Constitution Last amended August 1998
Article 1 NAME
This organization
of sailors of International Optimist Dinghies, their parents, and other interested
persons shall be known as the Canadian Optimist Dinghy Association (C.O.D.A./
A.C.V.O.), hereafter referred to as the Association. Where applicable throughout
this constitution, the word may be replaced by the word She, according to the
case at hand.
Article 2 OBJECTS
The
objects of the Association are:
a.
To promote
the building, sailing and racing of International Dinghies in Canada, in full
compliance with the current Class Rules, specifications and the spirit of the
same.
b.
To maintain
affiliation with the International Optimist Dinghy Association (I.O.D.A.) and
to support its aims.
c.
To maintain
affiliation with the Canadian Yachting Association (C.Y.A.), and to be the sole
authority in Canada for the registration, measurement and certification of International
Optimist Dinghies in Canada.
d.
To act
as the parent organization for the Regional and Provincial Optimist Dinghy Associations
in Canada, and through them or independently, to maintain affiliation with the
respective Regional and Provincial Sailing Associations.
e.
To serve
as the Canadian Authority responsible for the sanctioning of National, Provincial,
and Regional regattas, individual and team racing, for the cooperation with
I.O.D.A. in the organization of World Championship Regattas and for the cooperation
with the United States Optimist Dinghy Association (U.S.O.D.A.), in the organization
of North American Championship Regattas.
f.
To serve
as the Canadian Authority for the selection of national representatives to international
events.
g.
To take any other action as shall be in the interest of the boat owners and sailors
of the International Optimist Class.
Article 3 MEMBERSHIP
a.
Junior
Membership will consist of children who are 15 years of age or less in the year
for which membership is granted, and who, by virtue of their membership, receive
all the benefits of participation in Association sanctioned regattas, events,
and publications, and whose parent or guardian is entitled to one vote per Junior
Membership at a general meeting of the association.
b.
Sustaining
membership will consist of any persons who support the objectives of the Association,
who by virtue of their membership receive all the benefits of participation
in Association sanctioned events and publications, as well as a vote at the
general meetings of the Association.
c.
Honorary
membership will consist of any person elected by a majority vote of the members
present at any general meeting of the Association who, by virtue of their membership,
receive all the privileges of sustaining Membership including a vote at general
meetings of the Association. No membership fee will be payable by an Honorary
Member.
d.
Membership
may be denied or revoked by the Executive Committee for due cause. If this is
protested, such protests will be heard at the next general meeting of the Association.
Article 4 DUES
Dues,
if any, shall be determined by the Annual General Meeting, and set out in the
By-Laws of the Association.
Article 5 MANAGEMENT AND
ORGANIZATION
a.
The
affairs of the Association shall be conducted on behalf of the membership by
the Officers, executive and other committees who shall be responsible for the
spirit of Article 2, and who shall make a full report of their actions and the
state of the Association at the Annual General Meeting.
b.
The
officers of the Association shall form the executive committee. The committee
will have full authority to conduct the business of the Association between
general meetings. It may accept the memberships or resignations of members or
officers, and replace vacancies among the officers until the next Annual General
Meeting.
c.
The
executive committee shall receive the reports of all standing and special committees
it may appoint from time to time.
Article 6 THE EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE
a.
The
executive committee of the Association shall consist of a President, Provincial
Vice-Presidents, a Secretary/Treasurer, a National Measurer and a Publicity
Officer.
b.
The
President, Secretary/Treasurer, National Measurer and Publicity Officer of the
Association shall be elected by simple majority vote at the Annual General Meeting
of the Association.
c.
Provincial
Vice-Presidents shall be elected at Provincial Optimist Meetings, or, if none
are held, by the Annual General Meeting of the Association. The number and representation
of Vice-Presidents shall be set out in the By-Laws of the Association.
d.
All
officers of the executive committee must be voting members of the Association
and shall be elected for a term set out in the By-Laws of the Association.
e.
No officer
of the executive may hold the same position for a term longer than that specified
by the By-Laws of the Association.
f.
