By-laws |

Membership:

a) The Barbet Fanciers Association of Ontario membership year is January 1 – December 31, annually. The goal is to educate and inform people about this vibrant and versatile breed and promote healthy and ethical breeding practices. It is also our desire to maintain accurate and historical records of the Barbet within the club, providing support and encouragement to owners and breeders in the club, but not limited to the club. As a secondary function, the club will act as a Rescue/Shelter for those Barbet who are needing placement due to unfortunate events that leave them homeless. With such a rare breed, the Barbet needs our protection and nurturing.

b) Individual membership is open to all persons eighteen years or older, who at the time of joining, own a Barbet, or have interest in the Barbet, and are in good standing with the Canadian Kennel Club. (Not necessarily a member, but who have not contravened the rules of the Canadian Kennel Club) Membership is not restricted to Ontario residents or Canadian citizens.

c ) Each membership is general, with equal opportunity, and gives right to give suggestions, opinions and have a voice in the club.

d) Application for Membership is a 2 page form, filled out and then reviewed by the Board of The Barbet Fanciers Association of Ontario. Once approved for membership, the member is a voting member.

e) Membership in The Barbet Fanciers Association of Ontario can and will be rejected if it is discovered, after making inquiry to the Canadian Kennel Club or said applicant’s home kennel club, that any of their bylaws or statutes have been broken or applicant has been found with conduct unbecoming, or the applicant has been stripped of their membership to the CKC. If any member of The Barbet Fanciers Association of Ontario opposes a new applicant’s request to join the club, the full board of directors will investigate the reasons and vote accordingly to approve or disapprove the new member applicant. A majority board vote is required for approval when opposition to a new membership has been tabled. Any individual rejected for membership by the Club will be provided with a written explanation. This rejection will last for the duration of the Club’s existence, unless another vote is taken by the board, based on new evidence/application.

f) Membership in The Barbet Fanciers Association of Ontario can and will be revoked if any of the bylaws or statutes set forth in the Constitution have been knowingly and wilfully broken. Membership can and will be revoked if any of the bylaws or statutes set forth by the CKC have been knowingly or wilfully broken. Termination will be issued in writing by the secretary of the club. The said member will have 30 days to respond in writing to the club if they so desire. Any and all correspondence in regards to appeal will constitute an unscheduled Board meeting to review this and move forward as the Board sees fit. If the membership is deemed revoked, that will last for the duration of the Club’s existence, unless another vote is taken by the board, based on new evidence/application.

g) Membership in The Barbet Fanciers Association of Ontario can be withdrawn at any time by any member. If the member so chooses not to continue in the club, a letter stating the termination of their membership must be submitted to the club secretary. The Club secretary will then take the request to the board and the membership will be terminated. When the membership is terminated, that will last for the duration of the Club’s existence, unless another vote is taken by the board, based on new application.

h) Voting privileges are extended to any/all members in good standing and living in the geographical area of the Province of Ontario, Canada. Each vote will be mailed or emailed out to each voting member, and they must respond within 21 days of mailing. The result of each vote will be made public to all members once the 21 days is past.

General Meeting & Events:

a) Annual Meeting will be held in conjunction with a Barbet Specialty Show/Booster/Sanction Match or other event where possible. Skype/Webcasting and teleconferencing capabilities will be accessible, for those unable to attend. The meeting portion will be videotaped and transcribed for distribution to those requesting it, shortly thereafter.

b) Special General Meetings: In the event of a special general meeting, called by the President or by a majority vote by the members of the Board who are present at the meeting of the Board or who vote by mail, email, and shall be called by the Secretary upon receipt of a petition signed by 10 percent of the members of the Club who are in good standing. Such meetings shall be held at a date, place and time designated by the Board of Directors. The Secretary shall mail or email written notice of such a meeting at least 30 days and not more than 45 days prior to the meeting. A quorum for such a meeting shall be 10 percent of the members in good standing.

c) Board Meetings: The first meeting of the Board shall be held the immediate month following the annual meeting and election. Other meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held at such time and places as are designated by the President or by a majority of the entire Board. The Secretary shall mail or e-mail written notice of such meetings to each member of the Board at least 30 days prior to the date of the meeting. The Board of Directors may also conduct its business by mail, conference call or electronic means. The Secretary shall conduct such meetings.

d) It is the intention of the Club to hold events either soley on our own on in conjunction with another group or club the following events: CONFORMATION, OBEDIENCE, WORKING CERTIFICATE AND RALLY.

