Advocacy

Our Current Focus

Uniting co-operatives with a common voice.

By bringing co-operatives together, we help raise awareness of our business model and increase our ability to advocate and effect change on vital issues of relevance and benefit to co-operatives. As such, we are the common voice of Ontario co-operatives for the provincial government.

Modernizing Ontario’s Offering Statement Framework

Co-operatives need practical ways to raise capital from their members and communities. Ontario’s Offering Statement exemption limits have not been reviewed since 1995 and no longer reflect today’s costs or the capital needs of co-operative businesses.

Offering Statements help investors make informed decisions. OCA supports strong disclosure and appropriate investor protection. We are calling for a framework that protects investors while making it more practical for co-operatives to finance their growth.

OCA is asking the Ontario government to:

Increase the exemption for securities purchased by an individual member from $1,000 per year and $10,000 in total to $5,000 per year and $50,000 in total.
Increase the exemption for total issued and outstanding securities held by members from $200,000 to $1,000,000.
Increase the exemption based on the number of security holders from 35 to 50.
Review the exemption limits at least every five years so they keep pace with inflation and economic conditions.

We also support a more consistent, predictable and timely review process for co-operatives that need to file an Offering Statement. Improvements could include early consultation on new or significantly changed filings, streamlined review of repeat filings, continuity in the lead reviewer and clearer, less complex disclosures.

Modernizing these rules would help Ontario co-operatives raise the capital they need while maintaining meaningful investor protection.

Help advance this change. Contact your MPP and ask them to support modernization of Ontario’s co-operative Offering Statement framework.

Offering Statement Backgrounder

Support Letter Template

Co-op Caucus

Get Involved - Become a Co-op Advocate!

Co‑operatives are stronger when we raise our voices together. We need your help to increase awareness of the co‑operative model and advocate for meaningful change on issues that matter to our sector. Contact us to learn how you can help raise the sector’s profile — including engaging your elected officials and championing co‑ops in your community!

Our Advocacy History

Our Advocacy History since 2018...

May & November 2022

OCA was invited by the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery to consult on proposed legislative and regulatory amendments that would enhance virtual processes for certain types of corporations on a permanent basis. Our continued advocacy and relationship-building made sure that co-operative corporations were considered during this consultation. Proposed changes included not only making the temporary legislation of virtual meetings permanent, but also updates to both legislation and regulations around electronic communication and record keeping, bringing our legislation in line with our practices in 2023 (with the use of email, cloud storage, etc.)

August 2022

On August 25, 2022 the Government of Ontario made regulatory amendments under the Business Corporations Act, Corporations Act, Co-operative Corporations Act, Condominium Act, 1998 (Condo Act) and the Not-for-Profit Corporations Act, 2010 which extend the effective period of temporary legislative provisions permitting corporations governed under these statues to call and holds meetings virtually, as applicable, notwithstanding certain restrictions or requirements. The effective period of these temporary legislative provisions was extended to September 30, 2023.

October 2023

In an effort eliminate barriers and enhance flexibility for co-operatives to implement certain virtual processes, several amendments to the Co-operative Corporations Act were introduced. These changes replaced the temporary legislative framework for virtual processes, including virtual meetings, which was enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and expired on September 30, 2023. We were involved in the consultation process that led to these amendments, ensuring that the changes served our co-operative members in a way that would improve and not limit their operations.

Summary of Oct. 2023 amendments

February 2023

We sent a pre-budget submission to the Ministry of Finance, focusing on the regulatory changes that were still required for the Offering Statement Limit Exemptions, and highlighted co-operative solutions to Housing, Renewable Energy, and Co-operative Education.

2023 Pre-Budget Submission

Connecting, collaborating and encouraging a united voice.

Since our beginnings in 2002, we have played an important role in connecting and bringing our members together with elected officials, to advocate for improvements to the regulatory and legislative environment for Ontario's co-operatives. We continue to encourage our members to get involved and be part of a united voice, keeping Ontario co-operatives top of mind for the Province.

