EASTERN CANADA BRIDGE CONFERENCE
[pdf file: Bylaws 2021 – Official version]
A.B.C.L. DISTRICT NO. 1
BY-LAWS (Revised October 2021)
ARTICLE 1 NAME
1. The name of the District Organization of the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) District No. 1 shall be the Eastern Canada Bridge Conference.
ARTICLE 2 PURPOSE
2. The purpose of the ECBC shall be:
a) to promote and foster contract bridge throughout District No. 1 of the ACBL;
b) to act as a forum for the expression of common interests and concerns for the member Units of District No. 1 to the Board of Governors (soon to be renamed Advisory Council) of the ACBL;
c) to liaise with the Board of Governors (Advisory Council) of the ACBL to ensure the common interests and concerns of the member Units of District No. 1 are addressed;
d) to conduct directly, or to assign to a member Unit, such Regional Tournaments as are held within the geographical limits of District No. 1 as set out by the ACBL;
e) to coordinate tournament schedules within District No. 1 and to liaise with adjoining Districts;
f) to organize qualifying tournaments for Grand National Teams (GNT), North American Pairs (NAP) and other tournaments in which teams or pairs are selected to represent District No. 1 at North American Bridge Championship events;
g) to organize such other events as may be delegated by the ACBL to District No.1.
ARTICLE 3 MEMBERSHIP
3. All duly recognized Units of the ACBL within District No. 1 are entitled to membership in the ECBC . The Member Units are: The Montreal Bridge League Inc., (Unit 151); the Québec Bridge League, (Unit 152); the Eastern Ontario and the Outaouais Bridge Association, (Unit 192); the Canadian Maritimes, (Unit 194); the Saguenay Bridge League, (Unit 199); and the Acadian Unit, (Unit 230).
ARTICLE 4 GOVERNANCE
4. The ECBC shall be governed by a Board of (BOD)
ARTICLE 5 REPRESENTATION
5. All duly recognized Units of the ACBL within District 1 are entitled to representation on the BOD of the ECBC as follows:
5.1 Each Unit shall have a full voting director on the BOD selected in such a manner as the members of the Unit see fit, subject to 5.4 and 5.5.
5.2 Each Unit shall be entitled to an additional full voting director on the BOD for every 500 members or fraction thereof of the ACBL in good standing in the Unit calculated as of December 31 of the preceding Member numbers shall be those as provided by the ACBL.
5.3 A director described in 1 and 5.2 herein shall serve for a period of one year or until the District is notified of a replacement by the Unit or until such time as he or she resigns.
5.4 The following persons shall also be full voting directors of the BOD:
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- Any person appointed as director emeritus for life;
- Any person who holds the title of District Director with the ACBL as at July 1, 2021 until his or her resignation or until September 30, 2023 whichever is earliest.
- The immediate past president of the ECBC.
- The Regional Director for Region 1 of the ACBL Board of Directors.
5.5 Each member of the BOD as described herein (with the exception of the person described in article 4 (iv) must be and remain a member in good standing of the ACBL and of a Unit in the ECBC. Should this change at any point in the tenure of a member on the BOD that member will be deemed to have immediately resigned and if selected or appointed pursuant to 5.1 or 5.2 shall be replaced as the Unit sees fit. If the member holds membership by virtue of 5.4 such member shall not be replaced.
5.6 All business of the BOD shall be conducted by majority vote. In the event of a tie the President shall cast the deciding vote.
5.7 Notwithstanding Articles 5.1 and 5.2 herein, any member of the BOD who is an employee of the ACBL shall not be entitled to vote on any matter and may only participate in discussion on matters in which there is a potential conflict of interest with the permission of the President.
ARTICLE 6 ADMINISTRATION OF DISTRICT AFFAIRS
6. The Officers of the ECDC shall consist of a President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, and District Tournament.
6.1 The Officers shall be elected by the BOD at the annual meeting for a term of office of approximately one year and shall be eligible for reelection.
6.2 Each Officer shall be a full voting member of the BOD, provided that the President shall only exercise his or her right to vote in accordance with 5.6.
6.3 The President shall preside over all meetings, shall take all necessary steps to follow up the decisions and orders of the Board, shall act upon all matters of urgency in consultation with the Executive Committee, shall appoint all committee chairpersons and shall serve as an ex- officio member of all committees except the Nominating Committee.
