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Policies & Procedures

Our Policies and Procedures are currently being reviewed and this page is under construction.  Please direct all inquiries to info@bcgrea.ca

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Preamble

1. There are currently 22 Branches of the Association. The Association operates on two levels, an umbrella group of Provincial Officers elected at the October General Meeting (AGM) and Directors (Branch Chairs) and a parallel Executive for each Branch. Overall functioning of both levels of the Association is guided by a Constitution and Bylaws and by compatible Branch Regulations. There is some cross over between the functioning of the two groups, where the Chair of each Branch is a Director working with the Provincial Officers in conducting the affairs of the Association at a March Directors Meeting. The Provincial Officers appoint an Association Secretary, and Treasurer and hire an Office Manager for the Association’s Central Office. The Branch Officers and Directors are elected and share with their Provincial counterparts the responsibilities for the flow of correspondence, member enrollment by category, dues income and dues revenue sharing.

2. The fiscal year of the Association, including all Branches, was changed at the 2001 AGM, to run from July 1 to June 30. Annual dues will continue to be collected and receipted on a calendar year basis, but will be reconciled each June 30 to accommodate the new fiscal year.

3. The fiscal year of the Association, including all Branches, was changed at the 2001 AGM, to run from July 1 to June 30. Annual dues will continue to be collected and receipted on a calendar year basis, but will be reconciled each June 30 to accommodate the new fiscal year.

4. Annual dues were increased from $15.00 to $20.00 per year at the 2008 AGM with $12.00 going to Provincial and $8.00 going to branches to help fund their respective activities. Any dues prepaid as of the date of the AGM were to be considered in good standing for dues payment.

5. As of October 19, 2016, all Dues are payable by Dues Check-Off (DCO) through a once a year deduction from the February Pension Cheque, with the exception of existing Cash Paying Members or Associate Members who may pay either by cash or personal cheque directly to the Branch.

Members

Categories Defined

Active Members are persons receiving a pension from the Public Service
Pension Plan administered by the British Columbia Pension Corporation, and/or their spouses, who have applied for membership, paid dues, and been enrolled in the Association in accordance with these Bylaws. Spouses can become members independent of the pensioner who makes the choice to not join, but they can only go on dues check off upon application by the pensioner. A surviving spouse can go on dues check off upon receiving a survivors pension.

2. Honored Members are Active Members who have rendered distinguished service to the Association at either the Provincial or Branch level and who have been accorded full privileges.

3. Candidates for Honored Membership shall be nominated and recommended by Resolution at a regular Branch meeting, with said Resolution being forwarded in writing to the Secretary of the Provincial Body, and the Directors shall have the power by majority vote to accept or reject the Resolution. Said Resolutions may also be raised and approved by majority vote at the Provincial Annual general Meeting.

4. Life Members are Active Members who have paid dues constantly for twenty years and whose full privileges are continued.

5. Associate Members are persons or their spouses, receiving a pension from a plan administered by the British Columbia Pension Corporation, other than the Public Service Pension Plan, who have applied for membership, paid dues, and been enrolled in the Association in accordance with the bylaws, policies and procedures.

Transfer of membership

6. Members in good standing may transfer membership to another Branch and shall carry all seniority and privileges of membership to that Branch.

Dues

Dues Date

1. Annual Dues shall be payable in advance on the second day of January of each year (unless on Dues Check Off). The exception being for an applicant enrolled after the end of February shall pay no dues for that calendar year.

Dues Checkoff

2. Dues that are paid by Dues Check-Off (DCO), shall be remitted by the British Columbia Pension Corporation to the Association Treasurer.

Checkoff due to Branches

3. The Association Treasurer will remit to Branches no later than March 31, the Branches’ share of the annual dues received by dues check-off.

Dues Paid to Branches

4. Dues not paid by Dues Check-Off (DCO) shall be remitted to the Branch Treasurer, of the Branch to which the member belongs on the 2nd day of January each year.

