Constitution and Bylaws
The name of the society is Kamloops Makerspace Society
The purposes of the society are:
- a. To provide a physical space where makers, hobbyists, inventors, artists, engineers, and other innovative people from all walks of life, can come together and share ideas, knowledge, equipment, and opinions in a collaborative and creative atmosphere
- b. To organize and host workshops and events focused on teaching specific or broad skills related to tinkering, using tools, and making things to members and the community
- c. To provide related services and tools for fostering creativity and progress in the arts, science, and technology as determined by the members
The activities and purposes of the Society shall be carried on without purpose of gain for its directors or members and any income, profits or other accretions to the Society shall be used in promoting the purposes of the Society. This rule must not be altered or added to except by special resolution.
No Director or Officer shall be remunerated for being or acting as a Director or Officer, but a Director or Officer may be reimbursed for all expenses necessarily and reasonably incurred by him (her) while engaged in the affairs of the Society. This rule must not be altered or added to except by special resolution.
Bylaws of Kamloops Makerspace Society
1 In these bylaws, unless the context otherwise requires:
- directors means the directors of the society for the time being
- Society Act means the Society Act of British Columbia from time to time in force and all amendments to it
- registered address of a member means the member’s address as recorded in the register of members
- rough consensus means the consensus process described by the Internet Engineering Task Force in RFC 2418
- forum means the online community discussion board accessible via http://community.kamloopsmakerspace.com/
2 The definitions in the Society Act on the date these bylaws become effective apply to these bylaws
- Words importing the singular include the plural and vice versa, and words importing a male person include a female person and vice versa.
3 The members of the society are the applicants for incorporation of the society, and those persons who subsequently become members, in accordance with these bylaws and, in either case, have not ceased to be members.
4 A person may apply to the directors for membership in the society and on acceptance by the directors is a member.
- The directors may reject an application for membership without providing an explanation.
5 Every member must uphold the constitution and comply with these bylaws.
6 The amount of the first monthly membership dues must be determined by the directors and after that the monthly membership dues must be determined at the annual general meeting of the society.
7 A person ceases to be a member of the society
- by delivering his or her resignation in writing to the secretary of the society or by mailing or delivering it to the address of the society
- on his or her death
- on being expelled
- on having been a member not in good standing for 2 consecutive months, except by special arrangement at the discretion of the directors
8 Member expulsion
- A member may be expelled by a special resolution of board of directors passed at a general meeting.
- The notice of special resolution for expulsion must be accompanied by a brief statement of the reasons for the proposed expulsion.
- The person who is the subject of the proposed resolution for expulsion must be given an opportunity to be heard at the general meeting before the special resolution is put to a vote.
9 Member standing
- All members are in good standing except a member who has failed to pay his or her current monthly membership fee, or any other subscription or debt due and owing by the member to the society, and the member is not in good standing so long as the debt remains unpaid.
- A member, who, due to temporary financial difficulty, is unable to pay monthly fees, or any other subscription or debt, may apply to the executive for a grace period or period of exception, which may be granted at the will of the directors.
10 General meetings of the society must be held at the time and place, in accordance with the Society Act, that the directors decide.
11 Every general meeting, other than an annual general meeting, is an extraordinary general meeting.
12 The directors may, when they think fit, convene an extraordinary general meeting.
13
- Notice of a general meeting must specify the place, day and hour of the meeting, and, in case of special business, the general nature of that business.
- 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 notice does not invalidate proceedings at that meeting.
- Notice of meeting must be posted on the forum at least 12 hours before the meeting
14 The first annual general meeting of the society must be held not more than 15 months after the date of incorporation and after that an annual general meeting must be held at least once in every calendar year and not more than 15 months after the holding of the last preceding annual general meeting.
15 Special business Special business is
- all business at an extraordinary general meeting except the adoption of rules of order, and
- all business conducted at an annual general meeting, except the following:
- the adoption of rules of order;
- the consideration of the financial statements;
- the report of the directors;
- the report of the auditor, if any;
- the election of directors;
- the appointment of the auditor, if required;
- the other business that, under these bylaws, ought to be conducted at an annual general meeting, or business that is brought under consideration by the report of the directors issued with the notice convening the meeting.
16
- Business, other than the election of a chair and the adjournment or termination of the meeting, must not be conducted at a general meeting at a time when a quorum is not present.