A quorum
of officers of the executive committee shall be determined by the By-Laws of
the Association. Votes may be cast by correspondence, telephone, fax or other
communication device, and will be counted toward the quorum set out in the Bylaws.
g.
Notice
of an executive meeting shall be made in advance according to the By-Laws of
the Association.
Article 7 DUTIES 0F THE
OFFICERS
a. The President of the Association
shall preside at Executive and General Association meetings, be ex-officio,
a member of all committees and generally perform the duties of a president and
chairman of the organization.
b. The Secretary/Treasurer
shall have charge of all books, papers and records of the Association. He shall
collect all monies due or payable to the Association and shall deposit the same
in a safe place. He shall make any payments required for the purposes of the
Association and shall keep adequate records of all transactions. At the Annual
General Meeting, he shall present a statement of the Association’s finances.
He shall keep minutes of all executive and general meetings, he shall give notices,
and conduct the correspondence.
c. The Provincial Vice-President
shall serve as chairman of a regional executive under the same constitution,
and shall serve as the liaison between sailors in their areas and the executive
committee, promote the objects of the Association, arrange regional regattas,
and perform other duties as may be of value to the Association.
d. The National Measurer
shall maintain the principle of the one-design class and to this end maintain
a liaison with national and international organizations of this class. He shall
appoint authorized provincial measurers, duly registered measured dinghies,
consider complaints relating to the infraction of measurement rules of the classes
in Canada, and consider new rules as they may apply to this class in Canada,
and if approved, inform the membership.
e. The Publicity Officer
shall be responsible for the yearbook and/or newsletters to be circulated to
members and other interested parties, arrange for the widest publicity for the
class directed in the spirit of Article 2.
Article 8 STANDING AND SPECIAL
COMMITTEES
a. Nomination and Discipline
Committee.
This committee shall normally consist of the three most recent past presidents.
It shall:
i. Bring forward to the Annual
General Meeting a slate of officers for the Association.
ii. Review, consider and render
opinion in writing of any matters involving discipline within the Association.
b. Fund-Raising Committee
This committee may be appointed by the executive. The duties of this committee
will be to raise funds at the discretion of the executive for special projects
which fulfill the objects of the Association according to Article 2.
c. Regatta Committee
This committee may be appointed by the executive. The duties of this committee
shall be:
i.
To
be responsible for the organization of the C.O.D.A. National Championship,
ii. To determine the sailing
instructions, eligibility of competitors, fleet categories according to age,
and scoring system for the C.O.D.A. National Championship,
iii.
To
establish and maintain perpetual trophies for the C.O.D.A. National Championship
iv.
To
consider and recommend venues and dates for the C.O.D.A. National Championships
and to present these for approval at the Annual General Meeting of the Association.
d.
Other
special committees which the executive may appoint from time to time.
Article 9 MEETINGS
An
Annual General Meeting of the members shall be called by the Secretary upon
written notice to the members of the agenda and notice of motions as set out
in the By-Laws.
A
general meeting may be called either by the Executive Committee, or by a quorum
of the membership, in accordance with the By-Laws.
A
general meeting may appoint its own committees reporting directly,
A
quorum of members of a general meeting shall be set out in the By-Laws.
Proxy
voting rights on items specified by the executive or the membership calling
the general meeting of which written notice of motion was made on the agenda
may be granted in writing by an absent member.
Article 10 AMENDMENTS TO
THE CONSTITUTION
No part of this constitution
shall be amended or annulled except by the affirmative vote of a two-thirds
majority vote at a general meeting of the Association.
Article 11 OBLIGATIONS
All members of the Association
shall, by accepting mernbership therein, agree and have determined to agree
to this constitution and all of the provisions thereof and to the rules and
regulations made thereunder including the By-Laws and shall be bound thereby.
Article 12 TERMINATION
Termination of the Association
must be by a two-thirds majority vote. In the event that the Association terminates,
the funds and other assets thereof shall be distributed to the Youth Committee
of the Canadian Yachting Association or to the International Optimist Dinghy
Association.
Article 13 BY-LAWS
By-Laws, providing that
they do not contravene the provisions of Articles 1 to 13 inclusive of this
constitution, may be established or amended by a simple majority vote at any
general meeting of the Association.