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Act within your purposes

Showing Northwest Territories. Select your province in settings.

Northwest Territories stands fully covered: its own filings and guidance stand in the books beside the federal ones.

A society is formed for the purposes its constitution names, and its money is spent on those purposes.

A Northwest Territories society is incorporated for the purposes the Act names — benevolent, philanthropic, charitable, religious, provident, scientific, artistic, literary, social, educational, sporting or other useful purposes, but not the carrying on of a trade or business — and its funds and property serve those objects only. Nothing of its property goes to its members while it stands, and a member is not liable for the society’s debts. Binds: Northwest Territories societies (Societies Act, R.S.N.W.T. 1988, c. S-11).

The law’s own words

Societies Act (Northwest Territories), s. 2 · Read it at Government of the Northwest Territories · Verified 2026-11-08

“The funds and property of a society must be used and dealt with for its objects only and in accordance with its bylaws.”

Societies Act (Northwest Territories), s. 9(2) · Read it at Government of the Northwest Territories · Verified 2026-11-08

“No society shall (a) have a capital divided into shares; (b) declare any dividend; or (c) distribute its property among its members during the existence of the society.”

Societies Act (Northwest Territories), s. 12 · Read it at Government of the Northwest Territories · Verified 2026-11-08

“A member of a society is not liable in his or her individual capacity for any debt or liability of the society.”

Societies Act (Northwest Territories), s. 13 · Read it at Government of the Northwest Territories · Verified 2026-11-08

Northwest Territories Societies Act, section 2

“Subject to this Act, five or more persons may have a society incorporated under this Act for any benevolent, philanthropic, charitable, religious, provident, scientific, artistic, literary, social, educational, sporting or other useful purpose other than the carrying on of a trade or business” “make and subscribe to an application, in the prescribed form, setting out the intended name of the society and the purpose or purposes for which incorporation is desired” “subscribe to bylaws agreed upon by them for the government of the society containing provisions for all the matters set out in section 5” “transmit to the Registrar the application and bylaws, together with the prescribed fee”

Source: Government of the Northwest Territories — Societies Act, R.S.N.W.T. 1988, c. S-11, s. 2 · Checked 2026-11-08

Northwest Territories Societies Act, sections 9 and 12

“The funds and property of a society must be used and dealt with for its objects only and in accordance with its bylaws.” “No society shall (a) have a capital divided into shares; (b) declare any dividend; or (c) distribute its property among its members during the existence of the society.”

Source: Government of the Northwest Territories — Societies Act, R.S.N.W.T. 1988, c. S-11, ss. 9, 12 · Checked 2026-11-08

Northwest Territories Societies Act, sections 5 and 11

“the audit of accounts” “the appointment and removal of directors and other officers and their duties, powers and remuneration” “the exercise of borrowing powers” “For the purpose of carrying out its objects a society may borrow, raise or secure the payment of money in the manner that it considers appropriate, including the issue of debentures, but this power may be exercised only under the authority of the bylaws of the society, and in no case shall debentures be issued except pursuant to an extraordinary resolution of the society.”

Source: Government of the Northwest Territories — Societies Act, R.S.N.W.T. 1988, c. S-11, ss. 5, 11 · Checked 2026-11-08