It has never been easier to incorporate a business or nonprofit in Canada. A few clicks, a credit card, and somewhere between an afternoon and a few days later, you have a certificate of incorporation in your inbox. Online incorporation services have made the technical act of filing articles feel completely manageable – and for a fraction of what a lawyer charges.
So why would you hire a lawyer?
It is a fair question, and we would rather answer it honestly than just tell you that you should.
What Incorporation Actually Is – and Is Not
Here is the thing that online incorporation services do not advertise: filing your articles is the beginning of the process, not the end of it.
Incorporation creates a legal entity. What it does not do is organize that entity, set the rules for how it operates, establish who has authority to do what, or protect the people involved from the kinds of disputes and problems that arise when none of that has been thought through carefully.
