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By-Laws
adopted September 20, 2006
Part
1 - Interpretation
1.
(1) In these bylaws, unless the context otherwise requires:
"directors" means the directors of the society
for the time being;
"Society Act" means the Society Act of British
Columbia from time to time in force and all amendments to
it;
"registered address" of a member means the member's
address as recorded in the register of members.
(2) The definitions in the Society Act on the date these
bylaws become effective apply to these bylaws.
(3) The fiscal year of the society shall be the period May
1 to April 30 of the next year and for each subsequent year
thereafter.
2.
Words importing the singular include the plural and vice
versa, and words importing a male person include a female
person and a corporation.
Part 2 - Membership
3.
The members of the society are the applicants for incorporation
of the society, and those persons who subsequently become
members, in accordance with these bylaws and, in either
case, have not ceased to be members.
4.
A person may apply to the directors for membership in the
society and on acceptance by the directors is a member.
5.
Every member must uphold the constitution and comply with
these bylaws.
6.
The amount of the first annual membership dues must be determined
by the directors and after that the annual membership dues
must be determined at the annual general meeting of the
society.
7.
A person ceases to be a member of the society
(a) by delivering his or her resignation in writing to the
secretary of the society or by mailing or delivering it
to the address of the society,
(b) on his or her death or, in the case of a corporation,
on dissolution,
(c) on being expelled, or
(d) on having been a member not in good standing for 12
consecutive months.
8.
(1) A member may be expelled by a special resolution of
the members passed at a general meeting.
(2) The notice of special resolution for expulsion must
be accompanied by a brief statement of the reasons for the
proposed expulsion.
(3) The person who is the subject of the proposed resolution
for expulsion must be given an opportunity to be heard at
the general meeting before the special resolution is put
to a vote.
9.
All members are in good standing except a member who has
failed to pay his or her current annual membership fee,
or any other subscription or debt due and owing by the member
to the society, and the member is not in good standing so
long as the debt remains unpaid.
Part 3 - Meetings of Members
10.
General meetings of the society must be held at the time
and place, in accordance with the Society Act, that the
directors decide.
11.
Every general meeting, other than an annual general meeting,
is an extraordinary general meeting.
12.
The directors may, when they think fit, convene an extraordinary
general meeting.
13.
(1) Notice of a general meeting must specify the place,
day and hour of the meeting, and, in case of special business,
the general nature of that business.
(2) Notice of a general meeting must be mailed to all members
not less than sixteen days prior to the holding of such
meeting.
(3) The accidental omission to give notice of a meeting
to, or the non-receipt of a notice by, any of the members
entitled to receive notice does not invalidate proceedings
at that meeting.
14.
An annual general meeting of the society must be held not
more than 15 months after the holding of the last preceding
annual general meeting.
Part 4 - Proceedings at General Meetings
15.
Special business is
(a)
all business at an extraordinary general meeting except
the adoption of rules of order, and
(b) all business conducted at an annual general meeting,
except the following:
(i) the adoption of rules of order;
(ii) the consideration of the financial statements;
(iii) the report of the directors;
(iv) the report of the auditor, if any;
(v) the election of directors;
(vi) the appointment of the auditor, if required;
(vii) the other business that, under these bylaws, ought
to be conducted at an annual general meeting, or business
that is brought under consideration by the report of the
directors issued with the notice convening the meeting.
16.
(1) Business, other than the election of a chair and the
adjournment or termination of the meeting, must not be conducted
at a general meeting at a time when a quorum is not present.
(2) If at any time during a general meeting there ceases
to be a quorum present, business then in progress must be
suspended until there is a quorum present or until the meeting
is adjourned or terminated.
(3) A quorum is 6 members present or a greater number that
the members may determine at a general meeting.
(4) A resolution passed in a general meeting must be approved
by 75% of the attending members, those of whom must be members
in good standing.
17.
If within 30 minutes from the time appointed for a general
meeting a quorum is not present, the meeting, if convened
on the requisition of members, must be terminated, but in
any other case, it must stand adjourned to the same day
in the next week, at the same time and place, and if, at
the adjourned meeting, a quorum is not present within 30
minutes from the time appointed for the meeting, the members
present constitute a quorum.
18.
Subject to bylaw 19, the president of the society, the vice
president or, in the absence of both, one of the other directors
present, must preside as chair of a general meeting.
19.
If at a general meeting
(a) there is no president, vice president or other director
present within 15 minutes after the time appointed for holding
the meeting, or
(b) the president and all the other directors present are
unwilling to act as the chair, the members present must
choose one of their number to be the chair.
