CONSTITUTION
Of The Moraine Flyers
This constitution comes into effect DD
MMM YYYY and replaces any previous version of this document.
NOTE: Where the masculine form is
used in their document, it is to be read as including both masculine and
feminine forms.
Article 1 - Name
The organization shall be
named the "Moraine Flyers" and shall be referred to as the
"Club" in this document. The Club is a not-for-profit organization as
specified by the
Article 2 -
Purpose
The Club is established
for the enjoyment of the sport/hobby of aeromodelling
without financial gain to its members. In addition, its purposes are to:
o To promote aeromodelling
activities within the guidelines established by MAAC.
o
To provide
competition, fellowship and social activities.
o
To provide suitable
field(s) or area(s) in which to fly model aircraft.
As long as the Club remains a chartered club
within the structure of the Model Aeronautics Association of Canada (referred
to as MAAC in this document), this Club will abide by all rules, regulations
and policies of MAAC.
Article 2 - Insignia
The insignia of the Club
shall be as shown below:
The Executive is empowered to create
a special-purpose insignia (eg, membership year,
special events) which are time-limited in nature and dos not replace the official
insignia of the Club.
The use of the club insignia or any
image or other insignia purporting to be the Club’s insignia, as well as the
use of the Club’s Name, must be approved by the Executive. This agreement must
exist in written form as part of the official minutes of the Club.
Article 3 --
Membership
Membership is open to any model aircraft builder
or anyone interested in aeromodelling, who is a
current member of MAAC. Proof of a
current MAAC membership must be provided to any member of the club who requests
it.
Non-flyer memberships can be granted at the
discretion of the Executive and are not required to be members of MAAC.
However, if they decide to fly, they must obtain MAAC memberships.
There shall be the following classes of
membership:
o
Charter – original
Open club member with continuous membership since the first year of operation
of the Moraine Flyers, or guarantor/lender of funds loaned to the club not yet
repaid.
o
Open – any
membership not of the Junior or Charter classes.
o
Junior – any
membership which meets the requirements of a Junior Member of MAAC
The Executive does reserve the right to review any
Open or Junior membership application and to refuse it at their sole
discretion. The Executive cannot refuse the application of an existing Charter
member until they no longer meet the requirements for being a Charter member,
either through repayment of the loan or the member no longer being a member of
the club by their membership having been revoked or not renewed.
The Executive may restrict the number of new Open
memberships to prevent over-crowding at the flying site(s).
There are no restrictions on the number of Junior memberships.
3.1
Membership Year
The membership year shall be the same as that of MAAC.
3.2
Revocation of Membership
Membership in the Club will cease when the member
does not pay their Club or MAAC dues for the current membership year.
Any member who, in contravention of club policies
or the MAAC Safety Code and Policies, acts in a hazardous manner, or a manner
which places in jeopardy the continued use of the field by the club, shall in
the first instance be given a verbal warning and shall cease flying for that
day.
In the case of a second infraction, the member
shall be given a second warning, and shall not be permitted to fly for two
weeks.
In the case of a third infraction, the member
shall be expelled from the club. All dues paid may be forfeit to the club at
the sole discretion of the Executive.
In the case of an infraction or behaviour of such
a nature that it shows a callous disregard for the MAAC Policies and Safety
Code and/or total lack of respect for any fellow aeromodeller
or the public, the Executive is empowered to revoke the membership at their
sole discretion with or without any formal warning notice, either verbal or
written.
Any member who fails to provide proof of MAAC
membership to the Executive may be suspended until such proof is provided.
The Executive may revoke the membership of any
member who provides false proof of MAAC membership.
3.3 Dues
All members will pay annual dues to the club,
accompanied by a completed application form.
Proof of MAAC membership must be provided to the
Executive upon request after the start of the membership year. Failure to
provide proof of MAAC membership will result in the suspension of the
membership until such time as proof of MAAC membership has been provided.
Dues are to be part of the budget proposal. If
alternates are proposed, then the Cub will decide which of the proposals will
be used with the budget proposal.
Article 4 –
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee (or “Executive”) shall consist of:
o
Field Manager
o
Membership Director
o
Safety Officer
o
Secretary
o
Treasurer
4.1 – Term of Office
All members of the Executive shall server a term
of two years or until the next election takes place. Any vacancy occurring in
the Executive will be filled for the remainder of the term by the Executive
appointing a replacement member from among the other members of the club. The
election of the Executive will take place at a meeting of the club called for
that purpose by a majority vote of the Executive.
