Roman Catholic Diocesan Corporations to Merge

Summary#

This notice says an application will be made to Parliament for a private Act to merge the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of Ottawa (a Canada corporation) and the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation for the Diocese of Alexandria‑Cornwall (an Ontario corporation). The two would be continued as one federal corporation called The Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of Ottawa‑Cornwall. The notice was filed on August 27, 2022 and published in the Canada Gazette on September 10, 2022.

What it does#

• Announces an intended application to the Parliament of Canada for a private Act to combine the two diocesan corporations listed above.
• Says the existing corporations would be continued as one corporation under Canadian federal law with the name The Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of Ottawa‑Cornwall.
• States the application may be made during the current session of Parliament or in either of the following two sessions.
• The notice was submitted by solicitor Ryan Kilger of Vincent Dagenais Gibson LLP.

Who's affected#

• The two corporate bodies named: Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of Ottawa and Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation for the Diocese of Alexandria‑Cornwall.
• People and groups likely to notice the change include local parishes, parishioners, clergy and diocesan staff, donors, and creditors connected to those corporations.
• It is not specified in the notice which specific parishes, properties, contracts or programs (if any) would change hands or how day‑to‑day operations would be affected.

Why it matters#

• The change would combine two church corporations into a single federal corporation, which can change how the entities are governed and how assets or contracts are held and managed.
• For parishioners and staff, the difference could be mostly administrative, but it might also affect who handles finances, legal matters, and corporate decisions.
• This is an announced application to Parliament, not a law yet; Parliament would have to pass the private Act before the amalgamation could take effect.