Sechelt Community Associations Forum 

 

A DOCUMENT SETTING OUT THE GUIDLELINES APPLICABLE TO THE GATHERING TOGETHER OF THE COMMUNITIES OF THE District of Sechelt, all as more fully clarified herein.

 

1)       The full and formal name of the group is the:

“Sechelt Community Associations Forum”

but it may be less formally referred to as “SCAF” or “SCAForum” or simply as “the Forum”.

 

2)    The purposes of the Sechelt Community Association’s Forum are:

a)      to meet regularly, in an atmosphere of mutual respect, to share ideas and information and compare common problems or concerns that affect the Member communities;

 

b)      to help promote locally acceptable standards with respect to the environment, governance and general welfare within “the Forum” communities;

 

c)      to liaise with other organizations and government elected and non-elected officials, to share  knowledge, information and concerns that may affect the District of Sechelt and the Member communities within it;

 

d)      subject to “the Forum’s” operating principles, to convey to others “the Forum’s” opinions on matters of mutual concern.

 

 

THE OPERATING PRINCIPLES OF THE UNINCORPORATED Sechelt Community Association Forum hereinafter referred to as the “Forum” are:

 

Part 1 – Interpretation

.

  1. In these “operating principles”, unless the context otherwise requires:

a)      “chair” means the person so designated to act as chairperson and spokesperson as more fully set out herein;

b)      “community or communities” shall mean those commonly understood areas within the District of Sechelt which are spoken of as communities or neighbourhoods;

c)      “District of Sechelt” includes only that area so legally constituted.

 

  1. Words importing the singular include the plural and vice versa, and words importing the male person include the female person and a corporation or Forum

 

 

Part 2 – General Membership

 

  1. The Forum shall recognize three (3) levels of Membership:

a)      “Active Members” shall be those who meet the “Active Member” standards set out herein;

b)      “Attending Members” shall be community groups who do not meet the “Active Member” standards set out herein;

c)      “Associate Members” who shall be non-voting Members;

and all may be referred to as Members.

 

  1. Every Member must uphold and agree with the purposes of the Forum and agree to these “Operating Principles”.

 

  1. Attending and Active Members shall be Community and Ratepayers Associations within the District of Sechelt who have been accepted by a unanimous vote of the all the current Attending and Active Members of the Forum.

 

  1. Associate Members shall be organizations, whether incorporated or not, which have objectives similar in whole or in part, to the objectives of the Forum and who have been accepted by a majority vote of the current Members in attendance at the meeting where a name is proposed. The Membership status of Associate Members shall be reviewed and reconfirmed each year on or about January 1st by a majority vote of the Members.

 

  1. At the time of adoption of these Operating Principles the only Members are:

1)      Davis Bay - Wilson Creek Community Association

2)      East Porpoise Bay Ratepayers Association

3)      Sandy Hook Community Association

4)      Sechelt Village Ratepayers Association

5)      Sunshine Heights Owners and Ratepayers Association

6)      Tuwanek Ratepayers Association

7)      West Porpoise Bay Community Association

8)      West Sechelt Community Association

 

  1. An association ceases to be a Member of the Forum

a)      By delivering in writing to any meeting of the Forum their resignation duly signed by officers of the association;

b)      On being expelled;

c)      Upon advice to the current Chair of the dissolution of a community or ratepayers association and some reasonable confirmation from past officers of that association.

 

  1. A Member may be expelled following a motion at a Forum meeting and a unanimous vote of all Members excluding the Member being voted upon.

 

Part 3 – Active Member Standards

 

  1. To be designated as an Active Member, a Member must meet all of the following criteria as a legally incorporated association/society within their community:

a)      Accept all residents or property owners within their community for membership except as provided for in any bylaws allowing expulsion for just cause;

b)      Be active in attempting to recruit membership in their association;

c)      Be responsive to input from residents or property owners in their area who are not members of their association;

d)      Hold at least four meetings per year which are open to all association members and these can include open board meetings or general meetings;

e)      Maintain minutes of all formal meetings;

f)        Maintain a board of at least three (3) officers;

g)      Publicize at least four of the required meetings to the community at large in a reasonable way so as to invite attendance;

h)      Publish not less than four (4) communiqués per year reporting on association interests and these shall be made available to all residents in some reasonable way.

 

  1. By a unanimous vote of the Members any one or more of the criteria for Active Membership may be waived if it is shown that the Member in question is fully representing the community in other meaningful and quantifiable ways.

 

  1. Once established as an Active Member a Member shall retain that designation until such time as

a)       it either voluntarily relinquishes it, or

b)       upon review by other Members it is determined that they no longer meet the criteria and by a unanimous vote of all of the other Active Members, Active Member status is suspended.