Branches remit dues to Provincial

5. The Provincial share of the dues paid directly to the Branch shall be remitted to the Association Treasurer. This amount shall be paid no later than June 15th of the current year.

Transfer to another branch

6. When a member does transfer from one Branch to another, the Branch’s share of annual dues paid for the current year shall not be transferred.

Dues paid in advance

7. Where a member has paid annual dues one or more years in advance, the full amount of dues paid for years beyond the current year, shall be transferred along with the transfer of membership.

Dues transfer to spouse

8. Credit for the current year’s Dues payment, made by either of the above methods, may be transferred from a deceased member to that member’s spouse if the spouse applies for membership in the current year.

Administrative dealings with the Pension Corporation

9. Dues Payments withheld from Pension Payments in February, as a result of revocable Dues Check-Off (DCO), shall be remitted by the British Columbia Pension Corporation to the Association Treasurer. The Association Officers may make any reasonable administrative arrangements with the British Columbia Pension Corporation to obtain a Dues Deduction Report in duplicate and updated member address lists twice yearly and obituary notices monthly. They will work with Association Branches to achieve proper distribution of dues, address changes and obituary notifications.

Officers

President

1. The President shall:
(a) preside at all meetings of the Association, the Board of Directors, and the Officers.
(b) direct the operations of the Association, including the Central Office.
(c) be an ex-officio member of all standing and ad hoc committees provided that a Vice President may be appointed to act on the President’s behalf as a member of any such committee.
(d) In the absence of the President, the duties shall be performed by the First Vice-President, and in the absence of the President and First Vice-President, by the Second Vice President, and in the absence of the President and both Vice-Presidents, by a person appointed by the Board of Directors.

First Vice-President

2. The First Vice-President shall:
(a) in the absence of the President, perform the duties of President;
(b) from time to time perform the duties of Chairperson of standing or ad hoc committees as appointed by the President or Directors;
(c) be assigned to carry out other duties as required.

Second Vice-President

3. The Second Vice-President shall:
(a) in the absence of the First Vice-President, perform the duties of the First Vice-President;
(b) from time to time perform the duties of Chairperson of standing or ad hoc committees as appointed by the President or Directors;
(c) be assigned to carry out other duties as required.

Secretary

4. The Secretary is responsible for the following:
(a) to conduct the correspondence of the Association;
(b) to issue notices of meetings of the Association and directors;
(c) to keep minutes of all meetings of the Association and directors;
(d) custody of all records and documents of the Association except those required to be kept by the treasurer;
(e) custody of the common seal of the Association;
(f) to supervise the activities and function of Central Office.

Treasurer

5. The Treasurer shall:
(a) receive all moneys payable or accruing to the Association and shall deposit same in a Chartered Bank or credit Union to the credit of the Association. The Treasurer with the President, or with the First Vice-President, or with the Secretary, may sign and issue all cheques for moneys to be paid. The Treasurer shall endorse all negotiable paper made payable to the order of the Association. In the absence of the Treasurer, any two of the Officers may sign.
(b) not disburse funds of the Association without the sanction of the Officers.
(c) invest funds of the Association only as authorized by the Directors, and only on instructions to do so.
(d) carry in the Treasurer’s books as special accounts, funds donated to or acquired by the Association for specific purposes, and shall render itemized statements on these accounts.
(e) cause suitable records to be maintained of the assets, liabilities, funds, reserves and financial transactions of the Association.
(f) cause to be prepared forthwith after the end of the fiscal year of the Association a duly examined statement of the receipts and disbursements of the Provincial Office and a set of consolidated financial statements for the provincial office and all established branches. These statements shall be submitted to the Annual General Meeting, together with the Auditor or Examiner’s report.
(g) report to the Directors concerning the state of the Association’s finances at regular meetings of the Board and when required by the Officers, shall produce any books, accounts, records and documents.