- If at any time during a general meeting there ceases to be a quorum present, business then in progress must be suspended until there is a quorum present or until the meeting is adjourned or terminated.
- A quorum is 60 percent of directors
17 If within 30 minutes from the time appointed for a general meeting a quorum is not present, the meeting, if convened on the requisition of members, must be terminated, but in any other case, it must stand adjourned to the same day in the next week, at the same time and place, and if, at the adjourned meeting, a quorum is not present within 30 minutes from the time appointed for the meeting, the members present constitute a quorum.
18 Subject to bylaw 19, a director must preside as chair of a general meeting.
19 If at a general meeting
- there is no director present within 30 minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting, or
- the directors present are unwilling to act as the chair
The members present must choose one of their number to be the chair.
20
- A general meeting may be adjourned from time to time and from place to place, but business must not be conducted at an adjourned meeting other than the business left unfinished at the meeting from which the adjournment took place.
- When a meeting is adjourned for 15 days or more, notice of the adjourned meeting must be given as in the case of the original meeting.
- Except as provided in this bylaw, it is not necessary to give notice of an adjournment or of the business to be conducted at an adjourned general meeting.
21
- A resolution proposed at a meeting need not be seconded, and the chair of a meeting may move or propose a resolution.
- In the case of a tie vote, the chair does not have a casting or second vote in addition to the vote to which he or she may be entitled as a member, and the proposed resolution does not pass.
22
- 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.
- Voting is by show of hands.
- Voting by proxy is not permitted.
- Members shall, in good faith, decide by rough consensus any question that may arise, including resolutions.
- If rough consensus is not reached on a question, the question may be decided by 80% of votes cast.
- Directors may choose by rough consensus to utilize the forum to reach rough consensus on a particular issue
- A poll will be created by one of the directors on the forum with the given question and possible options as decided during the meeting
- Unless explicitly specified during the meeting, the poll will be set to terminate in 4 days
- All members in good standing will be able to cast their vote on the subject while the poll is open
- When the poll ends, the result is reviewed by the chair and if rough consensus is reached the resolution is approved
- If rough consensus is not reached on the issue via the poll on the forum, the question will be placed on the agenda for the next meeting of members
23
- The directors may exercise all the powers and do all the acts and things that the society may exercise and do, and that are not by these bylaws or by statute or otherwise lawfully directed or required to be exercised or done by the society in a general meeting, but subject, nevertheless, to
- all laws affecting the society,
- these bylaws, and
- rules, not being inconsistent with these bylaws, that are made from time to time by the society in a general meeting.
- A rule, made by the society in a general meeting, does not invalidate a prior act of the directors that would have been valid if that rule had not been made.
24
- The chairperson, treasurer, and three or more other persons are the directors of the society.
- The number of directors must be at least 5 and no larger than 9.
25
- The directors must retire from office at each annual general meeting when their successors are elected.
- Separate elections must be held for each office to be filled.
- An election may be done either on the forum, or by ballot as decided by the current directors
- If a successor is not elected, the person previously elected or appointed continues to hold office.
26
- The directors may at any time and from time to time appoint a member as a director to fill a vacancy in the directors.
- A director so appointed holds office only until the conclusion of the next annual general meeting of the society, but is eligible for re-election at the meeting.
27
- If a director resigns his or her office or otherwise ceases to hold office, the remaining directors must appoint a member to take the place of the former director.
- An act or proceeding of the directors is not invalid merely because there are less than the prescribed number of directors in office.
28 The directors may, by special resolution, remove a director, before the expiration of his or her term of office, and may have a general election to appoint a successor to complete the term of office.
29 A director must not be remunerated for being or acting as a director but a director must be reimbursed for all expenses necessarily and reasonably incurred by the director while engaged in the affairs of the society.
30
- The directors may meet at the places they think fit to conduct business, adjourn and otherwise regulate their meetings and proceedings, as they see fit.
- The directors may from time to time set the quorum necessary to conduct business, and unless so set the quorum is a majority of the directors then in office.
- The directors present shall choose one of their number to be the chair at all meetings of directors.
- A director may at any time convene a meeting of the directors.
31
- The directors may delegate any, but not all, of their powers to committees consisting of the members or directors as they think fit.
- A committee so formed in the exercise of the powers so delegated must conform to any rules imposed on it by the directors, and must report every act or thing done in exercise of those powers to the earliest meeting of the directors held after the act or thing has been done.
