Article I. Membership

Section 1. Eligibility.
Individual membership is open to all persons eighteen years or older, who at the time of joining who subscribe to the purpose of this club. Any person who has been deprived, suspended, debarred, expelled from or whose membership has been terminated from the Canadian Kennel Club, the American Kennel Club or any other national registering body for dogs shall not be granted membership to this club.

Section 2. Dues.
Membership Dues shall be payable by the 1st day of each year. During the month of August, the Secretary shall notify each member that the dues for the ensuing year are payable as of November 1st

Fees shall be reviewed and set by the Board from time to time. The Secretary shall notify members of membership fees for the upcoming year each August. The dues paid by first time applicants for membership between September 1st and December 31st of each year shall cover the remaining portion of the current fiscal year, and carry over to cover the new member's dues for the next following fiscal year.

Section 3. Application for Membership.
Each applicant for membership shall apply on a form as approved by the Board of Directors and which shall provide that the applicant agrees to abide by these Constitution and By Laws, and the rules of the Canadian Kennel Club. Accompanying the application, the prospective member shall submit dues for payment for the current year.

The names and addresses of the applicants shall be posted in the Club's FaceBook Group page. If the Membership Chairperson receives no objections within 30 days after publication date, the Membership shall become effective immediately. If an objection is received, the application must be voted on by the Board within 30 days of receipt of objection by the Membership Chairperson and the applicant notified of the result.

Section 4. Termination of Membership.
Memberships may be terminated:
By resignation. Any member in good standing may resign from the club upon written notice to the Secretary; but no member may resign when in debt to the club. Dues obligations are considered a debt to the club and they become incurred on the first day of each fiscal year.
By lapsing. A membership will be considered as lapsed and automatically terminated if such members, dues remain unpaid 90 days after the first day of the fiscal year. The Board of Directors has the right to review, on an individual basis, cases of late renewals. In no case shall a person whose dues are unpaid, be entitled to vote.
By expulsion. A membership may be terminated by expulsion as provided in these By Laws.
In the case that the Member's Canadian Kennel Club, American Kennel Club or any other national registering body for dogs membership has been terminated;
Any individual rejected for membership by the club shall be provided with a written explanation.

Article II. Meetings

Section 1. Annual Meeting.
The annual meeting of the club shall be held in November; at a date and hour designated by the Board of Directors. The Secretary shall email written notice of the meeting to each voting member at least 60 days prior to the date of the meeting. The quorum for the annual meeting shall be 10 percent of the voting members of the club in good standing. In the absence of a quorum, the voting members present may adopt recommendations to be presented to the membership for decision by written ballot cast by email.

Section 2. Special Club Meetings.
Special club meetings may be called by the President or by a majority vote by the voting members of the Board who are present at the meeting of the Board or who vote by email, and shall be called by the Secretary upon receipt of a petition signed by 10 percent of the voting members of the Club who are in good standing. Such meetings shall be held at a date, place and time designated by the Board of Directors. The Secretary shall email written notice of such a meeting at least 30 days and not more than 45 days prior to the meeting. A quorum for such a meeting shall be 10 percent of the voting members in good standing.

Section 3. Board Meetings.
The first meeting of the Board shall be held immediately following the annual meeting and election. Other meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held at such time and places as are designated by the President or by a majority of the entire Board. The Secretary shall e-mail written notice of such meetings to each member of the Board at least 30 days prior to the date of the meeting.

The Board of Directors may also conduct its business by conference call or electronic means. The Secretary shall conduct such meetings. The meetings will be followed up in writing to each Board member within 7 days.

Article III. Directors and Officers.