Membership Secretary

6. The Membership Secretary shall:
(a)Liaise with Central Office in various aspects of Association membership; existing and potential new member prospects to promote Association growth.
(b) Maintain contact with Branch Membership Chairpersons in an advisory capacity.
(c) From time to time conduct Provincial Branch Membership Chairperson workshops and presentations.
(d) Maintain the out-of-province # 5000 database.
(e) Be assigned to carry out other duties, as required.

Meetings

Delegate formula

1. Voting members at Annual and General Meetings shall include the Officers, Directors, and Delegates elected by Branches as follows:
a) A Branch with fewer than 200 members in good standing may elect one delegate.
b) A Branch with 201 to 300 members in good standing may elect two delegates.
c) A Branch with 301 to 600 members in good standing may elect three delegates.
d) A Branch with 601 to 1000 members in good standing may elect four delegates.
e) A Branch with 1001 to 1500 members in good standing may elect five delegates.
f) A Branch with more than 1501 members in good standing may elect six delegates.
g) Delegates appointed by branches and registered at a meeting shall be accredited.
NOTE: For the purposes of determining delegates, the number of members recorded in the records of the Provincial Office as of June 30 shall be used.

Order of business

2. At ordinary meetings of the Association and of its Board of Directors, the following order of business shall generally be used:
i) Call to Order
ii) Confirmation of a quorum
iii) Minutes of the previous meeting
iv) Business arising from the minutes
v) Correspondence
vi) President’s Report
vii) Treasurer’s Report, including Auditor’s or Examiners’ Report
viii) Committee Reports
ix) Resolutions
x) Election of Officers (at Annual General Meeting)
xi) New Business

Special meetings

3. The order of business at Special Meetings of the Association shall be restricted to the business stated in the notice of the meeting.

Special Resolutions

4. A Special Resolution may be proposed by members in any Branch and must be approved by the Branch before being forwarded for consideration by the Association.

Resolutions to Secretary

5. A copy of the Special Resolution shall be sent to the Secretary of the Association at least seventy (70) days prior to the Annual or Extraordinary general meeting at which it is to be considered. The Association Secretary shall send a copy of the Special Resolution to the Resolutions and Bylaws Committee.

Resolutions & Bylaws Committee

6. The Resolutions and Bylaws Committee may draft special resolutions as it deems necessary, or to draft special resolutions when requested to do so by the Officers or any Branch.
7. The Resolutions and Bylaws Committee shall review the resolutions and report its recommendations to the secretary. The secretary shall send a copy of the resolution, along with the Committee’s recommendations, to each branch forty (40) days prior to the Annual or Extraordinary general meeting.

Late Resolutions

8. Any resolution not sent in by the seventy (70) days requirement of 5 above shall be classed as a late resolution and dealt with as outlined in the Resolutions Protocol.

Elections

Nomination forms

1. Persons being nominated shall complete a nominations form as approved by the Directors. See below for nominations from the floor.2. The nominating committees report will be printed and circulated prior to the start of the meeting.

Election process

3. The Electoral Officer shall use the following procedure to conduct the elections at an Annual General Meeting.
(a) Start with the highest office to be filled by election.
(b) State the title of the position for which nominations are being received. Read the recommendation of the nominating committee for that one
office.
(c) Call for any further nominations for that one office. A person making a nomination does not need to identify themselves. A seconder is not required
and is not called for.
(d) When all nominations have been made, state that nominations are closed. You do not need to call three times for further nominees before closing nominations and you do not require a motion to close nominations. Do not permit a motion to close nominations when there are clearly further nominees to be put forward, and do not prolong the closure when it is clear that no one is coming forward with additional nominees.
(e) When nominations have closed, determine if the nominee is prepared to stand and serve if elected. If the nominee is not present then a written acceptance signed by the nominee is required, and if it is not at hand, the name shall be removed from the list of nominees. (This requirement is the same as that for nominees submitted in writing or by the nominating
committee.)
(f) If there is only one nominee, declare the office filled by acclamation.
(g) If more than one nominee conduct a secret ballot to determine the winner. The president will appoint scrutineers to count the ballots. As electoral officer, you will not vote in the election unless a tie results and then only
to break the tie.
(h) After the ballots have been counted announce the results of the vote, declaring the nominee receiving the greatest number of votes to be elected.
(i) If there is a tie, as electoral officer shall cast a deciding vote.4. After announcing the results, move to the next office and repeat the procedure outlined in 3 above.

