SECTION I. NAME AND OBJECTIVES
1. The name of this organization shall be the Ontario Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, hereinafter referred to as the Chapter and Society respectively.
2. The objectives of the Chapter shall be those of the Society as set forth in Article I of the Constitution. In addition, the Chapter also has the following objectives:
A. to encourage and foster the exchange of information by members of the Chapter, the Society and others in the Province of Ontario.
3. All activities of this Chapter shall conform to the Society’s Constitution, Rules, and Procedures.
SECTION II. MEMBERSHIP
1. The membership of the Chapter shall be composed of those Society members in good standing and paying dues (to be set by the Executive Committee) to the Chapter. Members more than one year in arrears of their Chapter dues shall be removed from the membership rolls. Only a Society member of the Chapter, in good standing, may be a voting member, hold office, or chair a committee. Student members are individuals, currently enrolled at a recognized educational institution.
SECTION III. MEETINGS AND VOTING
1. The Chapter shall hold at least one meeting annually at a time and place designated by its Executive Committee. Special meeting, workshops or events may be called by the President with approval of the Executive Committee.
2. A quorum is required for transaction of official business and shall be one-third of the Chapter membership.
3. Decisions at meetings are by simple majority of Active Members voting, except 2/3 majorities are required to amend the Bylaws or suspend a Rule.
4. Unless otherwise specified in these Bylaws or the Constitution of the Society, meetings are conducted according to the latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order.
SECTION IV. OFFICERS
1. The officers of the Chapter shall consist of a President, President Elect, Vice President, Past President, Northern Member at Large, Treasurer and Secretary.
2. All officers must be members in good standing of the Society and Chapter.
3. Officers shall be nominated by a Nominating Committee chaired by the Past-President. Officers shall be elected by a majority of ballots cast and election methods shall be determined by the Executive Committee.
4. Terms of newly elected officers shall change on September 1st of the year elected. President and President Elect may only hold office for one year in each position. The Vice President, Northern Member at Large, Treasurer, and Secretary may hold office for more than one year.
5. The President and President Elect shall serve for a period of one year in each office, and shall be ineligible for re-election for a period of one year after the expiration of their term.
6. In the event of a vacated position, the Executive Committee shall appoint a qualified replacement to fill the unexpired term.
7. No elected officer or appointed committee member of the Chapter shall receive any salary or other compensation. Expenses may be defrayed from funds available to the Chapter when authorized by the Executive Committee.
SECTION V. DUTIES OF OFFICERS
1. The President shall:
A. Preside at all meetings;
B. Serve as Chair of the Executive Committee;
C. Appoint all committees;
D. Coordinate the activities of the Chapter’s standing and technical committees and serve as liaison between such committees and the Executive Committee;
E. Conduct official correspondence for the Chapter, present reports of Chapter activities at annual meetings and liaise with the Society;
F. Make such appointments and perform other duties and functions as are authorized and necessary;
G. Sit on the Executive Committee of the Canadian Aquatic Resources Section as a voting member; and,
H. Proceed to the office of Past President at the end of the term.
2. The President Elect shall:
A. Assume the duties of the President, if the President is absent or unable to act;
B. Serve on the Executive Committee;
C. Advance to the office of President at the end of the term; and,
D. Arrange the annual general meeting program, presentations of papers and social.
3. The Vice President shall:
A. Assume the duties of the President Elect, if the President Elect is absent or unable to act;
B. Serve on the Executive Committee; and,
C. Advise the Executive Committee, committee chairs and chapter members as to the operations of the Chapter with adherence to the bylaws of the Chapter and Society.
4. The Northern Member at Large shall:
A. Ensure the interests of chapter members and fisheries issues from northern Ontario are represented throughout the chapter;
B. Serve on the Executive Committee; and,
C. Assist the other officers as needed.
5. The Treasurer shall:
A. Keep the official financial records of the Chapter, collect and be custodian of any fees or assessments authorized by these bylaws or funds allotted to the Chapter by the Society;
B. Disburse funds only as authorized by either the membership or Executive Committee;
C. Submit, at the annual Chapter meeting, the year-end report for the previous fiscal year and a comparison of approved versus actual income and expenditures for the current fiscal year; and,
D. Serve on the Executive Committee.
6. The Immediate Past President shall:
A. Conduct the election;
B. Serve on the Executive Committee; and,
C. Assist the other officers as needed.
7. The Secretary shall:
A. Keep the official records of the Chapter;
B. Serve on the Executive Committee; and
C. Prepare and distribute to the Executive Committee minutes of the annual, monthly, and any other Chapter meetings.
SECTION VI. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
1. The Executive Committee of the Chapter shall consist of six elected officers, the immediate past president and five appointed members. Those with voting privileges shall be the President, President Elect, Past President, Vice President, Northern Member at Large, Treasurer and Secretary. Appointed, non-voting members include a Newsletter Editor, Membership Coordinator and the President, Vice President, and Treasurer-Secretary of the Ontario Student Subunit.
