Can members of an Ontario not-for-profit corporation inspect its financial records?

Yes. ONCA gives members of an Ontario not-for-profit corporation the right to examine certain corporate records, including financial statements, accounting records, and other documents like the articles, by-laws, and minutes of meetings, generally during the corporation's regular business hours and sometimes on request for a copy at a reasonable charge. This is part of how ONCA gives members meaningful oversight of a board they don't manage day to day.

The right is not unlimited — it typically applies to records the corporation is required to keep, and a corporation can take reasonable steps to protect genuinely sensitive information, such as personal details in personnel records, rather than opening every document to every member on demand. A member seeking records for an improper purpose, rather than a legitimate governance concern, may also face pushback, though the bar for what counts as a legitimate purpose is generally not a high one.

If a corporation refuses a proper request outright, the member has legal avenues to compel access. Boards should have a clear, consistent process for handling record requests rather than deciding case by case depending on who is asking, since inconsistent treatment itself tends to fuel disputes.