NOMINATIONS FORMS

The nomination form shall contain the nominees name and the name of the nominating member, along with a declaration signed by the nominee showing they are a qualified nominee, declaring a willingness to stand for nomination and agreeing to serve if elected. The nominating member shall sign the form showing they are a valid member.

Books and Records

1. The books and records of the Association may be inspected by a member at times and places convenient to, and in the presence of, the Treasurer or Secretary, as applicable.

2. On instruction from the Officers, the following records may be destroyed after five years from audit:
a) Receipt Books
b) Cancelled cheques
c) Cheque stubs
d) Deposit Slips
e) Receipts.

3. All correspondence, not of historical interest, may be destroyed after a period of three years.

Branches

Branch Regulations

1. (a) Each Branch shall have the power to MAKE REGULATIONS for its own guidance, such regulations being not inconsistent with the Bylaws of the Association and subject to such rules for self-government of Branches as the Directors may approve.
(b) Branch Regulations shall be filed with the Provincial Secretary. They will be forwarded to the Resolutions and Bylaws Committee which will review them and advise the Branch if they are consistent with the Bylaws of the Association.

Branch Officers

2. A Branch shall elect a Chairperson and such Officers as are needed to conduct the business of the Branch. Their duties shall correspond generally with those of the comparable officers of the Association.

Signing Officers

3. Any Branch shall have at least two (2) Officers whose joint signatures shall be necessary on cheques or other financial papers.

Reporting elections

4. The Branch Secretary, or other responsible Officer shall report immediately to the Association Secretary the results of branch elections and other Branch affairs that should be brought to the attention of the Directors.

Branch doesn’t speak for Association

5. No Branch shall negotiate with any Government or other body in such manner as to commit the Association, or to imply Association support of such action without obtaining approval from the Provincial Directors, of the action proposed.

Association not liable for debts

6. The Association shall not be liable for any debts incurred by any Branch.

Assets property of Association

7. Upon suspension or termination of any Branch, all books and assets of the Branch shall become the property of the Association, and may be disposed of at the discretion of the Directors.

Branch name

8. All branches shall be called by the Association name followed by the Geographic Branch name. e.g. BCGREA – Nanaimo Branch.

Fiscal year

9. Each Branch shall end its financial year on the same date as adopted in the Association bylaws and submit a copy of its examined financial statements to the Association Treasurer within two months of that date.

Resolution Protocol

Title

Title

Preamble

Whereas ….
And Whereas ….
And Whereas ….

Enactment

Therefore Be It Resolved that ….
And Be It Further Resolved that ….

Robert's Rules Regarding Reports (Excerpts)

REPORTS OF OFFICERS

In principal, all reports of officers in a society are incident to administrative duties that these officers have by virtue of provisions in the bylaws or other rules. Strictly speaking, in a purely deliberative assembly, the officers make no reports.

In an organized society the bylaws may require each of the principal officers to make a report of the year’s work at the annual meeting. At any meeting at which officers’ reports are made, they immediately follow the reading and approval of the minutes.

REPORTS OF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS. In addition to their annual reports, the president and vice-president from time to time may wish or need to report on their activities in connection with administrative duties. Such reports are usually for purposes of information only, but may sometimes contain recommendations calling for action by the assembly. In either case, the reports should generally conform to the rules as to form, substance, and disposition that govern committee reports (S50). Motions to adopt or implement any recommendations should be made from the floor by a member other than the reporting officer.

REPORTS BY THE TREASURER. At each meeting of a society the chair may ask for a “Treasurer’s report,” which may consist simply of a verbal statement of the cash balance on hand — or of this balance less outstanding obligations. Such a report requires no action by the assembly.

