Summary

The Co-operatives Act, 2025 repeals and replaces Saskatchewan's existing co-operative legislation (The Co-operatives Act, 1996 and The New Generation Co-operatives Act, 1999), establishing comprehensive rules for the incorporation, governance, financing, and dissolution of co-operative entities organized on a co-operative basis.

This Act governs how co-operatives work in Saskatchewan. Co-operatives are businesses owned and controlled by their members, who each have one vote regardless of how much money they've invested. The Act sets out how to create a co-operative, how it must be run (including rules for directors, meetings, and financial reporting), how it can raise money (through member loans and shares), and what happens if it needs to dissolve. It covers general rules that apply to all co-operatives and special rules for specific types like housing co-operatives, worker co-operatives, and agricultural marketing co-operatives. The Act requires co-operatives to operate democratically, distribute profits fairly among members based on how much they use the co-operative's services, and maintain certain financial transparency standards. It also sets out enforcement mechanisms, including when directors can be held personally liable and how members can challenge unfair treatment. This is a large consolidated bill. The summary is based on its structure and opening sections. For complete content, read the full PDF.