On October 6, the Government of Ontario introduced Bill 213 Better for People, Smarter for Business Act, 2020 (the Bill). If enacted as proposed, the Bill will eliminate director residency requirements for corporations established under the Ontario Business Corporations Act (OBCA) and introduce a more flexible regime for privately held OBCA corporations regarding written shareholder resolutions.
Director Residency: The Bill eliminates the requirement that at least 25% of the directors of an OBCA corporation be “resident Canadians”, as that term is defined in the OBCA. Dropping this residency requirement is consistent with the approach taken in the majority of provinces and territories and will provide Ontario corporations, both public and private, with greater flexibility in determining board composition. Corporations established under the Canada Business Corporations Act (CBCA), however, still must abide by the 25% director residency requirement.
Shareholder Resolutions: Currently, the written resolutions of an OBCA corporation’s shareholders must be signed by all of the shareholders entitled to vote on the resolution at a meeting of shareholders. If the corporation cannot obtain a shareholder’s signature, the only alternative is to call and hold a meeting for shareholders to vote on the resolution. If the Bill is enacted as proposed, the default approval threshold for an ordinary written resolution of the shareholders of a privately held OBCA corporation will drop from unanimity to a simple majority. This will enable corporations to avoid the cost and delay associated with holding a shareholders’ meeting. However, a higher approval threshold can be set in the corporation’s articles or in a unanimous shareholders’ agreement (USA). Note that if a written resolution of shareholders is passed by some but not all of the corporation’s shareholders, the corporation must provide written notice of the resolution, within ten days of the resolution being passed, to any voting shareholders who weren’t signatories to the written resolution. Importantly, no change is proposed to the requirement that written, special resolutions must still be signed by all shareholders, ensuring that minority shareholders have advance notice of any fundamental changes to the business.
Our Takeaways: The proposed changes offer more operational flexibility for Ontario corporations and make Ontario a more attractive jurisdiction for new businesses. Currently, the Bill is at the second reading stage. We will monitor its progress and update readers if and when it is passed. If the Bill is enacted, AUM Law can assist owners and managers of OBCA corporations in reviewing and, if appropriate, modifying their current articles, by-laws and USAs to take into account these amendments. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about the potential impact of these changes.
October 30, 2020