Bylaws – SER Western Canada

Bylaws of the
Society for Ecological Restoration – Western Canada Chapter
(the “Society”)

Part 1 – Definitions and Interpretation

Definitions

1.1 In these Bylaws:

“Act” means the Societies Act of British Columbia as amended from time to time;

“Board” means the directors of the Society;

“Bylaws” means these Bylaws as altered from time to time.

“SER” means the Society for Ecological Restoration organization based in Washington, D.C., U.S.A. (the Society’s parent organization).

Definitions in Act apply

1.2 The definitions in the Act apply to these Bylaws.

Conflict with Act or regulations

1.3 If there is a conflict between these Bylaws and the Act or the regulations under the Act, the Act or the regulations, as the case may be, prevail.

Part 2 – Members

Application for membership

2.1 Any person group, business or organization who supports SER’s mission is eligible to apply to SER for membership in the Society, and the person becomes a member of the SER and the Society upon acceptance of the application, and payment of membership dues.

Duties of members

2.2 Every member must uphold the constitution of the Society and must comply with these Bylaws. Every member must also uphold the constitution and governing documents of SER.

Amount of membership dues

2.3 The amount of the annual membership dues must be determined by SER in consultation with the Board.

Member not in good standing

2.4 A member is not in good standing if the member fails to pay the member’s annual membership dues, and the member is not in good standing for so long as those dues remain unpaid.

Member not in good standing may not vote

2.5 A voting member who is not in good standing

(a) may not vote at a general meeting, and

(b) is deemed not to be a voting member for the purpose of consenting to a resolution of the voting members.

Termination of membership if member not in good standing

2.6 A person’s membership in the Society is terminated if the person is not in good standing.

Expulsion of a member

2.7 A member may be expelled by a majority vote from the Board

(a) The expulsion must be accompanied by a brief statement of the reasons for the proposed expulsion.

(b) The person who is the subject of the expulsion must be given an opportunity to be heard by the Board before the Board is put to a vote.

Part 3 – General Meetings of Members

Time and place of general meeting

3.1 A general meeting must be held at the time and place the Board determines, typically at least once per calendar year in the form of an annual general meeting.

Ordinary business at general meeting

3.2 At a general meeting, the following business is ordinary business:

(a) adoption of rules of order;

(b) consideration of any financial statements of the Society presented to the meeting;

(d) election or appointment of directors;

(e) appointment of an auditor, if any;

(f) business arising out of a report of the directors not requiring the passing of a special resolution.

Notice of special business

3.3 A notice of a general meeting must state the nature of any business, other than ordinary business, to be transacted at the meeting in sufficient detail to permit a member receiving the notice to form a reasoned judgment concerning that business.

Chair of general meeting

3.4 The following individual is entitled to preside as the chair of a general meeting:

(a) the individual, if any, appointed by the Board to preside as the chair;

(b) if the Board has not appointed an individual to preside as the chair or the individual appointed by the Board is unable to preside as the chair,

(i) the president,

(ii) the vice-president, if the president is unable to preside as the chair, or

(iii) the secretary, or one of the other directors present at the meeting, if both the president and vice-president are unable to preside as the chair.

Alternate chair of general meeting

3.5 If there is no individual entitled under Section 3.4 to preside as the chair of a general meeting within 15 minutes from the time set for holding the meeting, the voting members who are present must elect an individual present at the meeting to preside as the chair.

Quorum required

3.6 Business, other than the election of the chair of the meeting and the adjournment or termination of the meeting, must not be transacted at a general meeting unless a quorum of voting members is present.

Quorum for general meetings

3.7 The quorum for the transaction of business at a general meeting is 5 voting members.

Lack of quorum at commencement of meeting

3.8 If, within 30 minutes from the time set for holding a general meeting, a quorum of voting members is not present,

(a) in the case of a meeting convened on the requisition of members, the meeting is terminated, and

(b) in any other case, the meeting stands adjourned to the same day in the next week, at the same time and place, and if, at the continuation of the adjourned meeting, a quorum is not present within 30 minutes from the time set for holding the continuation of the adjourned meeting, the voting members who are present constitute a quorum for that meeting.

If quorum ceases to be present

3.9 If, at any time during a general meeting, there ceases to be a quorum of voting members present, business then in progress must be suspended until there is a quorum present or until the meeting is adjourned or terminated.

Adjournments by chair

3.10 The chair of a general meeting may, or, if so directed by the voting members at the meeting, must, adjourn the meeting from time to time and from place to place, but no business may be transacted at the continuation of the adjourned meeting other than business left unfinished at the adjourned meeting.

Notice of continuation of adjourned general meeting

3.11 It is not necessary to give notice of a continuation of an adjourned general meeting or of the business to be transacted at a continuation of an adjourned general meeting except that, when a general meeting is adjourned for 30 days or more, notice of the continuation of the adjourned meeting must be given.

Order of business at general meeting

3.12 The order of business at a general meeting is as follows:

(a) elect an individual to chair the meeting, if necessary;

(b) determine that there is a quorum;

(d) approve the minutes from the last general meeting;

(e) deal with unfinished business from the last general meeting;

(f) if the meeting is an annual general meeting,

(i) receive the directors’ report on the financial statements of the Society for the previous financial year,

(ii) receive any other reports of directors’ activities and decisions since the previous annual general meeting,

(iii) elect or appoint directors, and

(iv) appoint an auditor, if any;

(g) deal with new business, including any matters about which notice has been given to the members in the notice of meeting;

(h) terminate the meeting.

Methods of voting

3.13 At a general meeting, voting must be by a show of hands, an oral vote or another method (e.g., electronic vote) that adequately discloses the intention of the voting members, except that if, before or after such a vote, 2 or more voting members request a secret ballot or a secret ballot is directed by the chair of the meeting, voting must be by a secret ballot.