In addition, the treasurer is required to make a full financial report annually, and in some societies more often. Such an annual report should always be audited.

Action on financial report. No action of acceptance by the assembly is required — or proper — on a financial report of the treasurer unless it is of sufficient importance, as an annual report, to be referred to auditors. In the latter case it is the auditor’s report which the assembly accepts.

If the auditor’s report consists only of an endorsement on the financial report — to the effect that it has been found correct, the treasurer can simply read out this certification as he concludes the presentation of his own report. After the treasurer has made his report to the assembly the chair states the question on adopting the auditor’s report. The adoption of the auditors’ report has the effect of relieving the treasurer of responsibility for the period covered by his report, except in case of fraud.

REPORTS OF OTHER OFFICERS. Other officers as may be prescribed in the bylaws, such as historian, librarian, etc., may also have occasion to report to the assembly. These reports are usually made annually and, like those of the executive officers, are generally for the purposes of information only. They can, however, contain recommendations upon which it is hoped the assembly will act.

S50 REPORTS OF BOARDS AND COMMITTEES

A report of a subordinate board or a committee is an official statement formally adopted by, and submitted in the name of, the reporting body, informing the parent assembly of action taken or recommended, or information obtained.

TYPES OF REPORTS. For convenience in the discussions in this section, reports may be divided into two general categories as follows.

a) Annual or periodic reports of boards or standing committees are usually submitted in accordance with requirements in the bylaws, are primarily for information, and should summarize important work done by the board or committee during the year or other period covered by the report. They may also contain recommendations — which may relate to general policy to be followed by the organization, or may propose specific action by its assembly (see paragraph – RECOMMENDATIONS IN A REPORT).

b) Reports relating to single items of business arising during the year fall into a number of particular forms. These reports can often be quite brief unless special circumstances or instructions to the reporting body call for a detailed presentation of facts.

RECOMMENDATIONS IN A REPORT. In any report of a subordinate board or a committee (of type (a) or (b) above), specific recommendations for immediate action by the parent assembly should be grouped at the end — repeating them if they have already been noted as separate places in the report — and should generally be cast in the form of one or more proposed resolutions. Although it is possible for a report, in the circumstances just described, to present recommendations which are not in the form of resolutions or motions, the “adoption” of such recommendations by the parent assembly may, depending on their wording or that of the motion to adopt, lead to confusion as to whether their adoption authorizes action, or has only the force of a declaration of intent (requiring the adoption of subsequent resolutions for implementation). A board or committee is usually best fitted to prepare resolutions to carry out its recommendations and it should never leave this responsibility to others.

PRESENTATION AND RECEPTION OF REPORTS. A report of a board or committee to an assembly is presented at the proper time by a “reporting member” of the board or committee. For the report of a board whose chairman is also the presiding officer of the assembly, the secretary or another one of its members acts as a reporting member. In the case of a committee, the committee chairman is the reporting member.

A reporting member makes or presents a report on behalf of a board or a committee when, having been assigned the floor for such a purpose in a meeting, he does one of the following things (depending on the nature of the report and other conditions): (a) renders the report orally, if it is not in writing; (b) reads the report to the assembly and passes it to the chair or the secretary, or (c) announces that he is submitting it and passes it to one of these officers to be read by a reading clerk. When the assembly hears the report thus read or orally rendered, it receives the report. The terms presentation and reception accordingly describe one and the same event from the respective viewpoints of the reporting member and the assembly.

MOTIONS FOR ACTION ON REPORTS. Immediately after receiving a board’s or a committee’s report — unless it is a report containing only information on which no action is taken — an assembly normally considers whatever action may be recommended in or arise out of the report.

Motion to implement recommendations. When a report contains recommendations — except in cases where the recommendations relate only to the adoption or rejection of question(s) that were referred while pending and consequently became pending again automatically when reported — the reporting board or committee member usually makes the necessary motion to implement the recommendations at the conclusion of his presentation. No second is required in these cases, since the motion is made on behalf of the board or committee.