2. The Executive Committee is authorized to act on behalf of the Chapter between annual meetings.
3. A quorum is required for transaction of official business at an Executive Committee meeting. A quorum for an Executive Committee meeting shall consist of four of the seven members with voting privileges. Executive Committee members can appoint a proxy.
4. Each member of the Executive Committee shall have one vote on Executive Committee decisions. In the event of a tie, the President’s vote shall be the deciding vote.
5. Executive Committee meetings are called by the President and are typically monthly (typically the 3rd Tuesday of each month) October to May. Allowances for bimonthly meetings from June through September may be made.
SECTION VII. CHAPTER COMMITTEES
1. Committees and Chairs of committees, except as listed in Sections V and VI of these Bylaws, shall be appointed and charged by the President. Except for Standing Committees, these Chapter committees shall cease to function upon the discharge of the duties for which they were appointed or with the end of the term of the appointing officer.
2. Standing Committees help the President and the Executive Committee conduct the Chapter’s affairs, and the chairs should report their committees’ activities, findings, and recommendations at annual Chapter meetings and interim meetings of the Executive Committee.
3. The Chapter has established the following Standing Committees:
A. Membership Committee shall maintain an active membership list, identify members past members and actively solicit new members.
B. Annual General Meeting Committee shall help the President Elect organize, arrange and stage the Annual General Meeting.
SECTION VIII. DUES AND FEES
1. The Executive Committee may assess registration fees for annual meetings, workshops or special events.
2. The Executive Committee shall establish annual dues subject to approval of the members voting at the annual meeting.
SECTION IX. BYLAWS, RULES AND PROCEDURES
1. The Bylaws are the defining document for the Chapter and take precedence over all other rules and procedures of the Chapter. The Bylaws cannot be suspended and cannot be changed without prior notice to members.
A. The Bylaws may be amended by a 2/3 majority of Active Members choosing to vote, provided that the proposed amendment(s) are circulated in writing via email or if no active email is available via regular mail to the membership at least 30 days prior to voting.
B. In accordance with the Society Constitution, an adopted amendment shall be reviewed by the Society’s Constitutional Consultant for conformity with the Constitution, Rules and Procedures of the Society. The Constitutional Consultant presents the adopted amendment to the Society Governing Board for approval.
C. Amendments take effect when the Chapter receives written notice of their approval by the Governing Board from the Executive Director.
2. Rules are the next highest level of documentation of Chapter operations. They are generally established to facilitate the conduct of Chapter business, and to describe duties and responsibilities of officers and committees. They may be suspended or amended as follows.
A. The Rules may be suspended during an Executive Committee meeting until the next annual or special Chapter meeting by a 2/3 majority of the Executive Committee.
B. The Rules may be suspended for the duration of a meeting by a 2/3 majority of Active Members voting at an annual or special Chapter meeting.
C. The Rules may be amended by a simple majority of Active Members voting at an annual or special Chapter meeting.
3. Procedures are the lowest level of documentation of Chapter operations. They are generally established to provide continuity in the conduct of Chapter business. The Procedures may be suspended or amended by a simple majority vote of the Executive Committee.
4. Written resolutions or position statements may be submitted to the Secretary at any time. The resolution or position statement will be reviewed by the Executive Committee for correct wording. The resolution or position statement will be included with the next newsletter. Three methods of voting on a resolution or position statement are possible; by email (preferred method), by regular mail (if an active email address is unavailable) or at the Annual General Meeting. The Executive Committee will set the voting procedure for each resolution or position statement. Under any voting method, the membership will have at least 30 days to consider a resolution.
SECTION X. STUDENT SUBUNIT
1. The Ontario Student Subunit is a province-wide organization of Chapter members who are also Society student members attending post secondary educational facilities within Ontario. Membership within the student subunit is dictated by the bylaws of the subunit. The Ontario Student Subunit provides representation for and attention toward issues concerning students of fisheries and aquatic sciences.