4) Board of Directors:

a) The Executive Board is made up of the following members:

President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

The Officers are: West Director, East Director, Central Director, North Director, Director of Shows and Trials, Director of Communications, Director of the Rescue Division and Past President.
(These positions may vary and be added to as each election brings about change and evolution to the association. As with any changes, they will be discussed and voted on)

b) Duties and Responsibilities:

President* – The president shall preside at all meetings of the club and of the Board shall have the duties and powers normally appurtenant to the office of the president in addition to those particularly specified by these By-Laws . The President must be a CKC member in good standing.

Vice – President* – The Vice-President shall have the duties and exercise the powers of the President in case of the President’s death, absence, or incapacity and shall perform such duties as requested by the President or the Board of Directors. The Vice-President must be a CKC member in good standing.

Secretary* – The Secretary shall keep a record of all votes taken by mail or email and of all matters of which a written record shall be ordered by the Club. The Secretary shall have charge of the correspondence, notify members of meetings, notify Officers and Directors of their election to office, keep a roll of the members of the Club with their addresses, and carry out such other duties as prescribed in these By-Laws or as requested by the Board of Directors.

Treasurer* – The Treasurer shall collect and receive all moneys belonging to the Club. The Treasurers books shall at all times be open to inspection of the Board and the Treasurer shall report to them at every meeting the condition of the club’s finances and every item of receipt or payment not reported before; and at the annual meeting he shall render an account of all moneys received and expended during the fiscal year. The club must have a separate and independent bank account in the name of the club and all cheques drawn from the club account must have the signature of one duly appointed signing officer and the name of their office.

*See official position descriptions document for detailed description.

Director of Shows and Trials- The Director of Shows and Trials shall liaise with the CKC and be in contact with and for the club to keep its’ membership informed of Shows, Trials, new legislations, new rules and objectives. The Director will be responsible to see the Barbet is able and available to participate in any/all trials that are appropriate to its’ breeding. Also, the Director will promote the breed within National Kennel Clubs and assist in organizing Judge Information Seminars. The Director of Shows and Trials is an automatic group member when organizing the Annual Specialty, boosters, sanction matches, and any other shows or trials.

Director of the Rescue Division – The Director of Rescue shall liaise with other kennel clubs, breed clubs and rescue clubs and shall keep informed of any dogs – specifically Barbet that may find themselves in a shelter/lost or stolen situation, etc.

Directors (East, West, North, Central) of Ontario – Each Director shall reside in the area they represent for the Barbet Fanciers Club of Ontario. These Directors are responsible to liaise with the CKC and be available to its membership for any issues. The Director of each area will attend all meetings of the Club either in person or via skype/video conferencing.

Communications Director – The Communications Director shall work in conjunction with the secretary and assist in whatever means needed. Working on the website, communications such as the newsletter, emails, tweets, updates, etc. will also be a part or in whole, the responsibility of this director.

c) Filling of Vacancies: Whenever a position on the Executive Board is left vacant, whether from change in residence/address or otherwise, a notice will go out to the general membership of The Barbet Fanciers Association of Ontario. Any and all interested members may put forth a nomination. Providing that member meets the requirements of the position , as well as their filling of the position meets the requirements of the Club, the name shall be brought forth to the Executive Board, and then a motion made to the general membership for voting. Once approved or not, the results will be made public to the membership in the meeting minutes.

d) Term of Office for Officers/Directors:

The term for each position shall be 2 years. If there are no new nominations upon the completion of the 2 year term, for each position, and the existing board member will let their name stand, the vote will take place with the same person for ratification by the membership.

5) Finances:

a) Officers within the Executive Board that have signing authority will be decided upon with each new board voted in . Obviously, the treasurer will have signing authority – and it will be determined which other TWO members also have signing authority. This decision will be made public to the general membership within the published minutes of that particular meeting.

6) Club Year, Voting, Nominations, Elections:

a) Club year – the fiscal year of the club will be January 1-Dec 31 annually.

b) Voting Requirements – in order to vote in The Barbet Fanciers Association of Ontario, you must live within the geographical location of the Province of Ontario, be a member in good standing, and with fully paid dues. There must be no grievances filed against you at the time of the voting process (21 days)

c) Conduct of Elections – Elections will be held at our annual general meeting – the last weekend in August. These newly elected officials will begin their term on January 1st of the following year. If a board member/director steps down, a call for nominations and an election will take place within 90 days.

d) Nomination Process – Each general member is given the opportunity to put forth nominations for the positions of Directors in the Executive Board. These names are put forth at an Executive Board meeting for discussion, and if found within the requirements for general membership and Executive Board legislation, will stand as nominated, for a general vote.

7) Committees:

a) Appointment of committees: At various times throughout the year, it will become necessary to strike up a committee within the membership for various purposes. These committees will be made public to the general membership with an appropriate amount of time for the committee to be formed and carry out its functions and duties.

b) Termination of committees: Once the committee has fulfilled its duties and purpose, unless otherwise stated as ongoing or permanent, it will be terminated. This will be made public to the general membership with reasons and results.