Motion to adopt an entire report. In rare instances after an assembly has received a report, it may have occasion to adopt the (entire) report; an affirmative vote on such a motion has the effect of the assembly’s endorsing every word of the report, including the indicated facts and the reasoning — as its own statement. Unlike motions to take action recommended in a report as described above, a motion “to adopt the report” should be made by someone other than the reporting member and requires a second. Adoption of an entire report is seldom wise except when it is to be issued or published in the name of the whole organization.

EQUIVALENCE OF TERMS: INCORRECT MOTIONS. As applied to an assembly’s action with respect to board or committee reports or any of their contents, the expression adopt, accept, and agree to are all equivalent — that is the text adopted becomes in effect the act or statement of the assembly. It is usually best to use the word adopt, however, since it is the least likely to be misunderstood.

A common error is to move that a report “be received” after it has been read — apparently on the supposition that such a motion is necessary in order for the report to be taken under consideration or to be recorded as having been made. In fact, this motion is meaningless, since the report has already been received. Even before a report has been read, a motion to receive it is unnecessary if the time for its reception is established by the order of business.

Another error — less common, but dangerous — is to move, after the report has been read (or even before the reading), that it “be accepted” when the actual intent is that of the mistaken notion to receive, as just explained, of a legitimate motion to receive made before the report is read. If a motion “to accept” made under any of these circumstances is adopted and is given its proper interpretation, it implies that the assembly has endorsed the complete report.

BOARD REPORTS

OCCASION AND MANNER OF PREPARATION. The executive board (or board of directors) of a society reports to the assembly annually on the work done during the year, and as such other times and upon such subjects as the bylaws may prescribe or the society’s business may require.

A board report is usually drafted by the president or the secretary, and this draft often passes through the executive committee first, if there is one, before it comes up for consideration and adoption by the board at one of its meetings. A board report should be signed by the president or chairman of the board and its secretary only.

RECOPTION AND DISPOSITION OF BOARD REPORTS. In meetings at which the executive board is to make a report, the chair calls for it at the time provided in the order of business, or, if there is no such provision, before committee reports are received or unfinished business is taken up. After the reading of the report, the reporting member moves the adoption of any resolutions included in it, which, as indicated above, should be grouped or repeated at the end. If the annual report of the board is to be formally adopted by the society before being published, and appropriate wording for the minutes in such a case is the following: “The Executive Board [or “Board of Directors”, etc.] submitted its report which, after debate and amendment (if any), was adopted as follows, the words in brackets having been struck out and those underlined [or, “in italics”] having been inserted before the report was adopted.” A society need not endorse the report of its board, and can even decline to allow the report to be printed, or it can adopt only a part, but whatever it prints or records from the report must show any changes clearly marked.

Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) - January 1, 2004

Purpose

1. The Purpose of the Personal Information Protection Act is to govern the collection, use and disclosure of personal information by organizations in a manner that recognizes both the rights of individuals to protect their personal information and the need of organizations to collect, use or disclose personal information for purposes that a reasonable person would consider appropriate under the circumstances.

Information required

2. The Association requires the names, addresses and phone numbers of its members to maintain the membership roster, to mail out Newsletters, and to make periodic contact for administrative matters. This is the only information required from Associate Members. In addition, from Active members, Social Insurance Numbers are necessary to differentiate members with identical names and are mandatory for dealings with the Pension Corporation, including dues checkoff, address updates and obituary notices.

Pension Corporation

4. Only Provincial is empowered to have direct dealings with the Pension Corporation. The Association will confirm with the Pension Corporation one or more individuals who are primary contacts with the Association for information sharing purposes, and will be the designated individual for the purpose of the Act.

5. The Association shall designate at least one individual at the Provincial level and one individual at each of the Branches to ensure compliance with PIPA. Designates shall be made known to the membership, by title and with relevant contact information.