4.2 – Chairman of the Executive
The Executive Committee shall designate one of
their members to be the Chairman. In addition, two more members of the
Executive will be designated as co-signers of all cheques issued by the club.
One of the three designated co-singers must be the Treasurer.
The Chairman shall:
o
Preside at all club
meetings, where possible.
o
Act as spokesman for
the club for MAAC and any other organization.
o
Co-ordinate the
duties of all other executive members.
o
Appoint temporary
committees where these are required.
o
Appoint a Deputy for
himself , where his presence is required, and his
attendance is not possible.
o
Be responsible for
the smooth running of the club to the best of his ability.
o
Act as co-signer of
all cheques issued by the club.
4.3 – Duties of the Executive
4.3.1 Field Manager
The Field Manager shall:
o
Obtain, acquire or
rent all needed facilities, including club meeting space.
o
Prepare a plan for
the maintenance of the club’s facilities.
o
Recommend any needed
capital equipment purchases.
o
Work with the Safety
Officer to design layouts and operating instructions that meet the MAAC Safety
Code.
o
Give a report at
each club meeting.
o
Be responsible to
the Chairman.
o
Ensure that all
budget line items assigned are kept within the allowed budget.
o
Appoint a Deputy for
himself when his presence is required and his
attendance is not possible.
4.3.2 Membership Director
The Membership Director shall:
o
Keep an accurate
record of all current and past members of the club of the club.
o
Ensure that proof of
MAAC membership is recorded against the membership record.
o
Give a report at each
club meeting of the current membership of the club.
o
Be responsible to
the Chairman.
o
Ensure that all
budget line items assigned are kept within the allowed budget.
o
Appoint a Deputy for
himself when his presence is required and his
attendance is not possible.
4.3.3 Safety Officer
The Safety Officer shall:
o
Keep an accurate
record of all incidents, warnings issued and other safety-related activities..
o
Prepare any needed
safety-related regulations or policies to the Board for presentation to the
membership.
o
Work with the Field
Manager to design layouts and operating instructions that meet the MAAC Safety
Code.
o
Prepare a list of
instructors for the club, appoint a Chief Flying Instructor and administer the
training program.
o
Give a report at
each club meeting.
o
Be responsible to
the Chairman.
o
Ensure that all
budget line items assigned are kept within the allowed budget.
o
Appoint a Deputy for
himself when his presence is required and his
attendance is not possible.
4.3.4 Secretary
The Secretary shall:
o
Keep accurate
minutes of all Club or Executive meetings.
o
Keep a record of
noteworthy events in the day-to-day running of the club.
o
Handle all
correspondence for the club.
o
Be responsible to
the Chairman.
o
Ensure that all
budget line items assigned are kept within the allowed budget.
o
Appoint a Deputy for
himself where his presence is required and his attendance is not possible.
o
Act as editor of the
Club’s e-zine “Ridge Lift” and any other publications
of the Club.
4.3.5 Treasurer
The Treasurer shall:
o
Keep an accurate
record of all financial affairs of the club.
o
Conduct all
financial affairs of the club.
o
Give a report at
each club meeting of the current financial affairs of the club.
o
Be responsible to
the Chairman.
o
Ensure that all
budget line items assigned are kept within the allowed budget.
o
Appoint a Deputy for
himself when his presence is required and his
attendance is not possible.
o
Act as liason between the club and its bank and be a co-signer of
all chques issued by the club.
Article Five:
Meetings
General meetings of the club shall be held on a
schedule provided by the Executive, or be called with two-weeks’ notice with
notification via e-mail or regular mail, at a location specified by the
Executive.
Once each year, the Executive will call an Annual
General Meeting to review the status of the Club, present reports from all
Executive members, vote for any needed amendments to the Constitution or
By-Laws of the Club, and to vote for any needed Executive Committee positions.
This meeting may be held in place of a regular club meeting or be held at a
different time and location. If not held at a regular club meeting, notice of
the meeting must be sent to the membership at least a full calendar month in
advance of the meeting.
Article Six:
Amendments
Motions may be made for amendments or alterations
to this constitution or the by-laws at any general meeting of the Club. Only at an Annual General Meeting may such
motions be voted upon.