 

  1. A Member may apply to the Forum at any time at a meeting to become an Active Member and shall be so designated if:

a)      it meets the criteria set out in section 10 and,

b)      a vote of a majority of the Members in attendance concurs including a unanimous vote in favour by the Active Members in attendance.

 

 

Part 4 - Meetings of Members

 

  1.  Meetings shall be held from time to time as the Members determine at a time and place decided by the Members at the close of each meeting or as soon thereafter as practical.

 

  1.  No quorum is required for a meeting of the Forum but for meetings where any vote is to be formally considered or formal motion proposed then no fewer than five (5) Members must be present of which three (3) are Active Members.

 

  1. All attendees must be:

a)      A director or officer of a Member or their designee;

b)      A guest of an attendee under Part 4, Item 16 a);

c)      A guest invited by a Member.

 

Part 5 – Proceedings at Meetings

 

  1. Meetings shall be presided over by the chair and he shall maintain order and invoke the agenda. The chair will:

a)      Circulate an agenda prior to meetings;

b)      Attempt to remind Members of forthcoming meetings in a timely fashion.

 

  1. An unofficial secretary:

a)      May record a brief summary of meetings which will be considered informal minutes of the meetings.

b)      Shall record within any informal minutes an official record of any votes taken by the Members and such shall be considered the formal record of the vote.

c)      Shall circulate such record for the benefit of the attendees and for posting on any web site or similar media for the benefit of Members and public.

d)      Formal minutes will not be kept of meetings except as provided in Part 5, section 18 b) to record formal votes by Members.

 

  1. Whenever a vote is taken where a unanimous result is required, then all required Members must be given an opportunity to vote whether at a meeting or by a poll taken by the Chair, and, such vote must be recorded by the unofficial secretary.

 

  1. Any tie vote is considered a defeated vote.

 

  1. Guests will be required to leave any meeting upon the request of the chair.

 

  1. Associate Members shall, as a courtesy, leave any meeting where specific matters are subject to discussion in which they may have a conflict of interest. This act of courtesy may be waived by the chair.

 

Part 6 – Directors and Officers

 

  1. As an unincorporated Forum there is no requirement for formal officers.

 

  1. A Chair shall be selected by the Members by consensus or through a vote, and

a)      Serve for not less than 3 meetings or more than 6 meetings unless a further election is held, force majeure excepted.

b)      Rotate through the Members as much as reasonable or practical

 

  1. There may be a secretary chosen by the chair or volunteered.

 

Part 7 – Recording of the Forum’s Position on Public Matters

 

  1. On occasion the Forum may wish to publicly declare a position on an issue or it may wish to take some officially recognized part in an event or function or it may wish to lend official support to some other organization or to some individual but it may only do so provided:

a)      The matter is put on a meeting agenda for discussion at meeting of the Forum;

b)      The matter is discussed by the Forum in a meeting with no fewer than fifty percent (50%) of the Members present;

c)      The matter is voted upon and carried by the Members in attendance;

d)      The matter is voted upon and carried unanimously by the Active Members;

e)      The matter is conveyed as the wishes of the Active Members of the Forum only [See specimen formats in the Addendum];

f)        Any communiqués shall be signed only by Active Members or the Chair on their behalf.

 

Part 8 – Disclosure of These Operating Principles

 

  1. On being admitted to Membership, each Member is entitled to a copy of these Operating Principles and they shall be public knowledge.

 

  1. These Operating Principles must not be altered or added to except:

a)      Where any change or alteration is voted upon and carried by a majority of all the Members, and

b)      Where any change or alteration is voted upon and carried by a majority of the all the Active Members.

 

 

ADDENDUM

 

Specimen Attachment to Letters taking a public position:

 

 

A)     NOTE:

The signatories to this letter are all “Active Members” of the Sechelt Community Association Forum”.  “Active Members” meet a list of important standards confirming they are valid representatives from the communities.

 

B)     A Qualification to this Letter:

 This letter has been signed by the “Chair” on behalf of and with the strict approval of all the “Active Members” of the Sechelt Community Association Forum. “Active Members” meet a list of important standards confirming they are valid representatives from the communities. Members who are not Active Members have also agreed with its content.

 

C)    A Qualification to this Letter:

 This letter has been signed by the “Chair” on behalf of and with the strict approval of all the “Active Members” of the Sechelt Community Association Forum. “Active Members” meet a list of important standards confirming they are valid representatives from the communities.

 

D)    Possible Addition under odd circumstances to be agreed by all Active Members:

"Notwithstanding the use of the word "all" in the above, the ____________Association(s) are not signatories to this letter."