Provincial designate

6. The provincial designate(s) shall be appointed annually. The Directors shall select one of their members to be the provincial Privacy Officer.

Branch designate

7. At the branch level, the Branch Executive will appoint the Branch Privacy Officer.

Website posting

8. The Association will post the name and contact information of each Privacy Officer on the Association’s web site.

Application form information

9. The Application Form used by the Association contains a consent clause (or waiver), which, if the prospective member provides their Social Insurance Number and signs the form, allows the Association to carry out its functions as outlined above, and it covers the Pension Corporation for its dealings with the Association. If a prospective member fails to sign the Application Form or to provide their Social Insurance Number, their personal information will only be used internally by the Association.

Sharing information

10. The Association will explore with the Pension Corporation, opportunities for the Pension Corporation to obtain signed waivers from all retired public servants to facilitate member recruitment by the Association and subsequent sharing of member’s personal information for administrative purposes.

Transfer information

11. The Association shall develop specific procedures concerning member transfers between branches, to include the transfer of personal information and membership history.

Pre-2000 waivers

12. In lieu of signed waiver forms, members who were on dues checkoff on or before the year 2000, were provided with a notice, in February, 2000, that it was necessary for the Association and the Superannuation Commission to share personal information to effect the dues checkoff procedure, and if this was contrary to the members wishes they should contact the Association or the Commission, in writing, using the contact information provided.

Information use and disclosure

13. The Association will not use or disclose any of the personal information maintained in the membership roster(s) for purposes other than serving the needs of the Association.

Information review requests

14. On written request of a member, by e-mail or letter, the Association shall provide, within 30 days, either an opportunity for the member to review their personal information in the membership roster, or to receive a copy of the member’s entire personal information record from the roster of either the branch or provincial office.

Information disclosure

15. The Association shall disclose how that information has been and is being used, along with the names of individuals and organizations to whom the information has been disclosed.

Association refusing to respond

16. Should the Association refuse to comply with a member’s request, in whole or in part, it must provide written reasons according to the provision(s) in PIPA; the name, title and contact information of an individual from the Association who can answer the member’s questions about the refusal, and the member may ask for a review under Section 47 of PIPA, within 30 days of receipt of the refusal.

Fees

17. No fee shall be charged for responding to a member’s request regarding personal information.

18. On request of a member, the Association must promptly correct its records concerning personal information, and must notify any other organization with which it had shared the incorrect information.

Accuracy & completeness

19. The Association, when personal information is shared for administrative purposes, must make a reasonable effort to ensure that personal information is accurate and complete.

Custody & security provision

20. The Association shall manage against the risk of unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, or modification of member’s personal information by making reasonable custody and security provisions, including but not limited to keeping the information on computer discs rather than on the computer and in a locked cabinet.

Information archiving & retention

21. The Association must develop an Archive and Retention Strategy, which at minimum, provides that personal information is retained for at least one year after it is used, and that any documents containing personal information are destroyed as soon as it is reasonable to assume that the purpose for which the information was collected is no longer being served by further retention.

Audits of practice

22. Should the Commissioner charged with powers and duties under PIPA elect to audit the Association’s practices, the designated Association contacts shall cooperate fully, as required by the Act.

Discipline when acting in good faith

23. The Association will not dismiss, discipline or disadvantage a designate of the Association for acting in good faith to meet the requirements of the Act.

