Thetis Island Residents’ and Ratepayers’ Association (“TIRRA”)

Bylaws

REVISION LOG

Revision Date	Revision Details	
September 21, 2000	Last approved – Jon Eaton, President	

June XX, 2011	
Proposed insertions highlighted in green, deletions in red:
Article I, General Policies, Clause 2 and 3 – replace the word shall with may
Article II, Membership and Membership Fees, Clause 7 – deletion of part b. “on his death” and the addition of a new part d. not fulfilling the prescribed requirements of Article II, Clause 1.
Article V, Executive Committee, Clause 6 – deletion of endeavour of Executive Committee to meet at least six times per year.
Article VI, General Meetings, Clause 11 – simplification of preparation and availability of Annual Report.
Article XIII, Rules of Order – to reflect that there are many editions of “Robert’s Rules of Order.”	

		

Table of Contents

REVISION LOG	2
INTERPRETION	4
ARTICLE I  GENERAL POLICIES	4
ARTICLE II  MEMBERSHIP AND MEMBERSHIP FEES	4
ARTICLE III OFFICERS	5
ARTICLE IV DUTIES OF OFFICERS	6
ARTICLE V EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE	6
ARTICLE VI GENERAL MEETINGS	7
ARTICLE VII COMMITTEES	8
ARTICLE VIII NOMINATIONS	8
ARTICLE IX ELECTIONS	9
ARTICLE X AMENDMENTS	9
ARTICLE XI BORROWING	9
ARTICLE XII SEAL	9
ARTICLE XIII RULES OF ORDER	10
ARTICLE XIV RENUMERATION OF OFFICERS	10

INTERPRETION

In these Bylaws, unless the context otherwise requires,
1.	The definitions in the Society Act of British Columbia on the date these Bylaws become effective apply to these Bylaws;
2.	A Special Resolution is a resolution passed at a meeting of the Association by a majority of not less than 75% of the members voting at that meeting; and
3.	Words importing the singular include the plural and vice versa, and words importing a male person include a female person and vice versa.

ARTICLE I		GENERAL POLICIES

1.	The Association shall be non-partisan, non-sectarian and non-racial;
2.	The Association shall may cooperate with other community-based organizations operating on behalf of Thetis Island, including the Thetis Island Community Association (“TICA”) and the Thetis Island Improvement District, Fire Protection and Emergency Response Services;
3.	The Association may cooperate with organizations of a similar nature operating in other communities to develop coordinated programmes based on common interests, provided that the Association retains its own identity and is bound only by commitments which it specifically endorses; and
4.	The Association shall maintain communications and shall cooperate with government agencies and representatives as and when appropriate.

ARTICLE II		MEMBERSHIP AND MEMBERSHIP FEES

1.	A member of the Association may be any person who is:
a.	A registered owner of property on Thetis Island; or
b.	The agent appointed in writing by a registered owner of property on Thetis Island; or
c.	The spouse of a registered owner or agent and any adult, 19 years or older, family members sharing the same dwelling place; or
d.	Any adult with their principal dwelling place on Thetis Island.
2.	For the purposes of the article, written notice of appointment of an agent must be filed with the recording secretary of the Association, the agent must reside on the registered owner’s property, and no registered owner may appoint more than one agent.
3.	The members of the Association are those persons who are members at the date of registration of these Bylaws, and, in either case, have not ceased to members.
4.	A person who is eligible under clause 1 of this article to become a member may apply to the recording secretary for membership and on acceptance by the Executive Committee, along with payment of applicable membership fees, shall be a member.
5.	Every member shall uphold the Constitution and comply with these Bylaws.
6.	The annual membership fees and the voluntary community service fee for waste removal and other services, which become due on January 31 of each year, shall be determined at the October General Meeting, or at a subsequent annual or general meeting, if so directed by a vote of the membership of the Association.
7.	A person shall cease to be a member of the Association:
a.	By delivering his resignation in writing to the recording secretary of the Association or by mailing or delivering it to the address of the Association;
b.	on his death,
c.	On being expelled; and
d.	On his has been a member not in good standing for twelve consecutive months.
e.	Not fulfilling Article II, Clause 1, Items a. through d.
8.	A member may be expelled by a special resolution of the members passed at a General Meeting.
a.	The notice of special resolution for expulsion shall be accompanied by a brief statement of the reason or reasons for the proposed expulsion; and
b.	The person who is the subject of the proposed resolution for expulsion shall 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 current annual fee or any other subscription or debt due and owing by him to the Association and he is not in good standing so long as the debt remains unpaid.
10.	The fiscal year of the Association shall be the calendar year, January 1 to December 31.