People shaking hands at a Queen's Park Reception

October 2021

Service Ontario launched the Ontario Business Registry (OBR). In this process, however, they accidently removed all information about co-operatives from the Service Ontario website. OCA stepped in quickly to not only to point out this disruption for co-operatives, but to also act as a key consultant on the update, reinstatement, and operation of the co-operative section of the Registry. As a result, co-operatives could now file and find their corporation information online in the same way any other business would. As more services and transactions need to be available to co-operatives, we continue to work with Service Ontario on this initiative.

Guide to the OBR

February 2021

We sent a pre-budget submission to the Ministry of Finance, focusing on the regulatory changes that were still required for the Offering Statement Limit Exemptions, as well as highlighted co-operative solutions to Housing, Renewable Energy, and Co-operative Education.

2021 Pre-Budget Submission

December 2020

FSRA posted the final Guidance for co-operatives proposing to issue securities via high-risk offerings on its website, effective immediately. They extended a thank you to OCA and several of its members for contributing to the development of the Guidance, which took place over the fall of 2020.

FSRA Guidance

October 2020

We sent a budget submission to the Ministry of Finance, presenting innovating solutions to rebuilding the economy after the COVID-19 crisis, as well as a required change for co-operative capitalization.

2020 Pre-Budget Submission

May 2020

We were instrumental in ensuring that co-operatives had the same access as all other corporations when it came to the use of virtual meetings during the pandemic. We guided our members through the constantly changing COVID-19 temporary legislation updates that affected their business, as well as offered our services to ensure that our members had the tools and know-how to continue to run their Annual General Meetings virtually.

April 2020

Following the legislative review of the Co-operative Corporations Act that was completed in Summer 2019, the government announced that full authority and responsibility for the CCA would be transferred from the Minister of Finance to the Minister of Government and Consumer Services in early 2020, which became effective on April 1, 2020. FSRA would continue to be responsible for reviewing Offering Statements.

January 2020

We sent a pre-budget submission to the Ministry of Finance, thanking the Government for its commitment to modernize the outdated CCA, while highlighting the ongoing need to modernize the regulations around Offering Statement limits and exemptions. We were invited to address the Ministry at the pre-budget hearings held at the Royal Canadian Legion in Guelph ON.

December 2019

We addressed the Standing Committee on Finance, and thanked the Provincial Government for their commitment to modernizing co-operative legislation as detailed in Bill 138.

Speech

November 2019

The Provincial Government's Fall Economic Statement announced their commitment to modernizing co-operative legislation - a big win for the sector! The improvements in legislation would eliminate the requirement to do 50% of business with members, enabling co-operatives to compete and innovate on a level playing field with all businesses in Ontario. The updates to audit rules would help reduce administrative burdens on community-owned co-operatives and allow their income to fund increased services.

Fall Economic Statement

June 2019

The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA) was officially delegated authority by the Minister of Finance to oversee the capital raising requirements for co-operative corporations in Ontario, which included receiving and reviewing offering statements for co-operative corporations.

April 2019

We were invited to sit in on the provincial budget lock-up and review the 2019 Ontario Budget. It was very positive that the co-operative sector was included in the budget, and that one of our staff was quoted in it (see below - Section D: Open for Business, Open for Jobs, page 235)! While the changes to the legislation that we had advocated for throughout the January consultation process were not included, the government announced its commitment to consider the feedback from Ontario co-operatives received through the consultation process, and work with our sector to propose amendments to the legislation.

2019 Ontario Budget

March 2019

The Ministry of Finance confirmed that the government is not going to proceed with any plan to move responsibility of co-operative Offering Statements to the OSC, but rather, to the FSRA. They noted that our proposed Offering Statement limit increases were still under consideration. They also confirmed that the government will be going ahead with changes to the 50% Rule and the Audit exemptions, but had not decided whether these changes will be in the budget bill, or whether they will wait and make all of the changes at once; they were “leaning toward no” on changes in this budget.

February 2019

After many years of advocacy on the part of the co-operative sector, the Provincial Government completed its consultations with the co-operative sector on the Co-operative Corporations Act. The Ministry of Finance (MoF) invited us and (25) representatives from the co-operative sector to a meeting with their staff, as well as the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services and Service Canada, to discuss the (85) submissions made by co-operatives to the consultation process. With regards to our Offering Statement asks, a possible move to the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) to oversee Offering Statements was noted. All co-operatives in Ontario that had offering statements highlighted the issues with a move to OSC, and the negative impact it will have on a co-operative's ability to raise capital. Prior to the meeting, we coordinated a phone conference with these co-operatives to discuss the impact, which resulted in drafting individual letters to the MoF, outlining their issues with moving to the OSC, and the challenges this would cause. We also drafted a response letter and included the input from all the co-operatives. The participating co-operatives were provided speaking notes on the issue which they used to contact their MPPs. The Ministry followed up by suggesting a meeting with those co-operatives to pose clarifying questions.