PROCEDURES FOR HANDLING RESOLUTIONS ON BYLAW AMENDMENTS AND
POLICY STATEMENTS
(This protocol does not apply to ordinary resolutions introduced in the normal course of general
business during the meeting)
This protocol is designed to provide uniformity in how resolutions are drafted, filed with the
provincial office, circulated to all branches, directors and delegates, and how they are handled on
the floor at a general meeting.
This report is divided into the following sections:
1. Resolution format.
2. Method for getting resolutions into the system.
3. Procedures for handling resolutions by the resolutions committee.
4. Procedures for handling resolutions on the floor of the meeting.
1. RESOLUTION FORMAT
A resolution may consist of a title, a preamble and an enactment clause. The preamble shall
include no more than three whereas clauses (preamble), and two enactment clauses, taking the
following format:
2. GETTING RESOLUTIONS INTO THE SYSTEM
Resolutions shall be initiated at the Branch level. They shall be moved and seconded by Branch
members in good standing. If endorsed by the Branch, the resolution shall be forwarded to the
Provincial Secretary by the Branch. If the resolution is not endorsed by the Branch, it shall not be
forwarded for consideration by the directors or delegates at a general or special meeting.
Upon receipt by the Provincial Secretary, the resolution will be placed in a file for review by the
Resolutions Committee. All resolutions shall be received by the Provincial Secretary at least
seventy (70) days prior to the meeting at which they are to be considered.
After review and reporting by the Resolutions Committee, the report shall be circulated to all
Branches by the Provincial Secretary, at least forty (40) days prior to the meeting at which they
are to be considered. Any resolutions received by the Provincial Secretary after seventy days
prior to the meeting at which they are to be considered, shall be classed as Late Resolutions.
They will be reviewed by the Resolutions Committee, time permitting, and will be tabled at the
meeting as Late Resolutions. To be considered appropriate for discussion, the topic of a late
resolution, shall be one that has arisen since or was not known prior to the deadline date for
submission of resolutions.
3. PROCEDURES FOR HANDLING RESOLUTIONS BY THE RESOLUTIONS
COMMITTEE1. Receive resolutions and review. Categorize as:
a) Bylaw amendments (special resolutions)
b) Resolutions for policy, proposed actions.2. Recommend
a) endorsement (with or without any proposed amendments), orb) rejection with reasons, or
c) refer resolution back to submitting branch for clarification and possible amendment, or
d) no recommendation.3. Prepare formal report for circulation, noting recommendations reached
above, and indicating the order in which resolutions shall be considered.
4. PROCEDURE FOR HANDLING RESOLUTIONS ON THE FLOOR OF THE MEETING
1. Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the proceedings.
2. Delegates will use the floor microphones when speaking.
3. All delegates wishing to speak must address the Chair and be recognized before
speaking.
4. Each speaker must announce his/her Name and Branch.
5. The sponsoring Branch may speak first to explain the resolution (if necessary).
6. If there are no speakers against a resolution the Chair may call for the vote.
7. No delegate may speak more than once on any one question until all other delegates
desiring to speak have been heard.
8. Any amendment to a resolution must be moved and seconded from the floor.
9. A sponsoring Branch can withdraw a resolution from consideration without debate.
10. Voting on a resolution:
o The vote is on the resolution as printed and circulated, unless amendments are
brought forward from the floor and adopted.
o An amendment recommended by the Resolutions Committee, shall not be on the
floor unless moved and seconded from the floor.
o Voting shall be done by a show of hands.
o A standing vote will be taken when five or more delegates, by standing, demand a
standing vote, calling for Division. The Chair may count those standing for a vote,
and, if demanded by a simple majority, shall count those standing for and those
against.
o A recorded vote, if demanded by ten or more delegates, shall be conducted by
polling each delegate shown on the registration list.
11. Order of Business.
o Resolutions will be discussed in the order set out in the report of the Resolutions
Committee.
o Late Resolutions will be discussed after all other resolutions are considered.
o Late Resolutions will only be discussed if a simple majority of those in attendance
agree they be considered at that meeting.
12. Procedure for each Resolution
o The Chair will read the number and title of the resolution.
o The Chair will call upon a spokesperson for the Resolutions Committee to read:
 The enactment clause, and
 The recommendation of the Bylaw and Resolutions Committee.
o The Chair will call on the sponsoring Branch to introduce the resolution. (A time
limit may be imposed, e.g. 3 minutes)
o The Chair will call for discussion from the floor. (A time limit may be imposed,
e.g. 2 minutes/speaker)

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