32 A committee must elect a chair of its meetings, but if no chair is elected, or if at a meeting the chair is not present within 30 minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting, the directors present who are members of the committee must choose one of their number to be the chair of the meeting.
33 The members of a committee may meet and adjourn as they think proper, after announcing via forum and making attendance available to all members
34 For a first meeting of directors held immediately following the appointment or election of a director or directors at an annual or other general meeting of members, or for a meeting of the directors at which a director is appointed to fill a vacancy in the directors, it is not necessary to give notice of the meeting to the newly elected or appointed director or directors for the meeting to be constituted, if a quorum of the directors is present.
35 A director who may be absent temporarily from British Columbia may send or deliver to the address of the society a waiver of notice, which may be by email, of any meeting of the directors and may at any time withdraw the waiver, and until the waiver is withdrawn,
- any and all meetings of the directors of the society, if a quorum of the directors is present, are valid and effective.
36
- At a meeting of directors or of a committee of members, the directors present shall attempt in good faith to decide by consensus any question that may arise.
- If consensus is not reached, the question shall be decided by 80% of votes cast.
37 A resolution proposed at a meeting of directors or committee of members need not be seconded, and the chair of a meeting may move or propose a resolution.
38 A resolution in writing, signed by all the directors and placed with the minutes of the directors, is as valid and effective as if regularly passed at a meeting of directors.
- If a resolution in writing is discussed on the forum and is explicitly approved by all directors, is as valid and effective as if regularly passed at a meeting of directors.
39 Treasurer The treasurer must
- keep the financial records, including books of account, necessary to comply with the Society Act, and
- render financial statements to the directors, members and others when required.
- enter into contracts on behalf of the society when directed to do so by the directors through a resolution or by members if directed to do so at an annual general or extraordinary general meeting.
- perform other financial duties as determined by the executive
- All books of account must be available to members for viewing upon request
40 Directors All directors, including the chairperson and the chief executive officer may be assigned any of the following tasks
- Conduct the correspondence of the society
- Issue notices of meetings of the society and directors
- Keep minutes of the meetings of the society and directors
- Have custody of the records and documents of the society
- Have custody of the common seal of the society
- Maintain the register of members
- Maintain a social media presence for the society, as directed by the board
- Publishing notice of annual general, extraordinary and other meetings
- Create polls on the forum for specific questions selected by the board of directors, as per bylaw 22 part 6
- Add items to the agenda of executive meetings
41 Chief Executive Officer
- The chief executive officer of the society must supervise the other officers in the execution of their duties
- Carry out the duties of the chairperson when he or she is absent
42 The Chairperson must
- The chairperson presides at all meetings of the society and of the directors
- Chair general and extraordinary meetings
- Perform other duties as determined by the directors
43 The directors may provide a common seal for the society and may destroy a seal and substitute a new seal in its place.
44 The common seal must be affixed only when authorized by a resolution of the directors and then only in the presence of the persons specified in the resolution, or if no persons are specified, in the presence of two or more directors.
45 In order to carry out the purposes of the society the directors may, on behalf of and in the name of the society, raise or secure the payment or repayment of money upon consensus of directors and membership as required.
46 A debenture must not be issued without the authorization of a special resolution.
47 This Part applies only if the society is required or has resolved to have an auditor.
48 The first auditor must be appointed by the directors who must also fill all vacancies occurring in the office of auditor.
49 At each annual general meeting the society must appoint an auditor to hold office until the auditor is re-elected or a successor is elected at the next annual general meeting.
50 An auditor may be removed by ordinary resolution.
51 An auditor must be promptly informed in writing of the auditor’s appointment or removal.
52 A director or employee of the society must not be its auditor.
53 The auditor may attend general meetings.
54 All members are required to register an account on the forum and monitor the forum activity for announcements
55 A notice may be given to a member, either personally, by email to the member at the member’s registered email address or via a post on the forum
56
- Notice of a general meeting must be given to
- every member shown on the register of members on the day notice is given, and
- the auditor, if Part 10 applies.
- No other person is entitled to receive a notice of a general meeting.
57 On being admitted to membership, each member is entitled to, and the society must give the member without charge, a copy of the constitution and bylaws of the society in print or email attachment.
58 These bylaws must not be altered or added to except by special resolution.
