REGINA —New legislation to bring Saskatchewan co-operative regulations into alignment with other provinces has been introduced.
According to a Sask. Justice press release, the changes provide improve the legal and economic environment to support the province's co-operatives.
The Co-operatives Act, 2025 combines the current Co-operatives Act, 1996 and New Generation Co-operatives Act into a single, modernized piece of legislation.
One of the largest changes in the legislation is the creation of a new multi-stakeholder co-operative. Multi-stakeholder co-operatives are owned and controlled by more than one type of membership class, such as consumers, producers, workers, volunteers or community supporters. Another significant change is revised provisions that provide all co-operatives with clearer authority to raise capital through the sale of preferred shares to non-members.
Additional changes have been made to create clear rules around the use of electronic technology, simplify liquidation and dissolution procedures, and make co-operatives more business-friendly by removing the requirement that at least 25 per cent of a co-operative's directors be Canadian residents.
The act is based on a thorough review of existing Canadian co-operative legislation and feedback from Saskatchewan co-operatives, the press release states.
A co-operative is a business entity owned and controlled by its members to fulfil a common purpose, such as providing groceries, housing or daycare. Over 50 per cent of Saskatchewan residents are members of at least one of the almost 800 cooperatives operating in the province. The province's top five co-operative sectors are agriculture, retail, arts and entertainment, childcare and financial and insurance services.
