EASTERN CANADA BRIDGE CONFERENCE

A.B.C.L. DISTRICT NO. 1

BY-LAWS (October 1994 Revision)

 

ARTICLE 1                                           NAME

 

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

 

The purpose of this organization shall be:

 

a)                   to promote and foster contract bridge throughout District No. 1 of the ACBL; and

b)                   to conduct directly, or to assign to a member Unit, such Regional Tournaments as are held within the geographical limits of District No. 1.

 

ARTICLE 3                                           MEMBERSHIP

 

All duly recognized Units of the ACBL within District No. 1 are entitled to membership in this Conference.  The Charter Members of this District are:  The Montreal Bridge League Inc., Unit No. 151; the Québec Bridge League, Unit 152; the Eastern Ontario and the Outaouais Bridge Association, Unit 192; the Canadian Maritimes, Unit No. 194; the Saguenay Bridge League, Unit No. 199; and the Acadian Unit, No. 230.

 

ARTICLE 4                                           REPRESENTATION

  1. Each member Unit shall be entitled to one delegate on the District Board and, in addition thereto, one delegate for every five hundred members of fraction thereof as of the 31st day of December of the preceding year.  Membership figures shall be those as provided by the ACBL.

  2. The member Unit shall appoint its delegates in such a manner as it sees fit.

  3. The District Director, and the 1st and 2nd Alternate Directors shall be members of the District Board and are entitled to one vote each.  The Chairperson of the Judiciary Committee shall serve as an ex-officio member of the District Board without power of vote.

 

ARTICLE 5                                           ADMINISTRATION OF DISTRICT AFFAIRS

 

  1. The management and direction of the affairs of the District shall be vested in a Board of Delegates.

  2. Each Unit shall be entitled to the number of votes assigned in accordance with Article 4.1.  These may be cast by the Unit delegates present or by written proxy.  Should it prove that any individual not be an authorized delegate, that individual’s vote shall be cancelled.

  3. The Officers of the District shall consist of a President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, and District Tournament Coordinator.  The offices of Secretary and Treasurer may be combined.  Each Officer, with the exception of the Treasurer who may be a non-voting Officer, shall be entitled to one vote.  This decision will be made by the Board of Delegates.

  4. The Officers shall be elected at the Annual Meeting of the District for a term of approximately one year starting immediately after the Annual Meeting and shall be eligible for re-election.

  5. All decisions of the Board shall be made by majority vote.  In case of a tie, the District President may cast the deciding vote.

  6. Official Duties:
    1. 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.

    2. The Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President during his/her absence or inability to serve.

    3. 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 Secretary.  The Treasurer shall present an Annual Financial Report to the Board of Delegates.

    4. The Secretary shall keep the minutes of all meetings, shall give notice of all meetings, shall conduct and preserve the correspondence of the District, and shall perform such duties pertaining to that office as the President or the Board may require.

 

ARTICLE 6                         MEETINGS

 

  1. There shall be a regular meeting of the District at a site and time fixed at the previous Annual Meeting.

  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.

  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.

 

ARTICLE 7                                           NOMINATION OF OFFICERS

 

  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.

  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 8                                           COMMITTEES

 

  1. The Chairperson of all committees shall be appointed by the President.  Only delegates on the District Board shall qualify to serve as committee chairpersons with the exception that a person who is not a delegate may be appointed by the President to serve as Chairperson of the District Judiciary Committee.

  2. The President may authorize any chairperson (except the Chairperson of the Nominating Committee) to select the remaining members of his/her committee.

  3. The Executive Committee shall consist of the Officers of the District, the District Director, plus the immediate Past-President.  The immediate Past-President shall be a non-voting member.  Its function shall be to execute the decisions and orders of the Board, 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.

  4. The Tournament Committee shall be responsible for all Regional Tournaments conducted by the District.  The sites and dates of all Regional Tournaments shall be approved by the Executive Committee.

  5. The Judiciary Committee shall be responsible for adjudicating all matters referred to it by any one of the following:

    1. The District Executive Committee,

    2. The District Board of Delegates,

    3. A member Unit of the District,

    4. An ACBL member appealing a decision of a Unit Judiciary Committee, or

    5. An ACBL member of a Unit not having a Judiciary Committee.

 

The Judiciary Committee may decline to adjudicate a matter if it deems the matter to be without merit, frivolous, or outside the scope of responsibility of a District Judiciary Committee as defined by ACBL regulations.

ARTICLE 9                                           EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS OF THE BOARD

 

The immediate Past-President of the District Board shall be an ex-officio member of the Board, but will not be entitled to vote, as such.

 

ARTICLE 10                                         FINANCES

The Board of Delegates shall have the powers to assess Units annually.

 

ARTICLE 11                                         FISCAL YEAR

 

The fiscal year of the District shall terminate on the 31st day of December in each and every year.

 

ARTICLE 12                                         AUDITORS

 

The Delegates to the Annual Meeting may appoint auditors or accountants to perform a review of the financial records for the ensuing year.

 

ARTICLE 13                                         AMENDMENTS

 

These by-laws may be amended by a majority vote of the delegates present or represented by proxy at any regular Annual Meeting or at any Special Meeting called for that purpose.  Delegates shall be informed of a proposed amendment at least 15 days in advance of the meeting, failing which, unanimous consent of the delegates present shall be required.