PREAMBLE
These By-Laws, in general, pertain to matters of Sub-Group organization not covered by the By-Laws and Regulations of The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada or of the AV Group and are made pursuant to those By-Laws and Regulations.
DEFINITIONS
"Institute" means The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada.
"Members" means those who meet the requirements of By-Law 3 Membership and have taken out membership with the Institute.
BY-LAW 1 NAME
The name of this Sub-Group shall be the Saskatoon Sub-Group of the AV Group of The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, hereinafter referred to as the "Sub-Group".
BY-LAW 2 AIMS
The aims of the Sub-Group are to further the professional interests of its members, to protect the status and standards of their profession, and to formulate and express the views of the members on matters affecting them.
BY-LAW 3 MEMBERSHIP
3.1 Every Regular member of the AV Group working in Saskatoon shall be a Regular member of the Sub-Group.
3.2 Every Retired member of the AV Group resident in Saskatoon shall be a Retired member of the Sub-Group.
BY-LAW 4 RIGHTS OF MEMBERS
Only Regular and Retired members shall be eligible to vote for Officers and Stewards, hold office and nominate candidates as prescribed in these By-Laws, nominate members for positions on the Sub-Group Executive, propose amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws of the Sub-Group and vote in Sub-Group affairs.
BY-LAW 5 FINANCES
5.1 Fiscal Year: The fiscal year of the Sub-Group shall be the calendar year.
5.2 Expenditures: The Sub-Group Executive shall expend such monies as it considers necessary for the conduct of the business of the Sub-Group.
5.3 Bank Account: The Sub-Group Executive shall maintain an account in the name of The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada Saskatoon AV Sub-Group at the financial institution of its choice for the deposit of the funds of the Sub-Group.
5.4 Signatures: Financial transactions shall require the signature of any two (2) of the President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer of the Sub-Group. A written account shall be kept of all expenditures.
5.5 Auditing: As required, auditing and verification procedures shall be carried out by members of the Sub-Group who are not responsible for the administration of Sub-Group funds.
5.6 Additional Funding: Additional funding may be requested by submitting a budget via the Group Executive for approval and recommendation to the Institute Executive Committee.
BY-LAW 6 SUB-GROUP EXECUTIVE
6.1 Composition: The Sub-Group Executive shall be limited to one (1) Executive member per ten (10) members of the Sub-Group rounded to the nearest ten (10) with a minimum of three (3) and a maximum of eleven (11). The Sub-Group Executive shall be composed of a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary and a Treasurer elected by and from the Sub-Group members at their first meeting. Additional members to the maximum permitted on the Executive may be appointed by the Executive.
6.2 Term of Office: The term of office shall be two (2) years with the exception of the first election when two (2) members shall be elected for a two (2) year term and the remainder for a one (1) year term. Members-at-large shall be appointed for a one (1) year term.
6.3 Meetings: The Sub-Group Executive shall meet as frequently as is required, but at least twice a year.
6.4 Quorum: A quorum shall consist of a majority of the voting members of the Sub-Group Executive.
6.5 Voting: Decisions shall be by majority vote.
6.6 Vacancies
6.6.1 If the position of President becomes vacant, the Vice-President shall assume the position of the President until the end of the original term of office.
6.6.2 If a vacancy should occur in any position other than that of the President, the remaining members of the Executive may select an eligible member of the Sub-Group to fill that vacancy until the next election.
6.6.3 Any member who is absent from two (2) consecutive meetings of the Executive without valid reason shall be deemed to have resigned from the Executive.
BY-LAW 7 DUTIES OF THE SUB-GROUP EXECUTIVE
7.1 Duties of the Executive: The Sub-Group Executive shall manage the affairs of the Sub-Group in such a manner as to promote the aims of the Sub-Group as expressed by the majority of the members. The Executive shall be responsible for informing members of current concerns and for ascertaining the viewpoint of the membership.
7.2 President
7.2.1 The President shall call and preside at all meetings of the Sub-Group and of the Sub-Group Executive.
7.2.2 The President shall represent the Sub-Group within the Institute. Should the President not be able to serve in such capacity, he may designate another member of the Sub-Group to serve in his stead. The President, or his designate, shall report to the Executive on any such meetings. This in no way infringes on the right of an individual to approach the Institute on his own behalf.
7.3 Vice-President: The Vice-President shall assist the President in the performance of his duties and, in the absence of the President, perform the duties of that position.
7.4 Secretary: The Secretary shall be responsible for sending notices of and keeping records of all meetings of the Sub-Group and the Sub-Group Executive for the period required by Institute policy, and shall ensure that a copy of minutes is filed with the Institute. The Secretary shall also be responsible for submitting reports as required by the relevant Institute and Group By-Laws and Constitutions.
7.5 Treasurer: The Treasurer shall maintain the financial records of the Sub-Group as required by Institute policy; present a budget to the first Sub-Group meeting of the calendar year; submit a financial statement to the Institute as required, and prepare the annual request for the annual allowance of the Sub-Group. Copies of the financial report shall be available to all Sub-Group members.
