PREAMBLE
These By-Laws in general pertain to matters of Branch organization not covered specifically by the By-Laws and Regulations of The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada or of the British Columbia/Yukon Region and are made pursuant to the Constitutions and By-Laws of those constituent bodies.
BY-LAW 1 NAME
1.1 The name of the Branch shall be The Greater Vancouver Branch of The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, hereinafter referred to as the "Branch".
1.2 The jurisdiction of the Branch shall comprise all those worksites with the Greater Vancouver area and, where mutually agreed upon worksites in the Fraser Valley.
BY-LAW 2 PURPOSE
To represent and promote Branch members' interests and concerns; to provide a forum for the discussion of Institute affairs; to administer this Constitution and By-Laws; to make recommendations to Regional Council and to the Institute on topics or matters within the objectives of the Institute; to nominate delegates to the Regional Council and Institute meetings in accordance with the Constitution and By-Laws of those bodies.
BY-LAW 3 EXECUTIVE
3.1 The Branch Executive shall be composed of a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, a Treasurer and Members-at-Large to the maximum permitted by Institute By-Laws. The selection process will be done by secret ballot. The ballots shall be destroyed at the close of the election process. The term of office for an Executive member shall be two (2) years.
3.2 Vacancies occurring during the first twelve (12) months of a term shall be filled by normal election procedures. Vacancies occurring within the last twelve (12) months of a term may be filled by appointment by the remaining Executive members.
BY-LAW 4 DUTIES OF THE EXECUTIVE MEMBERS
4.1 President - To convene and chair all meetings of the Branch and to present to the Annual General Meeting a report of Branch activities. In the event of a tie vote, the President shall cast the deciding vote, otherwise he shall not vote.
4.2 Vice-Chair - To assume the duties of the President if the President is unable or unwilling to do so and to assist the President in matters affecting the Branch.
4.3 Secretary - To notify the members of meetings, to ensure that minutes are kept and a copy filed with the Institute. The Secretary shall maintain an up-to-date list of members, Stewards and Sub-Groups within the Branch.
4.4 Treasurer - To administer and report on finances; to present for consideration a budget to Branch members at the first Branch meeting of the calendar year; to present a financial statement to the Annual General Meeting; an audited financial statement and budget to the Regional and National Offices each year when requesting the yearly allowance. Copies of the financial report shall be available to Branch members.
4.4.1 All financial statements, receipts and ledgers shall be retained for the period of time required by Institute policy.
BY-LAW 5 MEMBERS-AT-LARGE
Members-at-Large may be Stewards or Sub-Group Executives who have an interest in Branch activities and who have been chosen or elected by their colleagues to keep them apprised of Branch activities and to provide feedback to the Branch Executive. The role of the Members-at-Large is to bring to the attention of the Branch Executive problems affecting the membership. Members-at-Large will perform such other duties as may be required by the Executive.
BY-LAW 6 MEETINGS
6.1 Branch Meetings
6.1.1 An Annual General Meeting shall be held each calendar year and at least one (1) Branch meeting per calendar year. Members shall be notified at least seven (7) weeks prior to the date of the Annual General Meeting and at least three (3) weeks prior to the date of a Branch meeting.
6.1.2 The agenda shall consist of at least the following:
(a) Adoption of the Agenda
(b) Adoption of the Minutes
(c) Business Arising from Previous Meeting of the Branch or its Executive
(d) Report from the President
(e) Financial Report
(f) Report from the Elections Committee.
6.1.3 Quorum: The quorum for a Branch meeting shall be fifteen (15) members of the Branch.
6.1.4 Voting: Only Regular and Retired members are eligible to vote at Branch meetings. Voting shall normally be by a show of hands and each member shall have one (1) vote. Decisions shall be by a simple majority vote.
6.2 Executive Meetings
6.2.1 Executive meetings shall be held at least twice per calendar year.
6.2.2 Quorum: The quorum shall be a majority of the members of the Executive plus one (1) additional member of the Executive.
6.2.3 Voting: Decisions shall be by majority vote.
6.2.4 Absences from three (3) consecutive meetings of the Executive without valid reason may be considered by the Executive as a resignation.
BY-LAW 7 BRANCH COMMITTEES
7.1 Branch Committees may be established by either the Branch Executive or the Branch when required.
7.2 The composition and terms of reference shall be established when a Branch Committee is struck.
7.3 Each Branch Committee shall be required to have a Chair.
7.4 Copies of all Branch Committee reports shall be filed with the Branch Secretary.
7.5 Branch Committees may only be dissolved by a majority vote of the members of the body that established them.
BY-LAW 8 FINANCES
8.1 Branch Funds Branch funds will be maintained in an account assigned by the Institute. The President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary shall be the signing officers. Cheques issued in the Branch's name shall have two (2) authorized signatures.