December 2018

The Government announced that it would be conducting a consultation on the Co-operative Corporations Act.

February 2018

Over five years of advocacy work by Ontario’s co-operatives was rewarded in the Ontario 2018 Budget, where the Province committed to a complete review the 44-year-old Co-operative Corporations Act. The Ministry of Finance recognized that co-operative legislation has not kept pace with other business statutes in the province, and acknowledged that a more modern legislative framework would help ensure that co-operative businesses are able to grow, meet the needs of members, and compete effectively with other businesses in Ontario. As part of this review, the government would consider key policy issues including restrictions on non-member business, exemptions from audit requirements, the process for offering statements, as well as the government body that would be most suitable to administer the legislation. The legislation would be voted on in the House, and if passed, the process toward modernization of the Act would begin.

2018 Ontario Budget

January 2025

OCA and a subset of our Government Relations Committee initiated a series of conversations with representatives from FSRA’s Licensing & Risk Assessment, Market Conduct and Policy Divisions, to discuss ways to increase efficiencies in the offering statement process for co-operatives. These meetings have been productive and insightful, and a great opportunity for us to collaborate on ideas to improve processes that will benefit our members who are yearly filers of offering statements, as well as new co-operatives looking to raise capital this way.

Ongoing

OCA has established a standing quarterly meeting with the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement and their department of Business Experience and the Ontario Business Registry. These meetings focus on updating processes, documents, and web pages on ontario.ca for co-operatives, to ensure that co-ops have access to up-to-date and accurate information and processes. We will continue to push for faster and more efficient processing times for incorporation, changes, or dissolutions, as well as regulation updates.

2025 Pre-Budget Submission

Graphic of co-operative businesses on a street

Building a better Ontario through co-operation.

Ontario's co-operatives provide unique and innovative solutions to address key challenges facing the province, and contribute to the sustainable growth and development of our communities.

When talking to your MPP, here are some industry-specific language and talking points you can

use and adopt to help you with your advocacy efforts!

Senior Care

Developing an innovative co-operative ecosystem to support seniors electing to remain in their own homes and communities.

LEARN MORE

Co-ops in the Curriculum

Encouraging a more collaborative approach to economic development

by teaching students about the

co-operative business model.

LEARN MORE

Renewable Energy

Amending the regulatory policies

that are suppressing energy innovation

by Ontario's 27 renewable energy

co-operatives.

LEARN MORE

Offering Statements

Increasing offering statement

exemption limits to help co-operatives raise the required money to capitalize their business.

LEARN MORE

Business Conversions

Creating and promoting opportunities

for business succession using the

co-operative business model.

LEARN MORE

Co-operative Solutions

Resources

About Co-operatives

A co-operative is a business model that make sense socially, environmentally and financially, balancing people, planet, and profit.

Learn more

Guide to the Act

A comprehensive (164 page) plain language explanation of the details within the Ontario Co-operative Corporations Act.

Purchase the Guide

Effective Co-op Advocacy

A guided resource that will walk you through the process of doing effective advocacy on behalf of your co-operative.

Advocacy

Uniting co-operatives with a common voice.

Modernizing Ontario’s Offering Statement Framework

OCA is asking the Ontario government to:

Get Involved - Become a Co-op Advocate!

Our Advocacy History since 2018...

Connecting, collaborating and encouraging a united voice.

Building a better Ontario through co-operation.

Senior Care

Co-ops in the Curriculum

Renewable Energy

Offering Statements

Business Conversions

Resources

About Co-operatives

Guide to the Act

Effective Co-op Advocacy

Ontario Co-operative Association Tel: 519.763.8271 Toll Free: 888.745.5521 Email: info@ontario.coop

Ontario Co-operative Association
Tel: 519.763.8271
Toll Free: 888.745.5521
Email: info@ontario.coop