7.6 Members-at-Large: Members-at-Large shall perform such duties as may be assigned by the Executive.
7.7 Committees: The Sub-Group or Sub-Group Executive may establish committees as necessary, with terms of reference and membership to be decided by the body that establishes them. Copies of Committee reports shall be filed with the Sub-Group Secretary. Committees shall be dissolved by majority vote of the body that established them.
BY-LAW 8 ELECTIONS
8.1 Method: Elections to the Executive for those positions vacated by the completion of the term of office shall take place at the Sub-Group Annual General Meeting by those attending. If there is only one (1) nominee for a position, election shall be by acclamation.
8.2 Elections Committee The Executive shall appoint an Elections Committee to receive nominations for positions on the Sub-Group Executive, and to conduct the elections. Any member of the Elections Committee who becomes a candidate in the election shall resign from the Elections Committee.
8.3 Procedure for Nominations
8.3.1 A notice calling for nominations for election to the Sub-Group Executive shall be distributed four (4) weeks in advance of the Sub-Group Annual General Meeting.
8.3.2 All nominations shall be in writing.
8.3.3 The Elections Committee shall satisfy itself that the candidates for election are eligible and willing to serve.
8.4 Election Procedure
8.4.1 The Elections Committee shall serve as Returning Officers and shall establish procedures for the efficient conduct of an election, the counting and tabulating of ballots and all matters directly related thereto. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes for a position shall be declared elected.
8.4.2 The results of the election shall be announced at the Sub-Group Annual General Meeting and subsequently distributed. The newly elected Sub-Group Executive shall take office at the close of the Sub-Group Annual General Meeting.
BY-LAW 9 GENERAL MEETINGS OF THE SUB-GROUP
9.1 Annual General Meetings
9.1.1 The Sub-Group Executive shall call an Annual General Meeting once each calendar year. The interval between Annual General Meetings shall not exceed fifteen (15) months.
9.1.2 The agenda shall include the following items:
Roll Call (members of the Sub-Group Executive)
Approval of the Agenda
Adoption of the Minutes of the previous Annual General meeting
Business Arising from the Minutes
Report of the President
Annual Financial Report
Report of the Elections Committee
New Business.
9.1.3 The quorum for the Annual General Meeting shall be five (5) members of the Sub-Group eligible to vote in addition to the Sub-Group Executive members in attendance.
9.1.4 If the quorum is not obtained, the meeting shall be rescheduled by the Sub-Group Executive. Notice of the rescheduled meeting shall be sent within two (2) weeks of the original meeting date. Fifty percent (50%) of the Regular and Retired members present when the meeting is called to order shall constitute the quorum.
9.1.5 . Voting shall be by secret ballot and each member shall have one (1) vote. Proxy votes shall not be permitted. Decisions shall be by a majority vote.
9.2 Special General Meeting
9.2.1 A Special General Meeting of the Sub-Group shall be called by the Sub-Group Executive or at the written request of at least five (5) voting Sub-Group members and shall be held within four (4) weeks of such decision or request.
9.2.2 Only the matter(s) for which the Special General Meeting was called shall appear on the agenda.
9.2.3 The same provisions shall apply to the quorum and voting at Special General Meetings as is prescribed for the Annual General Meeting.
BY-LAW 10 RULES OF PROCEDURE
At any meeting of the Sub-Group Executive, Annual or Special General Meetings, matters of procedure, insofar as they are not specifically provided for, shall be governed by a majority vote of the members present and voting. The Chair of such meeting shall first rule on a matter of procedure or order and shall, in his rulings, in the absence of any By-Law to the contrary, rely upon and be governed by the latest version of Sturgis' Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure available at the meeting.
BY-LAW 11 CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
11.1 Amendment Any amendment to this Constitution and By-Laws may be proposed by any Regular or Retired member of the Sub-Group. Approval for amendments requires a simple majority of those voting at an Annual or Special General Meeting.
11.2 The notice of the Sub-Group meeting at which the amendments will be considered, shall include:
(a) the article to be amended, and
(b) the new wording.
11.3 Effective Date: This Constitution and By-Laws takes effect upon approval by the Institute. Any amendments thereto shall take effect upon approval by the Institute and ratification by the Sub-Group membership.
BY-LAW 12 REGULATIONS
12.1 The Sub-Group Executive may make such Regulations, and any amendments thereto, not inconsistent with these By-Laws, as it deems necessary or convenient for the operating of the Sub-Group.
12.2 All proposed Regulations and amendments thereto shall be submitted to the Institute for review.
12.3 All additions, changes or deletions to the Regulations shall take effect on a date to be determined by the Sub-Group Executive and shall be reported to the next Annual General Meeting of the Sub-Group which may repeal or suspend any Regulation.
BY-LAW 13 CONTEXT AND GENDER
In this Constitution and By-Laws, expressions in the masculine or feminine gender, in plural or in singular, may be substituted to give effect to the true meaning of the Constitution and By-Laws.
BY-LAW 14 COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
The Sub-Group Executive shall inform the national AV Group Executive of the concerns of the Sub-Group relative to collective bargaining.
Approved by the Board of Directors
April 19, 2005