20.
(1) A general meeting may be adjourned from time to time
and from place to place, but business must not be conducted
at an adjourned meeting other than the business left unfinished
at the meeting from which the adjournment took place.
(2) When a meeting is adjourned for 10 days or more, notice
of the adjourned meeting must be given as in the case of
the original meeting.
(3) Except as provided in this bylaw, it is not necessary
to give notice of an adjournment or of the business to be
conducted at an adjourned general meeting.
21.
(1) A resolution proposed at a meeting need not be seconded,
and the chair of a meeting may move or propose a resolution.
(2) In the case of a tie vote, the chair does not have a
casting or second vote in addition to the vote to which
he or she may be entitled as a member, and the proposed
resolution does not pass.
22.
(1) A member in good standing present at a meeting of members
is entitled to one vote.
(2) Voting is by show of hands.
(3) Voting by proxy is not permitted.
23.
A corporate member may vote by its authorized representative,
who is entitled to speak and vote, and in all other respects
exercise the rights of a member, and that representative
must be considered as a member for all purposes with respect
to a meeting of the society.
Part 5 - Directors and Officers
24.
(1) The directors may exercise all the powers and do all
the acts and things that the society may exercise and do,
and that are not by these bylaws or by statute or otherwise
lawfully directed or required to be exercised or done by
the society in a general meeting, but subject, nevertheless,
to
(a) all laws affecting the society,
(b) these bylaws, and
(c) rules, not being inconsistent with these bylaws, that
are made from time to time by the society in a general meeting.
(2) A rule, made by the society in a general meeting, does
not invalidate a prior act of the directors that would have
been valid if that rule had not been made.
25.
(1) The president, vice president, secretary, treasurer
and one or more other persons are the directors of the society.
(2) The number of directors must be 12 or a greater number
determined from time to time at a general meeting. Directors
shall serve overlapping two-year terms. Six directors shall
be elected in even numbered years and six in odd-numbered
years.
(3) Notwithstanding subsection (2), in 2006 twelve directors
shall be elected and they shall be assigned to one or two
year terms by lot drawn at the first meeting of the directors
following their election.
26
(1) The directors must retire from office at each annual
general meeting when their term expires and their successors
are elected.
(2) Unless otherwise provided by the members at the annual
general meeting the officers shall be elected by the directors
to serve a one-year term.
(3) An election may be by acclamation, otherwise it must
be by ballot.
(4) If a successor is not elected, the person previously
elected or appointed continues to hold office.
27.
(1) The directors may at any time and from time to time
appoint a member as a director to fill a vacancy in the
directors.
(2) A director so appointed holds office only until the
conclusion of the next annual general meeting of the society,
but is eligible for re-election at the meeting.
(3) A vacancy in the directors shall be filled for the remainder
of the term so as to maintain the balance in overlapping
terms.
28.
(1) If a director resigns his or her office or otherwise
ceases to hold office, the remaining directors must appoint
a member to take the place of the former director.
(2) An act or proceeding of the directors is not invalid
merely because there are less than the prescribed number
of directors in office.
29.
The members may, by special resolution, remove a director,
before the expiration of his or her term of office, and
may elect a successor to complete the term of office.
30.
A director must not be remunerated for being or acting as
a director but a director must be reimbursed for all expenses
necessarily and reasonably incurred by the director while
engaged in the affairs of the society.
Part 6 - Proceedings of Directors
31.
(1) The directors may meet at the places they think fit
to conduct business, adjourn and otherwise regulate their
meetings and proceedings, as they see fit.
(2) The directors may from time to time set the quorum necessary
to conduct business, and unless so set the quorum is a majority
of the directors then in office.
(3) The president is the chair of all meetings of the directors,
but if at a meeting the president is not present within
30 minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting,
the vice president must act as chair, but if neither is
present the directors present may choose one of their number
to be the chair at that meeting.
(4) A director may at any time, and the secretary, on the
request of a director, must, convene a meeting of the directors.
32.
(1) The directors may delegate any, but not all, of their
powers to committees consisting of the director or directors
as they think fit.
(2) A committee so formed in the exercise of the powers
so delegated must conform to any rules imposed on it by
the directors, and must report every act or thing done in
exercise of those powers to the earliest meeting of the
directors held after the act or thing has been done.
33.
A committee must elect a chair of its meetings, but if no
chair is elected, or if at a meeting the chair is not present
within 30 minutes after the time appointed for holding the
meeting, the directors present who are members of the committee
must choose one of their number to be the chair of the meeting.
