Help › Legal › Act within your purposes
Act within your purposes
Showing Nunavut. Select your province in settings.
Nunavut 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.
The society is incorporated for the purposes in its application, and its funds and property go to those purposes alone. Five or more people incorporate for any benevolent, philanthropic, charitable, religious, provident, scientific, artistic, literary, social, educational, sporting or other useful purpose other than a trade or business. A member’s own pocket is not liable for the society’s debts, and a member’s interest cannot be transferred. Binds: Nunavut societies (Societies Act, R.S.N.W.T. 1988, c. S-11).
The law’s own words
“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”
Societies Act (Nunavut), s. 2 · Read it at Nunavut Legislation · Verified 2026-11-11
“The funds and property of a society must be used and dealt with for its objects only and in accordance with its by-laws.”
Societies Act (Nunavut), s. 9 · Read it at Nunavut Legislation · Verified 2026-11-11
“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 (Nunavut), s. 12 · Read it at Nunavut Legislation · Verified 2026-11-11
“A member of a society is not liable in his or her individual capacity for any debt or liability of the society.”
Societies Act (Nunavut), s. 13 · Read it at Nunavut Legislation · Verified 2026-11-11
“The interest of a member in a society is not transferable.”
Societies Act (Nunavut), s. 14 · Read it at Nunavut Legislation · Verified 2026-11-11
Nunavut 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" by (a) making and subscribing "an application, in the prescribed form, setting out the intended name of the society and the purpose or purposes for which incorporation is desired"; (b) subscribing "to by-laws agreed upon by them for the government of the society containing provisions for all the matters set out in section 5"; and (c) transmitting "to the Registrar the application and by-laws, together with the prescribed fee."
Source: Government of Nunavut — Societies Act, R.S.N.W.T. 1988, c. S-11, s. 2 · Checked 2026-11-11
Nunavut Societies Act, sections 9 and 12
The funds and property: "The funds and property of a society must be used and dealt with for its objects only and in accordance with its by-laws." And what a society must not do: "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 Nunavut — Societies Act, R.S.N.W.T. 1988, c. S-11, ss. 9, 12 · Checked 2026-11-11
Nunavut Societies Act, sections 5 and 11
The by-laws must set out "(f) the audit of accounts"; "(d) appointment and removal of directors and other officers and their duties, powers and remuneration"; and "(e) the exercise of borrowing powers". And borrowing itself: "For the purpose of carrying out its objects, a society may borrow, raise or secure the payment of money in the manner that it thinks fit, including the issue of debentures, but this power may be exercised only under the authority of the by-laws of the society, and in no case shall debentures be issued except pursuant to an extraordinary resolution of the society."
Source: Government of Nunavut — Societies Act, R.S.N.W.T. 1988, c. S-11, ss. 5, 11 · Checked 2026-11-11