Part 2 – Membership – BC Fiddlers

Part 2 – Membership

2.01 (1) The members of the Society are the applicants for incorporation of the Society, and those persons who subsequently have become members in accordance with these Bylaws and, in either case, have not ceased to be members.

(2) Provincial Directors of the Society may, by resolution passed by a majority of the Provincial Directors then in office, establish and register one or more Branches throughout the Province of British Columbia, such Branches to exercise powers not exceeding those of the Society, and not in any way judged to be in conflict with these Bylaws.

2.02 A person who is an Old Time Fiddler or Violin player, or any person interested in promoting or encouraging interest in Fiddling or Old Time music or violin playing, may apply to the Directors of any approved and established Branch of the Society for membership in the Society. Upon approval by the Branch Directors receiving the applications, membership shall be granted, subject to the payment of the annual dues in force at the time. Only when such dues have been paid in full will that person become a member in good standing and qualified to participate in the conduct of business of the Society.

2.03 Every member thus accepted shall uphold the Constitution of the Society, comply with these Bylaws, and generally support the aims, purposes and programs within their respective Branches and the Society as a whole.

2.04 (1) The amount of the first annual dues shall be determined by the Branch Directors and any changes thereafter shall be determined by majority vote at the Annual General Meeting. Annual dues are paid by each member to the Branch through which he or she is granted membership. Each Branch must forward its per capita dues to the Provincial Secretary Treasurer no later than the 1^st of February each year, the amount being determined by the number of Ordinary and Life members in that Branch as of December 31^st past. Payment is to be accompanied by a current register of members as defined in 14.01 (1) (d).

(2) The Branch Directors shall notify in writing members in default of the dues or fees payable by them; and that until such dues or fees are paid in full, the member, not being in good standing, may not participate in the conduct of business of the Society.

(3) If such dues or fees are not paid within 60 days of the date of such notice, the person in default shall automatically cease to be a member of the Society, but upon payment of all such dues in default that person may be reinstated as a member in good standing by a majority vote of the Branch Directors.

2.05 A person shall cease to be a member of the Society –

(a) by delivering his resignation in writing to the Secretary of the Branch, or by sending a notice by mail, or

(b) upon his decease, or

(d) upon having failed to pay to the Society any dues or fees as per Bylaw 2.04.

2.06 (1) A member may have his good standing membership suspended for a specific term, or be expelled from membership, by means of a special resolution presented by other members to the branch membership and passed by a 60% majority of voters at a general meeting, and following the procedure outlined in this Bylaw.

(2) Paragraph (1) of Bylaw 2.06 (above) notwithstanding, the Provincial Directors of the Society maintain the right to veto the presentation of any such special resolution for suspension or expulsion after having examined the circumstances surrounding the proposed special resolution.

(3) A notice of intention to present a special resolution for suspension or expulsion shall be delivered to the Branch Directors where the membership is held, such notice to be in writing and accompanied by a statement naming the member who is the subject of the resolution and outlining the reasons for the proposed suspension or expulsion. The Branch Directors, after investigating the circumstances and content of the notice of intention, shall either reject it outright and so notify the person(s) proposing the special resolution, or forward a copy of all their documentation on the matter to the Provincial Directors, along with their recommendations concerning the matter, for further investigation and action as the Provincial Directors see fit.

(4) Only if and when the Provincial Directors give written approval to do so may the Branch Directors allow the presentation of the special resolution to proceed and be dealt with by the Branch membership.

(5) The person who is the subject of such proposed special resolution for suspension or expulsion shall be given all reasonable advance notice by the Branch Directors that the resolution will be presented, and shall be given every opportunity to be heard at the General Meeting before a motion to support or reject the special resolution is put to a vote.

(6) In the event that the proposed special resolution is,

(a) rejected outright by Branch Directors, or

(b) vetoed by the Provincial Directors of the Society, or

The appropriate Branch President shall inform in writing the person who is the subject of the special resolution and the person(s) who gave notice of intent to present it.

(7) A statement only of the fact that such a resolution was proposed or presented, as the case may be, with no mention of the name of the person who is the subject of the proposed resolution shall appear in the minutes of any meeting dealing with the matter.

(Example: A notice of intent to present a special resolution for the expulsion of a member of Branch XX was rejected by the applicable Board of Directors.)

(8) In the event that the proposed special resolution is upheld and approved in each stage of the process and subsequently passed by a 60% majority of votes cast by members at the Branch meeting, the Branch President shall notify in writing forthwith the member who is the subject of such resolution, stating clearly effective dates of the action taken.

2.07 Four classes of membership shall be allowed in the Society, namely, Ordinary membership, Honorary membership, Life membership, and Junior membership

(a) Ordinary members in good standing shall be entitled to one vote per member on all matters dealt with at all general meetings of the Society or the Branch through which their membership is granted, and they shall be required to pay annual dues in accordance with these Bylaws.

(b) Junior members shall be under the age of 19. They shall not be required to pay annual dues providing a parent or sponsor is a member in good standing of the Society. Those Junior members who are under the age of 15, would not have the right to vote on matters of the Society.

(c) Society Directors may bestow Honorary Membership to a person, not being an Ordinary Member or Life Member, who is considered by the Society Directors to have given generous and valued service to the Society, or by Branch Directors if such service was to the Branch only and in which case it will be restricted to the bestowing Branch and not transferable. It does not carry with the right to vote on matters of the Society business. Honorary members will, however, be entitled to notice of meetings of the Branch or Society but shall not be required to pay annual dues.

(d) Ordinary Life Membership may be awarded by majority vote of the Provincial Directors then in office to any member of the Society deemed by them to have rendered long and meritorious service to the Society. Such Life Member shall not be required to pay annual dues or fees from the year of his appointment onward, but shall have all the privileges of Ordinary Membership, including the right to vote on all matters of business brought before members at all general meetings, and shall carry that membership into any Branch to which he may transfer.

(e) Branch Directors shall also have like authority to appoint members to be Life Members within their Branch, such membership to carry the same privileges as contained in paragraph (c), Bylaw 2.07, except that the Branch must pay that member’s annual dues to the Society, and the Life Membership is not transferable to any other Branch of the Society.

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