Constitution and bylaws
Bylaws of Vancouver Hack Space Society (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.
“Policies and Procedures” means Policies and Procedures for the society.
“Proper Notice” is 14 days
“Rough Consensus” means the consensus process described by the Internet Engineering Task Force in RFC 2418.
“Talk” means the online Vancouver Hack Space bulletin board
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 A person may apply to the Board for membership in the Society, and the person becomes a member on the Board’s acceptance of the application.
Duties of members
2.2 Every member must uphold the constitution of the Society, follow its policies and procedures, and must comply with these Bylaws.
Amount of membership dues
2.3 The amount of the monthly membership dues, if any, must be determined by the membership at a general meeting.
Reduced Dues
2.4 Members may apply to the directors for temporarily reduced dues due to extraordinary circumstances. The rates will be determined at the directors discretion. A list of these members will be kept confidential from the membership but available to all directors.
Policies and Procedures
2.5 The members may with proper notice and at a general meeting adopt Policies and Procedures as may be considered necessary for the society, provided such Policies and Procedures are consistent with the Bylaws and Policies and Procedures of the Society.
Member not in good standing
2.6 A member is not in good standing if the member fails to pay the member’s dues, if any, by one month and one day from the last payment. The member is not in good standing for so long as those dues remain unpaid.
Member not in good standing may not vote
2.7 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
2.8 A person’s membership in the Society is terminated if the person is not in good standing for 1 consecutive month.
Minimum Age for Membership
2.9 Only individuals aged of 19 years or older may be admitted as members.
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.
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;
(c) consideration of the reports, if any, of the directors or auditor;
(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,
1. one of the other directors present at the meeting.
Alternate chair of general meeting
3.5 If there is no individual entitled under these Bylaws who is able 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 3 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;
(c) approve the agenda;
(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, and the auditor’s report, if any, on those statements,
(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.
Rough Consensus
3.13 Members shall, in good faith,
(a) decide by rough consensus any question that may arise, including resolutions;
(b) if rough consensus is not reached on a question, the question may be decided by 80% of votes cast.
Methods of voting
3.13 At a general meeting, voting must be by a show of hands, an oral vote or another method 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.
Requirements for Voting
3.17 A member who is present at a meeting of members and has been in good standing for the past 3 months is entitled to one vote.
Part 4 – Directors
Number of directors on Board
4.1 The Society must have no fewer than 3 and no more than 11 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.
Removal of Directors
4.5 The members may, by special resolution, remove a director, or directors, before the expiration of his, her or their term of office, and may elect a successor or successors to complete the term of office.
Part 5 – Directors’ Meetings
Calling directors’ meeting
5.1 A directors’ meeting may be called by any 2 directors.
Notice of directors’ meeting
5.2 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
5.3 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
5.4 The directors may regulate their meetings and proceedings as they think fit.
Quorum of directors
5.5 The quorum for the transaction of business at a directors’ meeting is half the current number of directors.
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 may hold more than one position:
(a) secretary;
(b) 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.
Role of secretary
6.3 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;
(c) keeping the records of the Society in accordance with the Act;
(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.
Absence of secretary from meeting
6.4 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
6.5 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;
(c) preparing the Society’s financial statements;
(d) making the Society’s filings respecting taxes.
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 any 2 other directors, or
(b) in any case, by one or more individuals authorized by the Board to sign the record on behalf of the Society.
Part 8 – Notice Generally
Method of Giving Notice
8.1 Except as otherwise provided in these Bylaws, a notice may be given to a Member or a Director personally by e-mail, or as a posting on Talk.
8.2 Any notice delivered by electronic mail or posted on Talk will be deemed to have been given on the day it was so sent or posted.
Part 9 – Miscellaneous
Inspection of Records
9.1 The documents and records of the Society, including the financial and accounting records and the minutes of General Meetings, committee meetings and meetings of the Board, will be open to the inspection of any Director at reasonable times and on reasonable notice.
The following documents will be made available at all times to members in good standing on Talk or another online resource determined by the membership.
(a) the Constitution and these Bylaws, and any amendments thereto;
(b) the statement of directors and registered office of the Society;
(c) minutes of any General Meeting, including the text of each resolution passed at the meeting;
1. resolutions of the Members in writing, if any;
(e) annual financial statements relating to a past fiscal year that have been received by the Members in a General Meeting;
(f) the register of Directors;
(g) the Society’s certificate of incorporation, and any other certificates, confirmations or records furnished to the Society by the Registrar;
(h) copies of orders made by a court, tribunal or government body in respect of the Society;
(i) the written consents of Directors to act as such and the written resignations of Directors; and
(j) the disclosure of a Director or of a senior manager regarding a conflict of interest
Except as expressly provided by statute or at law, a Member will not be entitled or have the right inspect any other document or record of the Society. However, subject to such policies as the membership may establish, a Member in good standing may request, in writing delivered to the of the Society, to inspect any other document or record of the Society and the Board allow the Member to inspect the document or a copy thereof, in whole or in part and subject to such redaction as the Board deems necessary, all in the Board’s sole discretion.
Copies of documents which a Member is allowed to inspect may be provided on request by the Member for a fee to be determined by the Board, provided such fee does not exceed the limits prescribed in the Act.
These bylaws have been reformatted for the website, in the event of any conflict or inaccuracies between these and the bylaws registered with the province, the registered documents will be held to be correct.