Non-profit societies

1. Overview

Incorporating a society creates a legal entity separate from its members, and limits the liability of the individuals involved with it. Incorporating is not mandatory, but may be beneficial. As a registered legal entity, an incorporated society can own property and enter into contracts itself, and may also be eligible to register as a charity with the Canada Revenue Agency, qualify for government grants, or apply for a lottery license.

Incorporation imposes requirements and responsibilities for an organization. An incorporated society's actions are bound by its bylaws and the Societies Act. The Act also requires a society to hold an annual general meeting, and to file financial statements and lists of directors with the Registrar of Societies (Corporate Registries).

The activities of an incorporated society and the conduct of its members are not regulated. The Registrar of Societies enforces registration and filing requirements, but does not resolve conflicts between members or between a society and other parties.

You can search for business names (sole proprietorships) and partnerships, territorial and extra-territorial corporations, non-profit societies, co-operative associations, and other entities registered in the Northwest Territories online using the Corporate Registries Online System.

Basic information such as the legal name, status, and type of organization is available free of charge. A full entity profile including scanned copies of documents filed by the organization can be accessed for a fee.

Submissions that are not completed correctly are available for retrieval at the Corporate Registries Office. The Government of Northwest Territories does not provide free postage to return submissions for correction. If a submitter requests the documents be mailed back to them, staff will process the mail for the submitter if a prepaid, self-addressed and trackable envelope is provided.

Payment Information

Fees can be paid by cash, cheque, Visa or Mastercard.

• Payments can be made in-person during business hours.
• Cheques/money orders must be made payable to: "Government of the Northwest Territories."
• Credit card information can be included with a cover letter or submission sheet.
• Failure to provide payment information will delay the processing of filings until payment information is provided.