October 12, 2021 - Legislative Newsflash

Ontario Extends Provisions for Electronic Meetings

The Government of Ontario made regulatory amendments on October 1, 2021 under the Business Corporations Act (OBCA), Corporations Act (CA), Co-operative Corporations Act (CCA) and Condominium Act, 1998 (Condo Act) that extend the temporary legislative amendments permitting corporations governed under the OBCA, CA, CCA and Condo Act to call and hold meetings virtually, as applicable, notwithstanding current requirements.
 
These temporary legislative amendments have now been extended to end on September 30, 2022.

Please note that this does not extend time to hold meetings but does extend the ability to continue with virtual meetings and electronic voting without a bylaw.  The previous dates still stand (see our previous post on Annual Meeting Timelines).   The new regulation allows board meetings to be held virtually without consent of board members and allows for service by electronic means to continue until September 30, 2022.  
 
All corporations need to adhere to the protective measures that have been put in place to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Providing corporations with the flexibility to host annual meetings and other meetings of significance virtually helps ensure Ontario corporations have choices and can meet their obligations under applicable statutes.
 
You can review these changes under the Condo Act at:
https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/r21692
 
The ministry will continue to monitor COVID-19-related developments and will communicate any additional updates in future, as necessary.
 
For further inquiries, you may wish to contact the Condominium Authority of Ontario (CAO). The CAO is responsible for, among other things, offering information about condo living to condo owners, residents, and other members of the public.
 
You may wish to visit the following pages for additional information:
 
Condominium Authority of Ontario [https://www.condoauthorityontario.ca/]

Bill 190, COVID-19 Response and Reforms to Modernize Ontario Act, 2020 [https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/parliament-42/session-1/bill-190]

Information on how Ontario's declared emergency has ended and the impact on legislation and other topics [https://www.ontario.ca/page/emergency-information]

A summary of legislative changes to support corporations and businesses [https://www.ontario.ca/page/covid-19-changes-meetings-and-business-operations