8 ) Discipline:

a) Causes of suspension or termination: i)Unethical practices and complaints will be brought before The Barbet Fanciers Association of Ontario Executive board for consideration, and if found in violation of these ethics will result in cancellation of membership. ii) Every member is entitled to membership free from harassment or false accusations. The Barbet Fanciers Association of Ontario Executive board will make every reasonable effort to ensure that, by investigating each complaint to the best of our ability.

b) Filing of complaints against members / Complaint process:

1) Suspension of membership will take place if the complaint brought forward to the Executive Board has been deemed serious enough to jeopardize The Barbet Fanciers Association of Ontario’s good standing with the CKC or jeopardize any of its’ membership. Termination of membership will take place if after the complaint brought forward has been investigated and found to be true and accurate.

2) Once a complaint has been submitted to the Executive Board, it will be tabled for discussion, and a Director will be appointed to investigate. Once the investigation has taken place, a written report will be submitted by that Director for Club records. Preferably the Director will be the one who represents the region that the member in question lives in.

3) If any member of The Barbet Fanciers Association of Ontario learns of an issue or situation that is in direct violation of the Vision, Mission Statement, Code of Ethics or Constitution of The Barbet Fanciers Association of Ontario with another member, they may submit a written and formal complaint to the Secretary of the Executive Board, for discussion at the next scheduled board meeting.

4) Expulsion Procedure: This procedure is the last option in the complaint process, it is the extreme, and is not taken lightly. All Executive Board members must be in agreement to this final decision. This procedure will take place only after a) a complaint brought against a member of The Barbet Fanciers Association of Ontario is investigated and found to be true, b) suspension of said membership, and c) termination of membership. Expulsion means that the former member is banned for their lifetime to be a member of The Barbet Fanciers Association of Ontario.

9) Amendments:

a) Voting requirements for amendments to constitution and by-laws: Amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws may be amended at any time provided a copy of the proposed amendment has been mailed or emailed by the Secretary to each member in good standing on the date of mailing, accompanied by a ballot on which he or she may indicate his or her choice for or against the action to be taken. The notice shall specify a date not less than thirty days after the date of mailing by which date the ballots must be returned to the Secretary to be counted. The favourable vote of two-thirds of the members in good standing who return valid ballots within the time limit shall be required to effect any such amendment.

b) Process for proposing amendments to constitution and by-laws: Amendments to the constitution and the by-laws may be proposed by the Board of Directors or by written petition addressed to the Secretary signed by ten members in good standing. Amendments proposed by such petition shall be considered by the Board of Directors at the next regular meeting and must subsequently be presented to the Board within 90 days of the date when the petition was received by the Secretary

10) Dissolution:

a) Procedure to be followed for dissolution: The club may be dissolved at any time by providing to the CKC, written documentation signed by at least 2/3 of the members of that club who are in favour of this decision. Proxies are not permitted.

b) Disposal of club assets upon dissolution: In the event of the dissolution of the club, other than for the purpose of re-organization, whether voluntary or in voluntary or by operation of law, none of the property of the club nor any of assets of the club shall be distributed to any member of the club, its property and assets shall be given to a charitable organization for the benefit of dogs selected by the Board of Directors.

11) Rules of Order:

a) At meetings of the club, the order of business shall be as follows:

- Roll Call
- Minutes of the last meeting
- Report of the President
- Report of the Secretary
- Report of the Treasurer
- Report of Committees
- Election of Officers and Board (at annual meeting)
- Election of new members
- Unfinished business
- New Business
- Adjournment

b) At meetings of the Board, the order of business unless otherwise directed by a majority vote of those present shall be as follows:

- Report of the Secretary
- Report of the Treasurer
- Report of Committees
- Unfinished Business
- Election of new members
- New Business Adjournment

The Regional Club is responsible for:

Club Newsletterissued biannually, this publication will keep members up-to-date with all the club events and current issues. Each issue includes feature articles on performance, training, breeding and health, and showcases members and their dogs. The newsletter will be available by email or hard copy (member’s choice)

Our website, www.barbetfanciers.ca will keep members connected and be there to help with any immediate general questions by the public. It will inform members of events, Barbet rescue, and be the official club communication, the website is available in both English and French.

Liaising with the Canadian Kennel Club and The Barbet Fanciers Association of Ontario to maintain sanctioning for events, and advocating on behalf of our breed.

Judges’ Education will be available for CKC and AKC approved judges and includes a Powerpoint presentation with handouts This seminar will be presented with live dogs who are available to be gone over and gaited to demonstrate the correct variety of coat type, colour, size and grooming in the breed.