PREAMBLE
These By-Laws, in general, pertain to matters of Branch organization not covered by the By-Laws and Regulations of The Professional Institute of the Public Service of
Canada and the British Columbia/Yukon Region, and are made pursuant to those By-Laws and Regulations.
DEFINITIONS
"Institute” and/or “PIPSC" means The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada.
"Members" means those Regular and Retired members covered by the geographic area of the Branch, as described by the Institute.
“President” means President of the Branch unless otherwise specified.
“Vice-President” means Vice-President of the Branch unless otherwise specified.
BY-LAW 1 NAME
The name of the Branch shall be PIPSC Northern BC Branch, hereinafter referred to as the "Branch".
BY-LAW 2 AIM
The aim of the Branch shall be to represent Branch interests within the geographic area of the Branch; 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, and to nominate delegates to Regional Council and Institute meetings in accordance with the Constitutions and By-Laws of those constituent bodies.
BY-LAW 3 MEMBERSHIP
All members located within the geographic area of the
Branch shall be members of the Branch.
BY-LAW 4 RIGHTS OF MEMBERS
Only Regular and Retired members shall be eligible to hold office, nominate members for positions on the Branch
Executive, propose amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws of the Branch, and vote in Branch affairs. All members shall be eligible to attend and speak at General Meetings of the Branch.
BY-LAW 5 FINANCES
5.1 Fiscal Year: The fiscal year of the Branch shall be the calendar year.
5.2 Expenditures The Branch Executive shall expend such monies as it considers necessary for the conduct of the business of the Branch.
5.3 Branch Funds Branch funds will be maintained in an account assigned by the Institute.
5.4 Signatures Financial transactions shall require the signature of any two (2) of the President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer of the Branch. 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 Branch who are not responsible for the administration of funds of the Branch.
5.6 Additional Funding: Additional funding may be requested by submitting a budget via the Regional Executive for approval and recommendation to the Institute Executive Committee.
BY-LAW 6 EXECUTIVE
6.1 Composition 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, elected by and from the Branch members at the Branch Annual General Meeting.
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 one (1) member shall be elected for a one (1) year term.
6.3 Meetings The Branch Executive shall meet at least three times a year.
6.4 Quorum A quorum shall consist of a majority of the members of the Branch Executive.
6.6 Voting: Decisions shall be by majority vote.
6.7 Vacancies
6.7.1 If a position, other than that of the President, becomes vacant for any reason, the remaining members of the Executive may select an eligible member of the Branch to fill that vacancy until the next election.
6.7.2 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. The position of Vice-President shall then be filled in accordance with these By-Laws.
6.7.3 Any member who is absent from two (2) consecutive meetings of the Executive without valid reason shall be considered to have resigned from the Executive.
BY-LAW 7 DUTIES OF THE BRANCH EXECUTIVE
7.1 President: To convene and chair all meetings of the Branch, and to present to the Annual General meeting a report on Branch activities.
7.2 Vice-President: To assist the President in the performance of his duties and, in the absence of the President, to perform the duties of that position.
7.3 Secretary: The Secretary shall be responsible for sending notices of and keeping records of all meetings of the Branch and of the Branch 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 Region By-Laws and Regulations.
7.4 Treasurer: The Treasurer shall administer and report on Branch finances, present a budget to Branch members at the first Branch meeting of the calendar year, present a financial statement to the Annual General Meeting and submit a copy to the Regional and National Offices each year, and maintain the financial records of the Branch as required by Institute policy. Copies of the financial report shall be available to all Branch members.
7.5 Members-at-Large: Members-at-Large shall perform such duties as may be assigned by the Executive.
BY-LAW 8 ELECTIONS
8.1 The Executive shall appoint an Elections Committee to receive nominations for positions on the Branch Executive, and to conduct the elections. Any member of the Committee who becomes a candidate in the elections shall resign from the Committee.
8.2 The Elections Committee shall ensure the distribution of a request for nominations to all Regular and Retired members of the Branch at least three (3) weeks prior to the date of election. Nominations may be made from the floor of the Branch meeting providing those nominated agree to stand and, in cases where more than one (1) candidate is running for the same position, an election by ballot shall be carried out. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes for a position shall be declared elected.
8.3 The newly elected Executive shall take office immediately following the meeting at which the election is held.
8.4 The Elections Committee shall ensure the membership is informed of the results of the election as soon as possible.
BY-LAW 9 BRANCH MEETINGS
9.1 At least one (1) Branch meeting per calendar year shall be held. Members shall be notified at least three (3) weeks prior to the date of the meeting.
9.1.1 Quorum Quorum at Annual General Meetings shall constitute fifty percent (50%) of the members in attendance at the beginning of the meeting.
9.1.3 Voting With the exception of the election of the
Branch Executive, voting shall be by a show of hands and each member shall have one (1) vote. Proxy voting shall not be permitted. Decisions shall be by majority vote.
BY-LAW 10 PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
At any meetings of the Branch, matters of procedure shall be governed by a majority vote of the members present and voting upon the matters of procedure. The Chair of such meeting shall first rule on any matter of procedure or order and shall, in the absence of any By-Law to the contrary, rely upon and be governed by the latest edition of Sturgis' Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure available at the meeting.
BY-LAW 11 CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
11.1 Amendment: The Constitution and By-Laws may be amended at any meeting of the Branch. Amendments may be proposed by any two (2) members of the Branch.
11.2 The notice of the Branch meeting at which the amendments will be considered, shall include:
(a) the article to be amended, and
(b) the new wording.
11.3 Approval of proposed amendments shall require a simple majority of Branch members voting.
11.4 This Constitution and By-Laws, and any amendments thereto, take effect upon approval by the Institute and ratification by the Branch.
BY-LAW 12 REGULATIONS
12.1 The Branch Executive may make such Regulations, not inconsistent with this Constitution and By-Laws, as it deems appropriate for the operating of the Branch.
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 Branch
Executive and shall be reported to the next Annual General Meeting of the Branch 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, in plural or in singular, may be substituted to give effect to the true meaning of the Constitution and By-Laws.
Approved by the Board of Directors
May 13-14, 2011