Amending the articles of a cooperative

You can amend the articles of a cooperative under the Canada Cooperatives Act (Coop Act) by filing an application with Corporations Canada. The information below will assist you in preparing your application.

Note

The information provided here is to assist you in amending your cooperative quickly and accurately. It is not intended to replace legal advice. Consider consulting a lawyer or another professional advisor to ensure that the specific needs of your cooperative are met. 

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Cooperative principles

A cooperative is a body corporate that adheres to the cooperative principles. For more information, see What is a Co-operative?

Documents that must be filed to amend a cooperative

To amend the articles of a cooperative, you must file an application that includes: 

  1. a cover letter including contact information for the person filing the application. In this letter, clearly indicate whether or not your cooperative is a non-profit housing cooperative or a worker cooperative
  2. a completed and signed copy of Form 3004 – Articles of Amendment (PDF Version, 120 KB) (see Instructions to complete the form)
  3. a completed and signed copy of Form 3003 – Change of address of registered office (PDF Version, 1,124 KB) (see instructions to complete form) if there are any changes to the place in which the registered office is situated
  4. a completed and signed copy of Form 3006 – Change regarding directors (PDF Version, 120 KB) (see instructions to complete the form) if there are any changes to the board of directors of the cooperative
  5. a Nuans name search report  for the proposed name that is not more than 90 days old. If your name has been pre-approved by Corporations Canada, attach a copy of the Corporations Canada letter approving your name along with the copy of the Nuans name search report if there are any changes to the name of the cooperative
  6. the filing fee (see Services, fees and processing times).

Cooperative applications must be filed by email or mail (see How to file and pay for an application).

Language of the articles

The articles can be in the official language of your choice. This means they may be:

  • in a format that uses either official language (in French or in English)
  • in a format that employs both English and French.

When to file Form 3007– Restated Articles of Incorporation

If your cooperative has made several amendments to its articles, it may be useful to consolidate all the changes and set out the current articles of the cooperative into one document. To make this consolidation an official document, you can file Form 3007 – Restated Articles of Incorporation with Corporations Canada.

You can’t amend your articles when filing restated articles of incorporation.

Your application for restated articles must include:

  1. A completed and signed copy of Form 3007 – Restated Articles of Incorporation (see Federal corporation forms)
  2. The filing fee (see Services, fees and processing times). There is no fee when Form 3007 – Restated Articles of Incorporation is submitted at the same time as Form 3004 – Articles of Amendment.

Effective date of the certificate

The certificate’s effective date is the date on which Corporations Canada receives your complete application or any later date you requested.

Problem with your application

If there is a problem with your application, Corporations Canada returns it with a letter that explains the steps you need to take to fix the problem.