Sorry, but this was really intended to go to the list, rather than just one individual. The reply function currently only seems to be replying to the one person.
gerald lists wrote:
I saw that you have registered the domain name "wikimedia.ca".
I thought that you might be involved (or want to be involved) in the formation of a nonprofit "Wikimedia Canada".
I'm trying to put together an ad-hoc group to start the legal part. Would you be interested in being part of this group?
It's good to see people taking an occasional interest in this idea. Last year I started a series of pages related to the by-laws, hoping that it would get some sort of response. I made a point of starting with the membership section of the by-laws because I knew that it would be one of the most difficult ones. Putting the ideas into a language resembling legalese is not difficult, but knowing what ideas people want to put into the by-laws is.
I have no problem with the Foundation's policy that a national chapter should be membership based, but just who will be a member for legal purposes still needs to be defined. In some respects there is a romantic attraction to having every Canadian who contributes to either the English or French Wikipedia treated as a member, but that would be totally impractical. Membership can be based on making a positive statement that one wants to become a member, perhaps accompanied by a membership fee; this would also need to be accompanied by a section about when memberships terminate.
Another possibility is to have a smaller membership that is co-equal with its board of directors. This would create a situation comparable to the one used by WMF now. Unlike WMF I know of no provision in Canadian law that would allow for a corporation without members as is allowed by Florida law.
It has been a while since since I last set up a federal corporation, but I expect that the cost of doing so should not exceed $500. There is no requirement that the incorporation be done by a lawyer, except for facilitating a name search and reservation.
Ec