Bill Pr7 amends the 2004 statute that incorporated Living Faith Bible College. It changes the institution’s statutory name to Clearwater College, continues its corporate existence under that name, and updates several provisions in its charter.
The bill also replaces the charter’s reference to “historical Reformed Christian theology” with “biblical Christian theology.” That wording change matters because the college’s statutory educational mandate is tied to its theological framework, not merely to its corporate name.
At a Glance
What It Does
The bill retitles the Living Faith Bible College Act as the Clearwater College Act and changes statutory references to the institution. It continues the existing corporation under the new name and revises one description of the theology governing the college’s development of students, graduates, faculty, and staff.
Who It Affects
Clearwater College, its governing board, the Living Faith Evangelistic Association, and individuals or organizations that rely on the college’s incorporating statute are directly affected. Students, faculty, staff, graduates, and counterparties may also need to use the new legal name in institutional records and dealings.
Why It Matters
This is a targeted private charter amendment rather than a general post-secondary education reform. Its significance lies in preserving the institution’s corporate continuity while changing both its public identity and the theological terminology embedded in its Alberta statute.
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What This Bill Actually Does
Bill Pr7 makes a narrow set of amendments to the Living Faith Bible College Act, the private statute that incorporated the college in 2004. The Act becomes the Clearwater College Act, and the bill replaces the college’s former name wherever it appears in the charter.
This gives the institution a consistent statutory identity without requiring a new incorporation.
The core corporate provision says that the existing Living Faith Bible College continues as a corporation under the name Clearwater College. The corporation remains composed of the members of its board elected or appointed under its bylaws.
In practical terms, the amendment changes the legal label attached to the existing entity rather than creating a new institution or transferring its assets and obligations to a successor.The bill also revises the charter’s preamble to record that the Living Faith Evangelistic Association approved the name change and that a petition was presented for the amending legislation. That language documents the institutional authorization behind the request, while the operative provisions handle the legal change itself.Finally, the bill changes the theological standard in the college’s objects clause.
The college’s stated role in supporting the intellectual, spiritual, moral, physical, social, and cultural development of its community will refer to “biblical Christian theology” instead of “historical Reformed Christian theology.” The text does not otherwise rewrite the listed educational, developmental, or community-oriented purposes.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The statute’s title changes from the Living Faith Bible College Act to the Clearwater College Act.
The existing corporation continues under the name “Clearwater College”; the bill does not establish a replacement corporation.
The corporation remains composed of board members elected or appointed under the college’s bylaws.
The preamble records that the Living Faith Evangelistic Association approved the name change and that a petition sought the amendment.
Section 3(d) replaces “historical Reformed Christian theology” with “biblical Christian theology” in the college’s objects clause.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
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Identifies the statute being amended
This provision establishes that the bill amends chapter 31 of the Statutes of Alberta, 2004, the Living Faith Bible College Act. It is a drafting provision, but it anchors every later change to the college’s existing private charter rather than to a new legislative scheme.
Renames the incorporating Act
The bill replaces the statute’s title with the Clearwater College Act. This ensures that the name of the governing legislation matches the institution’s new legal name and avoids leaving the corporation governed by an Act referring to an obsolete identity.
Updates the charter’s recitals
The preamble removes the former second recital and substitutes language stating that the Living Faith Evangelistic Association approved the change from Living Faith Bible College to Clearwater College. It also retains the recital concerning the petition and the Legislature’s decision to enact the requested amendment.
Because these are preamble changes, they provide context for the legislation rather than creating the main operational obligations. They nonetheless make the statutory record reflect the institution’s authorization for the rebranding.
Replaces the college’s name in the objects provision
This section changes a reference to “Living Faith Bible College” in section 1(d) of the 2004 Act to “Clearwater College.” The amendment prevents the charter from using both the former and current names in operative provisions.
Continues the corporation under its new name
Section 2 is repealed and replaced with a continuation clause. It expressly preserves the existing corporation while changing its name to Clearwater College, and it continues to define membership through the board members elected or appointed under the bylaws.
That continuity is the practical center of the bill. The text does not call for dissolution, re-incorporation, or a fresh appointment of directors, which helps preserve the institution’s existing legal relationships.
Changes the theological description in the objects
The bill changes the phrase describing the college’s governing theological framework from “historical Reformed Christian theology” to “biblical Christian theology.” The surrounding objects remain intact, so the amendment narrows itself to the terminology used to describe the institution’s religious orientation rather than revising the full list of educational purposes.
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Who Benefits
- Clearwater College and its board, which receive a statutory name aligned with the institution’s chosen public identity without having to replace the existing corporation.
- The Living Faith Evangelistic Association, whose approved name change and continuing relationship with the college are reflected in the amended charter.
- Students, faculty, staff, graduates, and donors, who can use a single current institutional name across the college’s statutory and administrative identity.
- Contracting parties, regulators, and other organizations dealing with the college, which gain a clearer match between the entity’s legal name and its operating name.
Who Bears the Cost
- The college’s administrators and board, which must update corporate records, policies, contracts, registrations, stationery, educational materials, and other references to the former name.
- Existing counterparties and affiliated organizations, which may need to verify that Clearwater College is the same continuing corporation previously known as Living Faith Bible College.
- Students, faculty, staff, and alumni, who may face short-term administrative friction as records, credentials, communications, and public listings transition to the new name.
- Anyone interpreting the college’s charter, including legal and compliance advisers, who must account for the revised theological language when assessing the institution’s statutory objects.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
The bill preserves institutional continuity while changing the legal language that identifies and describes the institution. That approach minimizes disruption to the corporation, but it also leaves practical and interpretive work to the college: it must prove continuity in its records while determining how a less historically specific theological formulation fits with existing governance, academic, and operational practices.
The bill is legally narrow, but the name change still creates an implementation question: the statute expressly preserves the corporation, yet the legislation does not list the operational records, registrations, contracts, or assets that may need updating. The continuity clause strongly points toward the same legal entity, but administrators and counterparties may still need documentary evidence connecting the former and current names.
The theological amendment is more than a branding edit because it changes language in the corporation’s statutory objects. “Biblical Christian theology” may be read as broader or less historically specific than “historical Reformed Christian theology,” but the bill does not define either phrase or explain how the revised wording should affect governance, curriculum, hiring, or student-facing policies. Those questions remain for the college’s bylaws and other governing documents unless another legal instrument addresses them.
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