With the exception of the articles listed below, a
simple majority of those present at an Annual General meeting is sufficient to
pass amendments. The following articles
require a vote being cast by 100% of the total membership of the club with a
100% majority for the amendment to be passed.
o
Article Two: Purpose
o
Article Three:
Membership Paragraphs 3 and 4 (classes
of membership and right to refuse membership applications)
o
Article Four:
Executive Positions
o
Article Six:
Amendments
o
Article Eight:
Dissolution
If there are at least five active Charter memberships
in the club, a simple majority of all Charter members can veto any proposed
amendment to the Constitution or By-Laws of the Club, rendering the proposed
amendment null and void. This vote must take place within one month of the
motion being passed at the Annual General Meeting or can take place at any
regular club meeting prior to the Annual General Meeting. This may take the
form of a direct vote or via proxies.
Article Seven:
Quorum Requirements
Regular club meetings require a quorum of 10% of
the total membership of the club including a majority of the Executive.
Annual General Meetings require a quorum of 20% of
the total membership including a majority of the Executive.
If a quorum for an Annual General Meeting is not
achieved, the meeting will be deferred to the next regular meeting of the club.
If the quorum for an Annual General Meeting has not been achieved at the second
meeting but there is the quorum for a regular meeting, a vote will be held to defer
the Annual General Meeting to the next regular meeting or to proceed
immediately will be held, with a two-thirds majority deciding the vote. If deferred to a third meeting, that meeting
will proceed regardless of having met any quorum requirements.
Article Eight:
Dissolution of the Club
In the event that the Club is to be dissolved, the
designated co-signers will be responsible for closing out the Club bank
accounts when all outstanding bills and loans have been paid. The disposal of
any remaining funds is to done by means of a
donation to a recognized aviation organization such as the MAAC Bursary Fund,
Toronto Aerospace Museum, Hamilton Warplane Heritage or the National Aviation
Museum, be determined at a General
Meeting called for that purpose.
By-laws of Moraine Flyers
By-Law 1 -- Rights and
Obligations of Members
Each member shall:
o Familiarise themselves with the Constitution,
By-Laws and the Policies upon being admitted to the Club, as well as on an
annual basis when applying for membership.
o
Have
the right to use the club facilities and club property under the Club’s
Policies or in performing duties on behalf of the Club.
o
Have
the obligation to help the Club maintain orderly conduct and compliance with
the Cub’s Policies and MAAC’s Policies and Safety
Code on the part of other members and guests at the Club's flying site(s), and
to report serious infractions that are not resolved at the flying site or
elsewhere.
o
Represent
the Club to the public and to other modelers and prospective members.
o
All
members are obliged to maintain a current membership in MAAC as a condition of
membership.
o
Have
the right to renew membership annually without being subject to a limitation of
the number of members.
o
Have
the right to propose revisions of or amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws
of the Club in accordance with the procedures laid out for such changes.
o
Have
the right to put forth motions, second motions, and/or vote at all club
meetings.
o
Have
the right to be elected to the Club’s Executive.
By-law 2 Finance
2.1
Fiscal Year
The fiscal year of the
Club shall be that of the Club’s and MAAC’s
membership year.
2.2
Membership Fees
The Club may establish a
schedule of fees covering charges for late payment of membership dues, as well
as a reduction in membership dues for those joining after September 1.
The Club may also impose
an initiation fee in addition to the membership fee on new memberships to the
Club, and on members who rejoin the Club after more than one year's absence.
The Club may grant
honorariums to members who significantly contribute to the Club. Such honorariums may take the form of annual
or life memberships, monetary or other gifts, or other forms as appropriate.
By-law 3 Legal
3.1
Protection of Officers
Each member of the Club’s
Executive, their heirs, executors and administrators, shall be indemnified and
saved harmless out of the funds of the Club from all costs charges and expenses
whatsoever arising out of any action, suit, or proceeding which is brought
against them in respect of any act or omission done or permitted by them during
the lawful and properly authorized execution of the duties of their office, and
also from all costs, charges and expenses which they sustain or incur in
relation to the affairs thereof, except such costs, charges or expenses as are
occasioned by their own wilful neglect.
3.2
Signing Officers
Contracts, documents or
any instruments in writing requiring the signature of the Club shall be signed
by the Chairman and one other member of the Executive, and all contracts,
documents and instruments in writing so signed shall be binding upon the Club
without further authorization or formality.