ARTICLE III	OFFICERS

The officers of the Association shall be:
1.	President;
2.	Vice-President;
3.	Recording Secretary;
4.	Corresponding Secretary; and
5.	Treasurer

ARTICLE IV	DUTIES OF OFFICERS

1.	The President, who is Chief Executive Officer, shall preside at meetings of this Association and of the Executive Committee.
2.	The Vice-President shall reside at meetings in the absence of the President, and shall carry out such duties as shall be assigned by the Association, the Executive Committee or the President.
3.	The Recording Secretary shall keep full and accurate minutes of all meetings of the Association and of the Executive Committee, and shall keep an accurate record of the members of the members of the Association, their postal addresses and of their status. In this latter duty, the Recording Secretary shall be assisted by the Bylaws and Membership Committee.
4.	The Corresponding Secretary shall have charge of, and keep records of all the official correspondence of the Association, shall have custody of the Seal of the Association, and shall be responsible for the arrangements for the meetings of the Association and of the Executive Committee.
5.	The Treasurer shall:
a.	Manage the financial affairs of the Association and maintain financial records to a generally accepted standard for Societies and in compliance with the Society Act; and
b.	Provide financial statements at the Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) of the Association. An auditor shall review the financial records in compliance with the Society Act. The auditor may be appointed by the Executive Committee.
6.	Removal of officers -
The members may, by special resolution, remove an officer before the expiration of his term of office and may elect a successor to complete the term of office.

ARTICLE V	EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

1.	There shall be an Executive Committee consisting of the President, Vice-President, Recording and Corresponding Secretaries, Treasurer, Immediate Past President, and the Chairpersons of Standing Committees of the Association.
2.	The Executive Committee shall identify and explore issues that arise through the year, bringing these to the general membership for discussion and decision when appropriate, shall implement the decisions and policies established by the Association and shall conduct the routine business of the Association, keeping the general membership informed of its actions.
3.	The Executive may fill casual vacancies, if any, other than any created as per Article IV, Item 6.
4.	The Executive may incur expenditures or make commitments on behalf of the Association or make commitments on behalf of the Association for up to $1,000 per expenditure.
5.	A quorum of the Executive Committee shall be five (5) members.
6.	Regular meetings of the Executive Committee shall be held at least one week before each regular General Meeting of the Association, and at other times at the discretion of the President. A special meeting of the Executive Committee shall be held at the request of any two members of the Executive Committee. The schedule for Executive Committee regular meetings shall be determined by the President immediately following the AGM.   The Executive Committee shall endeavour to meet at least six times per year, with no more than three months between meetings.
7.	Notice of meetings of the Executive Committee shall be by telephone call, fax or electronic mail at least seventy-two hours before the meeting.

ARTICLE VI	GENERAL MEETINGS

1.	The AGM of the Association shall be held in March of each year.
2.	Other regular meetings of the Association shall be held in June and October of each year.
3.	The meetings of the Association shall be open to the public.
4.	Notice of the General Meetings of the Association shall be given by posting a sign at the notice board located at the Thetis Island ferry terminal fourteen days before the meeting. Immediately following the AGM, a schedule of these meetings will be prepared and posted on community notice boards located near the Thetis Island ferry terminal and the Forbes Community Hall.
5.	A Special General Meeting of the Association may be called at the discretion of the Executive Committee or at the separately written request of ten percent (10%) of the members in good standing. Such request must state the specific reason for the meeting. This meeting shall be held not more than twenty-one days from receipt of the request.
6.	At special meetings, no business shall be transacted other than that for which the meeting was called.
7.	Notices of special meetings of the Association shall be posted on the notice boards at the Forbes Community Hall and at the Thetis Island ferry terminal for at least fourteen days before the meeting.
8.	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 the notice does not invalidate proceedings at that meeting.
9.	A quorum at any meeting of the Association shall be nine members in good standing.
10.	Voting:
a.	A member in good standing present at a meeting is entitled to one vote;
b.	Voting is by show of hands; and
c.	Voting by proxy is not permitted.
11.	Annual Report:
The Executive will ensure that a written Annual Report is prepared and mailed to all members in good standing or member household(s) at least two weeks (14 days) prior to the AGM and made available to all Members prior to the AGM. This report will consist of an overview by the Executive, the audited Financial Statements and reports of the year’s activities from each of the Association’s committees.

