Hello Betsy, great question. The BC Societies does not say that staff cannot be voting members, but it does say that members of the society have to act in the best interest of the society. A staff member has a conflict of interest if they have to say vote to lay off themselves or other staff. Also, if the staff are voting members and the membership of the society is very small, it is possible for the staff to vote to remove the board. In democracy terms it creates huge issues. This is why the general rule is do not do it. There are collective boards that include all staff, so there are exceptions to the rule.
Love this question….
Cheers, Lisa