a co-op. Note that the information is not legal advice. Available on the internet. You can also purchase a paper copy of this document, contact BCICS.