34.
The members of a committee may meet and adjourn as they
think proper.
35.
For a first meeting of directors held immediately following
the appointment or election of a director or directors at
an annual or other general meeting of members, or for a
meeting of the directors at which a director is appointed
to fill a vacancy in the directors, it is not necessary
to give notice of the meeting to the newly elected or appointed
director or directors for the meeting to be constituted,
if a quorum of the directors is present.
36.
A director who may be absent temporarily from British Columbia
may send or deliver to the address of the society a waiver
of notice, which may be by letter, telegram, telex or cable,
of any meeting of the directors and may at any time withdraw
the waiver, and until the waiver is withdrawn,
(a) a notice of meeting of directors is not required to
be sent to that director, and
(b) any and all meetings of the directors of the society,
notice of which has not been given to that director, if
a quorum of the directors is present, are valid and effective.
37.
(1) Questions arising at a meeting of the directors and
committee of directors must be decided by a majority of
votes.
(2) In the case of a tie vote, the chair does not have a
second or casting vote.
38.
A resolution proposed at a meeting of directors or committee
of directors need not be seconded, and the chair of a meeting
may move or propose a resolution.
39.
A resolution in writing, signed by all the directors and
placed with the minutes of the directors, is as valid and
effective as if regularly passed at a meeting of directors.
Part 7 - Duties of Officers
40.
(1) The president presides at all meetings of the society
and of the directors.
(2) The president is the chief executive officer of the
society and must supervise the other officers in the execution
of their duties.
41.
The vice president must carry out the duties of the president
during the president's absence.
42.
The secretary must do the following:
(a) conduct the correspondence of the society;
(b) issue notices of meetings of the society and directors;
(c) keep minutes of all meetings of the society and directors;
(d) have custody of all records and documents of the society
except those required to be kept by the treasurer;
(e) have custody of the common seal of the society;
(f) maintain the register of members.
43.
The treasurer must
(a) keep the financial records, including books of account,
necessary to comply with the Society Act, and
(b) render financial statements to the directors, members
and others when required.
44.
(1) The offices of secretary and treasurer may be held by
one person who is to be known as the secretary treasurer.
(2) If a secretary treasurer holds office, the total number
of directors must not be less than 5 or the greater number
that may have been determined under bylaw 25 (2).
45.
In the absence of the secretary from a meeting, the directors
must appoint another person to act as secretary at the meeting.
Part 8 - Seal
46.
The directors may provide a common seal for the society
and may destroy a seal and substitute a new seal in its
place.
47.
The common seal must be affixed only when authorized by
a resolution of the directors and then only in the presence
of the persons specified in the resolution, or if no persons
are specified, in the presence of the president and secretary
or president and secretary treasurer.
Part 9 - Borrowing
48.
In order to carry out the purposes of the society the directors
may, on behalf of and in the name of the society, raise
or secure the payment or repayment of money in the manner
they decide, and, in particular but without limiting that
power, by the issue of debentures.
49.
A debenture must not be issued without the authorization
of a special resolution.
50.
The members may, by special resolution, restrict the borrowing
powers of the directors, but a restriction imposed expires
at the next annual general meeting.
Part 10 - Auditor
51.
This Part applies only if the society is required or has
resolved to have an auditor.
52.
The first auditor must be appointed by the directors who
must also fill all vacancies occurring in the office of
auditor.
53.
At each annual general meeting the society must appoint
an auditor to hold office until the auditor is re-elected
or a successor is elected at the next annual general meeting.
54.
An auditor may be removed by ordinary resolution.
55.
An auditor must be promptly informed in writing of the auditor's
appointment or removal.
56.
A director or employee of the society must not be its auditor.
57.
The auditor may attend general meetings.
Part 11 - Notices to Members
58.
A notice may be given to a member, either personally or
by mail to the member at the member's registered address.
59.
A notice sent by mail is deemed to have been given on the
second day following the day on which the notice is posted,
and in proving that notice has been given, it is sufficient
to prove the notice was properly addressed and put in a
Canadian post office receptacle.
60.
(1) Notice of a general meeting must be given to
(a) every member shown on the register of members on the
day notice is given, and
(b) the auditor, if Part 10 applies.
(2) No other person is entitled to receive a notice of a
general meeting.
Part 12 - Bylaws
61.
On being admitted to membership, each member is entitled
to, and the society must give the member without charge,
a copy of the constitution and bylaws of the society.
62.
These bylaws must not be altered or added to except by special
resolution.
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