8.2 Expenses for a signing officer shall require the approval and signatures of any two (2) remaining signing officers.
8.3 Adoption of the budget by the Branch membership shall not preclude the right of the Branch Executive to expend additional available funds should the need arise. Such additional expenditures shall be reported to the Branch membership at the next Branch meeting.
8.4 As required, auditing and verification procedures shall be carried out by members of the Branch who are not responsible for the administration of the funds of the Branch.
8.5 Additional funding may be obtained by submitting a budget via the Regional Executive for approval and recommendation to the Institute Executive Committee.
BY-LAW 9 ELECTIONS
9.1 The Executive shall appoint an Elections Committee to receive nominations for positions on the Branch Executive and to conduct the elections. The Committee will consist of three (3) members of the Branch, one (1) of whom must be on the Branch Executive. Any member of the Elections Committee who becomes a candidate in the election shall resign from the Committee.
9.2 The Elections Committee shall distribute a request for nominations to all Regular and Retired members of the Branch at least three (3) weeks prior to the closing date for nominations. Nominations must be supported by at least three (3) members of the Branch and the nominee must indicate a willingness to serve. The Elections Committee will scrutinize the returns for eligibility and willingness of nominees.
9.3 In the event that insufficient nominations are received by the deadline, those candidates whose nominations were received by the deadline shall be declared elected. The Elections Committee shall then seek additional candidates to fill the vacancies, an election to be held if more candidates than required are forthcoming.
9.4 All Regular and Retired members of the Institute who are also members of the Branch shall have the right to vote and, where there is a contest, a mail-in ballot shall be made available so as to ensure all are given the opportunity to vote in Branch elections.
9.5 Elections shall be by plurality vote.
9.6 The Elections Committee shall ensure the membership is informed of the results of the election as soon as possible.
9.7 The newly elected Executive shall take office immediately following the report of the Elections Committee.
BY-LAW 10 PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
At any meetings of the Branch, matters of procedure, insofar as they are not specifically provided for, shall be governed by a majority vote of the members present and voting upon the matters of procedure. The Chair of such meetings shall first rule on any 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, available edition of Sturgis' Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure.
BY-LAW 11 REGULATIONS
11.1 The Branch may make such Regulations, not inconsistent with this Constitution and By-Laws, as it deems appropriate for the operation of the Branch.
11.2 Each such Regulation shall be presented to the next Branch meeting and may be rescinded or amended by such meeting.
11.3 All proposed Regulations and amendments thereto shall be forwarded to the By-Laws Committee of the Institute prior to their implementation.
BY-LAW 12 AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
12.1 This Constitution and By-Laws may be amended at any meeting of the Branch. Amendments may be proposed by any five (5) members of the Branch.
12.2 All members shall be notified of the proposed amendments in the notice of the Branch meeting. The notice of meeting shall include:
(a) the article to be amended;
(b) the new wording, and
(c) the interpretation and effect of the amendment.
12.3 Approval of amendments shall require a simple majority of Branch members voting.
12.4 Any amendments shall take effect upon approval by Branch members at Special or Annual General Meetings and approval by the Institute.
REGULATIONS
Regulation R11 Guidelines for Choosing Branch Delegates to the Institute’s Annual General Meeting
R11.1 Elected representatives are to be given higher priority to be Branch delegates to the PIPSC AGM as they have been elected to be representatives of the Vancouver Branch and are accountable to their constituents.
R11.2 During a person’s term on the Vancouver Branch Executive, they will be given the opportunity to attend the PIPSC AGM.
R11.3 Someone who willingly forfeits their status as a Branch delegate by going as a delegate of another constituent body or some other body will normally not lose their chance to attend the AGM the following year if they are still on the Branch Executive.
R11.4 Participation in activities such as being a Steward, a representative on Union-Management Consultation Committees, an Executive member of one or more constituent bodies, a delegate to the Regional Council and Stewards Council, etc., will be used to prioritize delegate choice where there is no clear obvious reason why one member should have priority over another.
R11.5 If additional members beyond the Branch Executive are required, then members of the Branch who volunteer to be delegates will also e prioritized according to their level of activity in their Executive, the Branch and the Region.
Approved by the Board of Directors
April 11, 1992
Amendments approved by the Board of Directors
April 29, 2000
Amendments approved by the Board of Directors
December 8, 2001
Amendments approved by the Board of Directors
May 11, 2006
Amendments approved by the Board of Directors
August 11, 2007
Amendments approved by the Board of Directors
December 7, 2007