ARTICLE VII	COMMITTEES

1.	At each AGM, the Association shall approve a list of the committees proposed for use until the next AGM.
The following list of committees shall be considered as standard but variations from this standard may occur over time as needs change.
a.	Bylaws and Membership: to monitor compliance with Association Bylaws and to assist the Recording Secretary in maintaining records of membership.
b.	Transportation: to consult with BC Ferry Corporation and others regarding the ferry service and to consult with BC Ministry of Transportation and Highways and its contractors regarding conditions of public roads.
c.	Sanitation: to operate the waste removal service, including negotiating and monitoring arrangements with contractor(s).
d.	Environment/Land Use: to monitor environmental and land use issues in consultation with government agencies as appropriate and to foster environmental awareness on Thetis Island.
e.	Social: in cooperation with TICA, to provide a welcome to new residents, to communicate with community members in special circumstances and to facilitate the convivial operation of Association meetings.
f.	Cemetery: to oversee the management of the Association property occupied by St. Margaret’s Cemetery, which is managed by the Cemetery Board, recognizing that the Board operates independently of the Association and in compliance with the requirements of the Cemetery Act and of the income tax authorities to preserve its charitable status.
g.	Community Relations: to communicate with TICA and other community organizations as appropriate on a regular basis, ensuring that the Association is kept informed of pertinent issues.
h.	Disaster Survival or Emergency: to coordinate, in close association with Fire Department and other officials, the preparedness of the community for an island-wide emergency or disaster.
i.	Harbour: to oversee and coordinate advisory functions associated with Telegraph Harbour moorages in cooperation with the Coast Guard, to coordinate management of the Thetis Island public boat launch and associated parking and other related harbour duties as appropriate.
j.	Treaty Process: to monitor the process of the development of a treaty of the Government of Canada and British Columbia with the Hul’quimi’num Treaty Group and its associated parties; to keep the Association membership informed, and to provide information to the Government negotiators and other parties regarding issues of significance to Thetis Islanders.
2.	The Chairperson of each Standing Committee may appoint other members as required to his/her committee, and in addition, the President shall be a member “ex officio” of all committees.
3.	Special ad hoc committees may be set up by this Association. The Association or the Executive Committee may designate Special Committees as required and may appoint the chairpersons and members. Such special committees shall terminate at each AGM and they may be established or re-established at the AGM or any other meeting of the Association. The purpose and mandate of an ad hoc Special Committee shall be clearly indentified in the minutes of the meeting sanctioning it.
4.	No committee identified in Article VII may make financial, legal or policy commitments on behalf of the Association except within the limits authorized in advance by the Executive Committee or the Membership.
5.	Immediately following the end of a calendar year, each committee, through its Chairperson, shall prepare and submit to the President a written report of its work through the year just ended and shall present this report to the AGM of the Association.

ARTICLE VIII	NOMINATIONS

1.	An ad hoc Nominating Committee appointed by the Executive Committee at its November meeting shall recommend to the members a slated of officers and Chairpersons of Standing Committees for election at the AGM. Nominations for these elected positions may also be made from the floor at the AGM.

ARTICLE IX	ELECTIONS

1.	Election of Officers and Chairpersons of Standing Committees shall be held by secret ballot at the AGM of the Association, and those elected shall hold office until their successors are elected or appointed. In the normal course of events it is expected that, although elected annually, Officers will serve for at least two consecutive years.
2.	When there are more than two candidates for an office, and no candidate receives a majority of votes cast on the first ballot, a second, and if necessary, further ballots will be taken, deleting the candidate receiving the least votes in the previous ballot, until a candidate receives a majority of the votes cast.
3.	Only members in good standing shall be entitled to make nominations, to run for elected office, or to vote at meetings of the Association.

ARTICLE X	AMENDMENTS

1.	The Association may amend its Constitution or Bylaws by special resolution provided written Notice of Motion has been given at the previous regular meeting of the Association.

ARTICLE XI	BORROWING

1.	The Association, with the sanction of a special resolution, may borrow monies from a Canadian Chartered Bank for periods not to exceed two (2) years and may issue debentures to secure such debt.

ARTICLE XII	SEAL

1.	The seal shall be affixed only when authorized by resolution of the Executive Committee and only in the presence of the persons prescribed in the resolution, or if no persons are prescribed, in the presence of the President, or Vice-President and another officer.

ARTICLE XIII	RULES OF ORDER

1.	The rules contained in “Robert’s Rules of Order” shall govern the Association in all cases to which they are applicable and not inconsistent with the Bylaws of the Association. The applicable edition will be stated at the beginning of each General Meeting.

ARTICLE XIV	RENUMERATION OF OFFICERS

1.	The Officers of the Association shall serve without remuneration.

Dated: June XX, 2011
Correct as approved June XX, 2011:		____________________________________
							Ernie Hunter, President