6.4 The Vice-President shall be responsible to assist the President in the execution of duties, to perform the duties of President should the President be unable for any reason and to perform such other duties as the President requires.
6.5 The Treasurer shall collect and receive all monies due or owing to the District and shall make all necessary payments. He/she shall endorse for deposit all funds of the District with a chartered bank or trust company and all cheques on the same shall be drawn by him/her and countersigned by either the President or The Treasurer’s duties shall include safekeeping of assets and the overseeing of investments. The Treasurer shall present an Annual Financial Report to the BOD.
6.6 The Secretary shall keep the minutes of all meetings, shall give notice of all meetings, shall conduct and preserve the correspondence of the District, shall keep all records of the BOD and shall perform such duties pertaining to that office as the President or the BOD may require.
ARTICLE 7 MEETINGS
7.1 There shall be an Annual Meeting, the date of which shall be set at the previous annual meeting.
7.2 In addition to the regular Annual Meeting, there may be Special Meetings as the President may deem necessary or desirable, at places and times fixed by him/her and after due notice of time, place, and purpose given at least fifteen days prior to said meetings.
7.3 Presence, in person and not by proxy, of at least seven delegates representing at least four member Units shall constitute a quorum for the conduct of business.
7.4 Any or all members of the BOD may participate in a meeting of the BOD, or a committee of the BOD, by means of a telephone, video conference or by any means of communication by which all persons participating in the meeting are able to communicate with each other. Such participation shall constitute presence in person at the meeting.
ARTICLE 8 NOMINATION OF OFFICERS
8.1 A Nominating Committee consisting of at least three delegates representing three different Units shall be appointed by the President at least 30 days prior to the Annual Meeting. The Nominating Committee so appointed shall present its slate of officers at the Annual Meeting.
8.2 Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 1 of this Article, nominations may also be entertained at the Annual Meeting provided the nominated delegate is present and indicates his/her willingness to serve if elected.
ARTICLE 9 COMMITTEES
9.1 The Chairperson of all committees except the Tournament Committee shall be appointed by the President. The Tournament Committee shall be chaired by the District Tournament Coordinator. Any member in good standing of a unit of the ECBC may qualify to serve as other committee chairpersons.
9.2 The President may authorize any chairperson (except the Chairperson of the Nominating Committee) to select the remaining members of his/her committee.
9.3 The Executive Committee shall consist of the Officers of the BOD and those persons described in article 4 of these bylaws. Its function shall be to execute the decisions and orders of the BOD, to conduct routine administrative matters, to prepare long-range plans, and to act on matters of urgency. Actions taken by the Executive Committee must be reported at the next Annual Meeting of the District. The President may call a meeting of this Committee at any time.
9.4 The following shall be standing committees of the BOD:
a) The Tournament Committee, which shall be responsible for all Regional Tournaments conducted by the District, coordinating tournament schedules within the District and liaising with adjoining Districts. The sites and dates of all Regional Tournaments shall be approved by the Executive Committee.
9.5 The BOD may establish such other committees as it deems necessary from time to time.
ARTICLE 10 FINANCES
10.1 The BOD shall have the powers to assess Units annually.
ARTICLE 11 FISCAL YEAR
11.1 The fiscal year of the District shall terminate on the 31st day of December in each and every year.
ARTICLE 12 FINANCIAL REVIEW COMMITTEE
12.1 The BOD shall, at the Annual Meeting, appoint a committee of three (3) members of the District to perform a review of the ^inancial records for the ensuing year. This committee will review expenses and receivables as well as the balance sheet for potential errors and omissions and verify the existence of any assets valued at over ten thousand dollars ($10,000). No signing of^icer for the District may serve on the committee. The committee may nominate one of its members to conduct the reviews described herein. A report by the committee shall be made in writing and presented at the Annual Meeting.
12.2 At any time if the Financial Review Committee deems it necessary and recommends the same, the BOD shall appoint a qualified external accountant to conduct a review or audit of the financial records of the District.
ARTICLE 13 AMENDMENTS
13.1 These by-laws may be amended by a majority vote of the BOD present at any regular Annual Meeting or at any Special Meeting called for that purpose. Members of the BOD shall be informed of a proposed amendment at least 15 days in advance of the meeting, failing which, unanimous consent of the present shall be required.
Eastern Canadian Bridge District