How to run a community association AGM in Alberta

Most Alberta community associations are incorporated under the Societies Act. The Act sets a few firm rules for the annual general meeting, and leaves the rest, like notice periods, quorum and who can vote, to your bylaws. This guide covers both, then gives you a timeline.

What the Societies Act requires

The Act itself is short on AGM rules. The key sections:

• Hold an AGM every year. Section 25 says a society "shall hold an annual general meeting" and present a financial statement setting out its income, disbursements, assets and liabilities, audited and signed by the society's auditor.
• Electronic meetings are allowed by default. Under section 25.1, unless your bylaws, articles or other governing documents expressly say otherwise, members can attend by electronic means, the meeting can be held entirely electronically, people attending electronically can vote by any electronic or telephone method the society makes available, and they count as present in person. These provisions were added in 2021.
• Electronic notice is allowed by default. Section 25.2 lets you send meeting notices electronically, again unless your governing documents say otherwise.
• Special resolutions need 21 days' notice and 75%. Section 1 defines a special resolution as one passed at a general or special meeting with at least 21 days' notice of the intention to propose it, by at least 75% of members who vote in person or by proxy. Bylaw changes are the usual example.
• File afterwards. Section 26 requires an annual return each year, covered below.

"Electronic means" has a specific definition in the Act: communication that lets everyone attending "hear and communicate with each other instantaneously", such as a video or phone conference. A one-way livestream doesn't meet that test on its own.

What your bylaws decide

Before you set a date, have someone read the bylaws end to end and note:

• Notice period for a general meeting, and how notice must be given (email, website, mail, posted at the hall).
• Quorum: the number or percentage of members who must be present for business to proceed.
• Who can vote: members in good standing, one vote per household or per adult, and any cut-off date for joining before the meeting.
• Proxies: allowed or not, and how they must be submitted.
• Elections: number of director seats, terms, nomination rules and whether nominations come from the floor.
• Financial statements: whether your bylaws or funders require an audit or a review engagement, and who appoints the auditor or reviewer.
• Any limits on electronic meetings or voting, which would override the Act's defaults.

If your bylaws pre-date 2021, they may say nothing about online meetings, which means the Act's defaults apply. If they say meetings must be held "in person", that wording may restrict you.

An eight-week plan

1. Eight weeks out: set the date and book the room. Many Calgary associations hold their AGM in the fall. Decide in-person, online or hybrid. Ask your accountant when the financial statements will be ready.
2. Seven weeks out: confirm the member list. You can't check quorum or eligibility without an accurate, current list with expiry dates. Chase lapsed renewals now, not at the door.
3. Six weeks out: call for nominations. Say which seats are open, what each role involves, and how to put a name forward.
4. Five weeks out: draft any special resolutions. Bylaw changes need at least 21 days' notice of the exact resolution, so lock the wording before you send notice.
5. Four weeks out: send notice. Include the date, time, place or link, agenda, any special resolutions word for word, proxy rules, and how members can check they're in good standing. Send it at least as early as your bylaws require, and never later than 21 days out if there's a special resolution.
6. Two weeks out: open registration. A members-only RSVP gives you a headcount and an early quorum check. Test your video platform and voting method with a few board members.
7. The day: check in members at the door. Mark who is present, in the room and online, so the chair can confirm quorum and so ballots go only to voting members.
8. Within 30 days: file the changes. Report new or departing directors to the Registrar, file any special resolutions, and publish the minutes.

Running an online or hybrid AGM

Online attendance usually raises turnout, especially for parents and shift workers. A few practical points:

• Use a platform where everyone can speak. The Act's definition requires that attendees can hear and communicate with each other. Video conferencing with unmuting and a phone dial-in meets that; a broadcast with comments only may not.
• Register online attendees in advance against the member list, so you know who's eligible before the meeting starts.
• Count online attendees toward quorum. Section 25.1 deems them present in person.
• Have a moderator who isn't the chair to manage hands raised, chat questions and the people dialling in.
• For hybrid meetings, put a microphone in the room that online attendees can hear, and read online questions aloud.

Voting and elections

Show of hands works for routine motions when everyone is in one room. For contested elections, or when people are online, you need something more careful:

• Only members in good standing vote. Check eligibility at registration or check-in, not when the ballots are counted.
• Online voting during the meeting is permitted by section 25.1 for people attending electronically, using a method the society makes available. Use a tool that allows one vote per eligible member and lets scrutineers verify the count.
• Voting before the meeting by people who don't attend is a different thing. The Act's electronic provisions talk about people attending the meeting. If you want advance or absentee ballots, check that your bylaws allow it (proxies are the usual mechanism).
• Appoint scrutineers who aren't candidates, and record the results in the minutes.

After the AGM: filings and minutes

Section 26 of the Societies Act requires an annual return each year, on or before the last day of the month after your anniversary month (the month your certificate of incorporation was issued). The return includes:

• the address of your registered office,
• the full name and address of each officer and director, and
• the audited financial statement presented at the last AGM.

Separately, if your directors or officers change, the Act says to notify the Registrar within 30 days. Special resolutions must also be filed (section 28). Filings go through the Alberta Corporate Registry, usually via a registry agent.

Write up the minutes while they're fresh: attendance and quorum, motions with movers and results, election results, and any special resolutions word for word. Approve them at the next board meeting and keep them with your records; funders and AGLC may ask for them.

How PartOf helps with AGM season

PartOf doesn't change the rules, but it removes the parts that usually go wrong:

• An accurate member list with expiry dates, kept current by renewals and reminders.
• A members-only AGM RSVP and an "am I a member?" check page you can link in the notice.
• Live member cards scanned at the door, so you know who's present and eligible.
• Board minutes drafted from the meeting recording, with a decisions register and action items.

Online AGM voting and elections aren't built into PartOf yet; they're on our roadmap. Until then, pair the member list with a voting tool that supports one vote per eligible member.

Sources

• Societies Act, RSA 2000, c S-14 (Alberta King's Printer, office consolidation current as of 16 November 2022): sections 1(a.2), 1(d), 25, 25.1, 25.2, 26 and 28.