Can I Start an Organization as a Non-Canadian?
My first workshop as Entrepreneur in Residence at the Toronto Reference Library was full of excellent people and ideas, though I was surprised the most common question wasn’t about funding. The most frequent question both during and after was:
“Can I start an organization if I’m not a citizen/permanent resident of Canada?”
For-Profit Businesses
I found a recent article by Susan Ward from The Balance Small Business does a great job of answering this question in this article and this one, especially considering for-profit business.
My understanding is (and while of course I’m not a lawyer and this isn’t legal advice), if you don’t have official immigration status, you’ll probably need to partner up with a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, either forming a partnership or corporation. Which isn’t too bad – partnering often takes a bit longer, but can make your business much more successful!
Not-for-Profit Organizations
Corporations Canada confirmed that you don’t need to be a citizen in order to start a nonprofit or charity in Canada. So, if your business has a social/environmental mission, you may be able to consider this as a structure. It will open you up to different opportunities such as grants.
Shared Platforms
I also suggest if you have a social/environmental goal, seeing if you can find what’s called a “shared platform” or other partner who is more established – they can help with the admin stuff like payroll and insurance, and you can focus on making your idea a reality!
Canada’s most well-known shared platform is Tides Canada, a charity focusing on supporting environmentally focused organizations.
Resources and Opportunities
If you missed the workshop, don’t worry! I have a link to the handout from last week's workshop here.
Plus:
- Newcomer Entrepreneur in Residence Iqbal is hosting a workshop with a similar topic on November 2nd: Business Structures Help Us Organize Our World, 2pm at Agincourt branch.
- Special guest, Benjamin, provided this link to Community Legal Education Ontario’s Nonprofit Law Resources
- Finally, you can book one-on-one sessions with myself, Nesh, or Iqbal if you sign up before 31st of October to really discuss the best option for your organization! See below for details.
Take care of yourself, the world around you, and have fun making things happen this week!
Submission Details for One-on-One Sessions
Victoria Alleyne, Nesh Pillay or Iqbal Khan will review your submission and meet with a select number of applicants to review their plans, provide feedback and recommendations, and point out available resources that may be beneficial. Each meeting is a 30-45 minute one-on-one session at no cost.
- Deadline: Applications will be accepted until Wednesday, October 31, 2018for Victoria Alleyne at eir@torontopubliclibrary.ca, Nesh Pillay at ab-eir@torontopubliclibrary.ca or Iqbal Khan at ag-eir@torontopubliclibrary.ca
- Attach your 2 page outline as a PDF file
- Complete, save and attach this User Agreement Form (PDF)
- Include your contact information in the email
- Meetings are by appointment only and will be arranged by library staff to take place at Toronto Reference Library for Victoria Alleyne, Albion for Nesh Pillay and Agincourt for Iqbal Khan
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