Bill 44: The Co-operatives Act, 2025

This bill directly affects co-operatives of all kinds operating in Saskatchewan — from grain and agricultural co-ops to retail consumer co-ops, housing co-ops, worker-owned employment co-ops, and health care co-ops. Whether you run a small community service co-op or a larger distributing co-operative with public investors, your day-to-day governance activities are touched: holding member meetings, electing directors, issuing shares or member loans, paying out patronage dividends, maintaining corporate records, and filing annual returns with the Registrar. Extraprovincial co-operatives doing business in Saskatchewan must also register and comply with the new rules. The bill introduces updated requirements around identity verification, digital signatures, and electronic record-keeping, which will affect how co-ops manage their administrative and compliance work going forward.