As Nellie’s moves into our second half-century, we’re excited to soon be revealing our new branding — including a brand-new website, more modern logo, and a revised mission statement, vision, and values that speak to the Nellie’s of today, and of the future. Along with these transformative changes happening in the foreground, we’re also required to make some administrative changes to our corporation. At our upcoming Annual General Meeting on October 1st, the following motions will be brought forward to the voting members of the corporation.
The Nellie’s of today is strengthening our core services while taking concrete action to change the environment. We’re “more than a shelter” and our new mission, vision, and values (see below) better reflect all of the facets of our organization.
Changes to Nellie’s Letters Patent
Our revised mission statement – Nellie’s breaks the cycle of gender-based oppression through our unwavering commitment to offering a safe refuge for women and their children fleeing violence, poverty, and homelessness. Beyond safe housing, we empower women with advocacy, strength and support-based programming, enabling them to create a new path for life, free from the barriers of violence and oppression – required an update to our Letters Patent.
The changes to our Letters Patent were approved by the board of directors at their September 11th meeting.
The following resolutions pertaining to Nellie’s Letters Patent will be presented to the members for approval at the October 1st Annual General Meeting:
BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Corporation’s Letters Patent dated September 17, 1973 be amended as follows:
A. The following shall be added to the special provisions:
There shall be three classes of membership in the Corporation:
1. Sister Members: the members of this class shall be entitled to one (1) vote at meetings of members;
2. Agency Members: the members of this class shall be entitled to one (1) vote at meetings of members; and
3. Sister Staff Members: the members of this class shall not be entitled to vote at any meeting of members.
B. The objects/purposes of the Corporation be changed to delete all of the corporation’s objects and purposes from the Letters Patent and replace them with the following:
a. Nellie’s breaks the cycle of gender-based oppression through our unwavering commitment to offering a safe refuge for women and their children fleeing violence, poverty, and homelessness. Beyond safe housing, we empower women with advocacy, strength and support-based programming, enabling them to create a new path for life, free from the barriers of violence and oppression.
The purposes of the corporation are:
Provided that if any of the purposes of the Corporation are of a commercial nature, such commercial purpose is intended only to advance or support one or more of the non-profit purposes of the Corporation.
C. As a result of the foregoing change to the Corporation’s purposes, the following shall be added to the Corporation’s Special Provisions:
All funds and other property held by the Corporation immediately before these Articles of Amendment become effective or that are received subsequently by the Corporation pursuant to any will, deed or other instrument made before these Articles of Amendment become effective, together with any income or other accretions to the funds or other property, will be applied only to the purposes of the Corporation as they were immediately before these Articles of Amendment become effective.
D. The provisions relating to the dissolution of the Corporation found in the Letters Patent are deleted in their entirety and replaced with the following:
Upon the dissolution or winding up of the Corporation, and after the payment of all of its debts and liabilities, its remaining property shall be distributed to one or more charities that are registered as such under the Income Tax Act (Canada), as amended or replaced from time to time, which have similar objects, purposes or mandates to the Corporation, provided that any special or restricted purpose trust funds held by the Corporation shall be transferred to a new trustee appointed by the Directors of the Corporation to be applied in accordance with the applicable terms of the trust.
E. The Chair and Secretary of the Corporation be and are hereby authorized and directed to take all steps and to sign all documents that may be necessary to give effect to the foregoing resolutions and all steps taken by them in pursuance of this authority are hereby ratified and confirmed.
Changes to Nellie’s By-law
To comply with the new Ontario Not-for-profit Corporations Act (ONCA) that provides standard by-law provisions to all not-for-profit corporations in Ontario, the Nellie’s board has updated provisions to our by-law. The changes were done in conjunction with a lawyer. As such, a recommendation was made that ONCA’s default by-laws be utilized as a basis to replace the organization’s current by-laws. Accordingly, attached is a redrafted by-law based on the ONCA standard by-laws, amended to align with the Nellie’s governance structure.
The Board of Directors of Nellie’s accepted the new by-law at their September 11th meeting, and a Motion will be presented to the Nellie’s voting members at the 51st Annual General Meeting.
The following resolutions pertaining to the new Nellie’s by-law will be presented to the members for approval also at the October 1st Annual General Meeting:
BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Corporation’s by-law dated June 11, 2008, be amended as approved by the Board of Directors at the September 11th board meeting.
Thank you for your continued support of Nellie’s!