What is the deadline for continuing an old Ontario nonprofit under ONCA and what happens if we miss it?

ONCA came into force on October 19, 2021, and gave not-for-profit corporations that had been incorporated under the old Corporations Act (Ontario) a transition period to formally "continue" under ONCA by updating their governing documents to comply with the new Act. That transition window has already closed. If your organization has not yet continued under ONCA, it should treat this as an overdue compliance step rather than something with time left on the clock.

Missing the deadline does not instantly dissolve a corporation, but it leaves the organization out of step with the current statute, which can create real problems: banks, funders, and other institutions increasingly expect to see ONCA-compliant governing documents, and a corporation that never continued may find it harder to make other filings or amendments cleanly until it catches up. Prolonged non-compliance can also expose the corporation to administrative dissolution risk under the Ontario Business Registry's ordinary enforcement processes.

The practical fix is the same regardless of how late it is: check the corporation's current status on the Ontario Business Registry, and file the required continuance documents (updated articles and by-laws) as soon as possible rather than waiting further.