Section 1. Board of Directors.
The Board shall be comprised of the President, Vice-President, Secretary/Treasurer and a minimum of four (4) Regional Directors representing a minimum of four (4) of the six (6) regions across Canada; the six (6) regions being: British Columbia, the Prairie Provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba), Ontario, Quebec, Atlantic Provinces, and the Yukon, Nunavut and Northwest Territories. Directors must reside in the area that they represent. The Officers and Directors shall be elected at the Annual Meeting, and shall hold office for a term of 3 years or until their successors have been elected. No Officer or Director shall serve more than 6 consecutive years without intervening time of at least 3 years. More than half a term is considered a full term. General management of the club's affairs shall be entrusted to the Board of Directors. The club shall suspend from the Board any person deprived, suspended, debarred, expelled or whose membership has been terminated by the Canadian Kennel Club, the American Kennel Club or any other national registering body for dogs.

Section 2. Officers.
The club's Officers, consisting of the President, Vice-President, Secretary/Treasurer shall serve in their respective capacities both with regard to the club and it's meetings and the Board and its meetings. All must be members in good standing of the Canadian Kennel Club.

The president shall preside at all meetings of the club and of the Board shall have the duties and powers normally appurtenant to the office of the president in addition to those particularly specified by these By-Laws.

The Vice-President shall have the duties and exercise the powers of the President in case of the President's death, absence, or incapacity and shall perform such duties as requested by the President or the Board of Directors.

The Secretary shall keep a record of all votes taken by email and of all matters of which a written record shall be ordered by the Club. The Secretary shall have charge of the correspondence, notify members of meetings, notify Officers and Directors of their election to office, keep a roll of the members of the Club with their addresses, and carry out such other duties as prescribed in these By-Laws or as requested by the Board of Directors.

The Treasurer shall collect and receive all moneys belonging to the Club. The Treasurers books shall at all times be open to inspection of the Board and the Treasurer shall report to them at every meeting the condition of the club's finances and every item of receipt or payment not reported before; and at the annual meeting he/she shall render an account of all moneys received and expended during the fiscal year. The club must have a separate and independent bank account in the name of the club and all cheques drawn from the club account must have the signature of one duly appointed signing officer and the name of their office.

Section 3. Vacancies.
Any vacancies occurring on the Board or among the Officers during the year shall be filled until the next Annual Election by a majority vote of the remaining voting members of the Board; except in the office of President shall be filed automatically by the Vice-President, and the resulting vacancy in the office of Vice-President shall be filled by the Board. An office shall automatically become vacant if the officer or director shall be absent for more than two meetings in a year unless excused by the President.

Article IV. The Club Year, Voting, Nominations, Elections.

Section 1. Club Year.
The Club's fiscal year shall begin on the 1st day of January and end on the 31st day of December. The Club's official year shall coincide with the fiscal year. The elected Officers and Directors shall take office January 1st to coincide with the fiscal and official year and each retiring Officer shall turn over to his successor in office all property and records relating to that office within thirty days.

Section 2. Voting.
At the Annual Meeting or at a special meeting of the club, voting shall be limited to those voting members in good standing who are present at the meeting, except for annual election of officers and directors and amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws. Voting by proxy shall not be permitted. The Board of Directors may decide to submit other specific questions for decision of the members cast by written ballot cast by email. Each voting Member and each Family Membership shall be entitled to One (1) vote.

Section 3. Annual Election.
The election of the Officers shall be conducted by email ballot. Ballots to be valid must be received by the Secretary (or an independent individual or firm designated by the Board by 7 days before the Annual General Meeting.

Section 4. Nomination and Ballots.
No person may be a candidate in a club election who has not been nominated in accordance with these By-Laws. A nomination Committee shall be chosen by the Board of Directors three months before the Annual General Meeting. The committee shall consist of three members from different provinces, all members in good standing, no more than one shall be a member of the current Board of Directors. The Board shall name a chairperson for the committee. The nominating committee shall conduct its' business by email or telephone conference call.

The nominating committee shall nominate from eligible members of the club one candidate for each office and each position on the Board of Directors and shall procure acceptance of each nominee so chosen. The committee should consider geographical representation of the membership to the extent that it is practicable to do so. The committee shall then submit its slate of candidates to the Secretary who shall email the list, including the full name of each candidate, and the province in which the person resides, to each voting member of the club 6 weeks before the Annual General Meeting so that additional nominations may be made by the voting members if they so desire.