Announcement of result

3.14 The chair of a general meeting must announce the outcome of each vote and that outcome must be recorded in the minutes of the meeting.

Proxy voting not permitted

3.15 Voting by proxy is not permitted.

Matters decided at general meeting by ordinary resolution

3.16 A matter to be decided at a general meeting must be decided by ordinary resolution unless the matter is required by the Act or these Bylaws to be decided by special resolution or by another resolution having a higher voting threshold than the threshold for an ordinary resolution.

Part 4 – Directors

Number of directors on Board

4.1 The Society must have no fewer than 5 directors.

Election or appointment of directors

4.2 At each annual general meeting, the voting members entitled to vote for the election or appointment of directors must elect or appoint the Board.

Directors may fill casual vacancy on Board

4.3 The Board may, at any time, appoint a member as a director to fill a vacancy that arises on the Board as a result of the resignation, death or incapacity of a director during the director’s term of office.

Term of appointment of director filling casual vacancy

4.4 A director appointed by the Board to fill a vacancy ceases to be a director at the end of the unexpired portion of the term of office of the individual whose departure from office created the vacancy.

Expulsion of a director

4.5 A director who has not met the obligations of the role as defined in Part 6, may be terminated as a director, as determined by a majority vote from quorum on the remaining Board.

(a) The expulsion of a director must be accompanied by a brief statement of the reasons for the proposed expulsion, record of which will be kept with the Society’s filings.

(b) The person who is the subject of the proposed expulsion must be given an opportunity to be heard at the director’s meeting before the matter is put to a director vote.

Part 5 – Directors’ Meetings

Time and place of directors’ meetings

5.1 A minimum of 12 directors’ meetings are to be held annually, at the time and place the Board determines.

Calling directors’ meeting

5.2 A directors’ meeting may be called by the president or by any 2 other directors.

Notice of directors’ meeting

5.3 At least 2 days’ notice of a directors’ meeting must be given unless all the directors agree to a shorter notice period.

Proceedings valid despite omission to give notice

5.4 The accidental omission to give notice of a directors’ meeting to a director, or the non-receipt of a notice by a director, does not invalidate proceedings at the meeting.

Conduct of directors’ meetings

5.5 The directors may regulate their meetings and proceedings as they think fit.

Quorum of directors

5.6 The quorum for the transaction of business at a directors’ meeting is 5, and must include at least 2 of the following Board positions: president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer.

Part 6 – Board Positions

Election or appointment to Board positions

6.1 Directors must be elected or appointed to the following Board positions, and a director, other than the president, may hold more than one position:

(a) president;

(b) vice-president;

(d) treasurer.

Directors at large

6.2 Directors who are elected or appointed to positions on the Board in addition to the positions described in these Bylaws are elected or appointed as directors at large.

6.3 Directors at large are obliged to attend a minimum of 50% of director meetings throughout any given calendar year.

Role of president

6.4 The president is the chair of the Board and is responsible for supervising the other directors in the execution of their duties.

6.5 The president or an assigned director at-large shall sit on the SER Chapter Relations Committee, as the Society’s representative.

6.6 The maximum term of office for the position of president will be two years.

6.7 The president is obliged to attend a minimum of 75% of director meetings throughout any given calendar year.

Role of vice-president

6.8 The vice-president is the vice-chair of the Board and is responsible for carrying out the duties of the president if the president is unable to act.

6.9 The vice-president or an assigned director at-large shall sit on the SER North American Conference Committee, as the Society’s representative.

6.10 To facilitate an orderly flow of duties, the vice-president will normally function as president after serving as vice-president, and the president will function in an advisory capacity as past-president after serving one year as president.

6.11 The maximum term of office for the position of vice-president will be two years.

6.12 The vice-president is obliged to attend a minimum of 75% of director meetings throughout any given calendar year.

Role of secretary

6.13 The secretary is responsible for doing, or making the necessary arrangements for, the following:

(a) issuing notices of general meetings and directors’ meetings;

(b) taking minutes of general meetings and directors’ meetings;

(d) conducting the correspondence of the Board;

(e) filing the annual report of the Society and making any other filings with the registrar under the Act.

6.14 The secretary or an assigned director at-large shall serve as the representative of the Society to the SER BCIT Student Chapter.

6.15 The minimum term of office for the position of secretary will be two years.

6.16 The secretary is obliged to attend a minimum of 75% of director meetings throughout any given calendar year.

Absence of secretary from meeting

6.17 In the absence of the secretary from a meeting, the Board must appoint another individual to act as secretary at the meeting.

Role of treasurer

6.18 The treasurer is responsible for doing, or making the necessary arrangements for, the following:

(a) receiving and banking monies collected from the members or other sources;

(b) keeping accounting records in respect of the Society’s financial transactions;

(d) making the Society’s filings respecting taxes, as required.

6.16 The treasurer or an assigned director at-large, shall serve as the representative of the Society to the SER Northwest Chapter.

6.17 The minimum term of office for the position of treasurer will be two years.

6.18 The treasurer is obliged to attend a minimum of 75% of director meetings throughout any given calendar year.

Part 7 – Remuneration of Directors and Signing Authority

Remuneration of directors

7.1 These Bylaws do not permit the Society to pay to a director remuneration for being a director, but the Society may, subject to the Act, pay remuneration to a director for services provided by the director to the Society in another capacity.

Signing authority

7.2 A contract or other record to be signed by the Society must be signed on behalf of the Society

(a) by the president, together with one other director,

(b) if the president is unable to provide a signature, by the vice-president together with one other director,

(d) in any case, by one or more individuals authorized by the Board to sign the record on behalf of the Society.