BY-LAWS OF THE WESTERN CANADA SAMOYED CLUB

Article I -- Membership

Sec. 1. There are 4 classes of membership in the Western Canada Samoyed Club:
Charter Members are a core group of fifteen (15) individuals, appointed by existing Board Members as of December 15, 2007. Charter members are to be active on a committee for a minimum of one (1) year; must be one of two sponsors for any new members; can nominate individuals to the Board of Directors; and have voting rights. Future Charter Members are determined when there is a vacancy within the existing Charter Members pool; nomination of any active Regular Member by a minimum of three (3) existing Charter Members; a majority vote within 60 days by the existing balance of Charter Members. The termination of a Charter Member requires a formal complaint signed by a minimum of three (3) existing Charter Members, forwarded to the Board of Directors; and a majority vote within 60 days of the existing balance of Charter Members to terminate membership. A Charter Member will be automatically terminated if convicted of animal cruelty. To be eligible to be a Charter Member, an individual must be a Regular Member for at least one (1) year; must live in the Club region; must have a current dog(s) in the home that has, or had in the past, a CKC or AKC conformation Championship title, and a dog(s) with at least one of the following or equivalent – verifiable Therapy Dog status, CKC Obedience title, CKC Rally-O title, CKC Agility title, CKC Herding title, CKC Carting title, verifiable sledding miles of a minimum of 50 miles, verifiable weight pull of a minimum of 500 pounds, or verifiable pack hike miles of a minimum of 25 miles.
Regular Members may apply to convert from Associate Membership after one (1) year. Regular Members must own a Samoyed; must live within the Club region; renewal of Regular Membership must include an explanation of hours spent at Club events or on Club committee work within the previous twelve (12) months. Regular Members have voting rights. Termination of Regular Membership can occur when two (2) unrelated Regular Members in good standing forward a signed complaint to the Board of Directors, and the BOD will forward the complaint to the Charter Members; a majority vote of Charter Members will determine the status of the Regular Member. Automatic termination of membership will occur if any Member is convicted of Animal Cruelty.
Associate Members includes those who do not own a Samoyed, live outside the Club region, and/or are first year members of the Club. They do not have voting rights. After one (1) year, Associate Members may become Regular Members if they own a Samoyed and live within the club region. Associate Members pay the full regular membership fee and have access to the Club newsletter.
Junior Members are those under 18 years of age. They do not have to own a Samoyed, but must live within the Club region. Junior Members pay a discounted membership fee, which includes access to the Club newsletter.

Article II – Organization

Sec. 1 Officers: The Officers of the Club shall be a President, a Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, or combined Secretary-Treasurer.

Sec. 2 The Executive of the Club shall consist of the above officers together with the immediate Past President.

Sec. 3 The Board of Directors of the Club shall consist of the Executive and Charter Members together with the chairpersons of all standing committees and, in the discretion of the Executive, the chairpersons of ad hoc committees.

Sec. 4 The Standing Committees of the Club shall be: Working Committee; Obedience/Rally-O/Agility Committee; Conformation Committee; Rescue Committee; and Media Relations Committee.

Sec. 5 Responsibilities of Standing Committees:
Working Committee shall include coordination and reporting of activities such as sledding, therapy, skijoring, pack hiking, carting, herding and weight pull; shall not be only for activities formally recognized by the Canadian Kennel Club; may confer with the Canadian Kennel Club on event rules.
ORA Committee shall represent Club involvement in the activities of Obedience, Rally-O and Agility, including statistical record keeping.
Conformation Committee shall oversee Club activities at conformation dog shows; shall review the current wording of the Canadian Kennel Club standard for the Samoyed breed; shall participate in judges’ education events.
Rescue Committee shall be responsible for the coordination of the Club’s rescue program.
Media Relations Committee shall maintain the Club Website; shall develop a breed information pamphlet; shall advertise Club events on other sites (such as Sled Dog Central).

Sec. 6. The Board may from time to time appoint such Chairpersons and committees, as it deems expedient, fix the duties to be performed and fix the term of appointment. Any committee appointment may be terminated by a majority vote of the Board upon written notice being sent to the appointee, and the Board may appoint a successor to the person whose services have been terminated.




Article III -- Finance

Sec. 1 The Financial Year of the Club shall commence on January 1st and shall conclude on the December 31st next following.

Sec. 2 Dues shall be the amounts specified in the Standing Resolutions hereunder.

Article IV– Alteration of By-Laws

Sec. 1 Any proposal to alter these By-laws shall be presented for debate in at least two regular meetings of the Club.

Article V -- Election of Officers

Sec. 1. Nomination slips will be forwarded to all members by October 1st.
Sec. 2. Nominations shall be filed with the Secretary by October 31st and shall include the name of the nominator together with the assurance that the candidate is willing to serve in the office for which nominated.
Sec. 3. The Secretary shall cause to be printed on the Club website the name of all candidates with the office for which nominated together with the names of the proposer and seconder.
Sec. 4. Voting for the election of officers shall be by secret ballot. A ballot and a ballot envelope shall be mailed to all members in the first week of November. Each member voting shall complete the ballot and seal it in the ballot envelope. The Ballot envelope shall then be enclosed in an outer envelope and forwarded to the Secretary by November 30th. This outer envelope only is to be marked with the sender’s name. The Secretary shall check the sender’s name against the membership list and forward the ballot envelopes unopened to two (2) scrutinizers appointed by the Board to open and tabulate the ballots. The scrutinizers are to be chosen from among the non-voting members of the Club. The result of the vote is to be in the President’s and Secretary’s (or Secretary-Treasurer’s) hands by December 14th. Scrutinizers decide which ballots will be considered spoiled.
Sec. 5. The President shall then notify the newly elected officers and the Secretary shall keep the tabulated results for the Club records and for publication on the Club website. The Secretary shall also advise the Canadian Kennel Club and Dogs in Canada Magazine of the names of the elected officers of the Club.
Sec. 6. All ballots must be retained by the President for a period of not less than thirty (30) days after publication on the Club website of the results.
Sec. 7. A simple majority vote shall elect a candidate for office. In the event of a tie, the Board shall have the Secretary (or Secretary-Treasurer) conduct an election for the respective position, with only the candidates tied eligible to be candidates and only those who were eligible to vote in the main election eligible to vote in this second election.



STANDING RESOLUTIONS OF
THE WESTERN CANADA SAMOYED CLUB

SR 1. Title of the Motion: Membership Fees (Motion #7)
Date of the Motion: December 15, 2007
Motion by Evelyn Kostal, Seconded by Sandra Post
That the Club accept the following membership fees:
Associate Member – Single- At application - $30 (includes $10 initiation fee), Renewal - $20;
Associate Member – Family – At application - $40 (includes $10 initiation fee), Renewal - $30;
Regular Member – Single - $20;
Regular Member – Family - $30;
Junior Member - $10.
MOTION CARRIED.
Motion to enter Motion #7 into the list of Standing Resolutions:

On June 26, 2008, Motion by Sandra Post that Motion #7, Membership Fees, be included in the list of Standing Resolutions. Seconded by Pat Cummins. MOTION CARRIED.