Additional nominations of eligible members may be made by written petition and addressed to the Secretary and received by email at his/her regular address at least 4 weeks before the Annual General Meeting signed by two voting members and accompanied by written acceptance of each additional nominee signifying their willingness to be a candidate. No person shall be a candidate for more than one position, and the additional nominations, which are provided for herein, may be made only among those members who have not accepted a nomination from the nominating committee.

If no valid additional nominations are received by the Secretary on or before four weeks before the Annual General Meeting, the nominating committee's slate shall be declared elected at the time of the annual meeting, no ballot shall be required.

If one or more additional nominations are received by the Secretary 4 weeks before the AGM he/she shall, email to each member in good standing, a ballot listing all of the nominations for each position, with the names of the provinces in which they reside, and a return ballot envelope. The inspector of the election shall check the returns against the list of members whose dues are paid for the current year, and shall certify the eligibility of the voters as well as the results of the voting which shall be announced at the annual meeting.

Nominations cannot be made at the annual meeting or in any manner other than those provided in Article IV, Sections 4a and 4b.

Article V. Committees and Branches.

Section 1.
Subject to the approval of the Board, the President may appoint standing committees to advance work of the Club in such matters as dog shows, obedience trials, agility trials, trophies, annual prizes, picnics, membership and other fields that may be well served by committee. Such committees shall always be subject to the final authority of the Board. Special committees may also be appointed by the Board to aid it on particular projects.

Section 2.
Any committee appointment may be terminated by a majority vote of the full Board upon written notice to the appointee; and the President, with the approval of the Board, to aid it on particular projects.

Section 3.
Members of the Club who reside in the same region may, with the approval of the Board, form a branch of the American Staffordshire Terrier Club of Canada. No branch shall be approved unless an application has been filed with the Board. The application shall be signed by at least ten (10) members of the Club in good standing who are residents of the designated region. The application shall state the proposed boundaries and name chosen by the applicants for the branch.

As soon as the formation of a branch has been approved by the Board, the Secretary of the Club shall send a notice to all members of the Club who reside in the designated territory announcing the action of the Board and setting the schedule for election of the first executive committee of the branch and for adoption of bylaws. The notice shall name three of the members who signed the application as temporary officers.

The election of an executive committee to manage the affairs of the branch and the adoption of bylaws shall be carried out through procedures established by the American Staffordshire Terrier Club of Canada. The Bylaws of a branch shall not contain anything that is at variance with the expressed purposes of the Club or with these Bylaws and shall be approved as specified by the Board before becoming effective. A branch may not change its name, its boundaries, or its bylaws without approval as specified by the Board.

The Board may, by affirmative vote of a majority of Directors, suspend or annul a branch if, in the judgment of the Board, such action is in the best interest of the Club. Such action shall not affect the standing of the individual members as members of the Club. The Board shall not suspend or annul a branch until the following conditions are met: (1) written specification of the ground or grounds upon which the proposed action is to be based shall have been furnished to the members of the branch involved and to the officers of the American Staffordshire Terrier Club of Canada Board of Directors; (2) a reasonable opportunity shall have been provided for members of the branch to present evidence in opposition to the proposed action with a full opportunity to be heard thereon; and (3) the advice of the American Staffordshire Terrier Club of Canada Board of Directors on the proposed action shall have been received.

Any member of the Club who resides within the territorial limits of a branch shall be considered to be a member of that branch and shall be entitled to its privileges. No member shall belong to more than one branch.

Article VI. Discipline.

Section 1. Canadian Kennel Club Suspension.
Any member who is suspended, debarred, the Canadian Kennel Club, American Kennel Club or any other national registering body for dogs shall automatically be suspended from the privileges of this club for a like period.

Section 2. Complaints.
Any member may lay a complaint against a member for alleged misconduct prejudicial to the best interests of the club or the breed. Written complaints with specifications must be filed in duplicate to the Secretary. The Secretary shall promptly send a copy of the complaint to each member of the Board or present them at a Board meeting, and the Board will consider whether the actions alleged in the complaint, if proved, might constitute conduct which would be prejudicial to the best interests of the Club or breed, or it may refuse to entertain jurisdiction. If the Board entertains jurisdiction of the complaint, it shall fix a date for hearing of the Board or a committee of no less than three members of the Board, not less than three weeks nor more than six weeks hereafter. The Secretary shall send one copy of the accused member with the notice of the hearing and assurance that the defendant may personally appear in his own defense and bring witnesses if he wishes.

Section 3. Board Hearing.
The Board or Committee shall have complete authority to decide whether counsel may attend the hearing, both complainant and defendant shall be treated uniformly in that regard. Should the complaint be sustained after hearing the testimony presented by the complainant and the defendant, the Board or committee may by a majority vote of those present suspend the defendant from all privileges of the club for not more than six months from the date of the hearing, or until the next annual meeting if it will occur within six months. And, if it deems that punishment insufficient, it may also recommend to the membership that the penalty be expulsion. In such case, the suspension shall not restrict the defendant's right to appear before his fellow members at the ensuing club meeting which considers the recommendation of the Board or committee. Immediately after the Board or committee has reached a decision, its findings shall be put in written form and filed with the Secretary. The Secretary, in turn, shall notify each of the parties of the decision and penalty, if any.

Section 4. Expulsion.
Expulsion of a member of the club may be accomplished only at the annual meeting of the club following a hearing and upon the recommendation of the Board or committee as provided in Section 3 of this ARTICLE. The defendant shall have the privilege of appearing in his own behalf though no evidence shall be taken at this meeting. The President shall read the complaint and the findings and recommendations, and shall invite the defendant, if present, to speak in his or her own behalf. The meeting shall then vote by secret written ballot on the proposed expulsion. A two-thirds vote of those present and voting at the annual meeting shall be necessary for expulsion.

Article VII. Amendments.

Section 1.
Amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws and the standard for the breed may be amended at any time provided a copy of the proposed amendment has been mailed or emailed by the Secretary to each member in good standing on the date of mailing, accompanied by a ballot on which he or she may indicate his or her choice for or against the action to be taken. The notice shall specify a date not less than thirty days after the date of mailing by which date the ballots must be returned to the Secretary to be counted. The favourable vote of two-thirds of the members in good standing who return valid ballots within the time limit shall be required to effect any such amendment.

Amendments to the constitution, the by-laws and breed standard may be proposed by the Board of Directors or by written petition addressed to the Secretary signed by ten members in good standing. Amendments proposed by such petition shall be considered by the Board of Directors at the next regular meeting and must subsequently be presented to the Board within Ninety days of the date when the petition was received by the Secretary.

Article VIII. Dissolution.

Section 1.
The club may be dissolved at any time by providing to the CKC, written documentation signed by at least 2/3 of the members of that club who are in favour of this decision. Proxies are not permitted. In the event of the dissolution of the club, other than for the purpose of re-organization, whether voluntary or in voluntary or by operation of law, none of the property of the club nor any of assets of the club shall be distributed to any member of the club, its property and assets shall be given to a charitable organization for the benefit of dogs selected by the Board of Directors.

Article IX. Order of Business.

Section 1.
At meetings of the club, the order of business so far as the character and nature of the meeting may permit shall be as follows:

Roll Call
Minutes of the last meeting
Report of the President
Report of the Secretary
Report of the Treasurer
Report of Committees
Election of Officers and Board (at annual meeting)
Election of new members
Unfinished business
New Business
Adjournment

Section 2.
At meetings of the Board, the order of business unless otherwise directed by a majority vote of those present shall be as follows:
Report of the Secretary
Report of the Treasurer
Report of Committees
Unfinished Business
Election of new members
New Business Adjournment