6
Celebrating 86 Years
1938-2024
The By-Laws of the Veterans' Club of Barrie
THE VETERANS’ CLUB OF BARRIE BY-LAWS
THE NAME:
BY-LAW #1
The name of the club shall be “THE VETERANS’ CLUB OF BARRIE” hereinafter to be known as “THE CLUB”
DEFINITION FOR REGULAR VETERAN MEMBERSHIP
BY-LAW #2
The definition of the word Veteran, for the purpose of membership in The Club, shall be:
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all former and serving members of the regular or reserve Canadian Armed Forces and/or Allied Forces who have served a minimum of three (3) years in their respective Force.
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all former and serving members of the regular or reserve Canadian Armed Forces and/or Allied Forces who have qualified for service medals during a time of war and/or peacekeeping in an operational area.
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all former members of the Canadian and/or Allied Forces Merchant Navy who have served during wartime.
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have been a Peace Officer, either serving or retired, of a recognized Police
Service i.e.; RCMP, OPP/QPP or a Municipal Police Service and who has served on a UN mission or in a theatre of war.
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all members who qualify for membership shall have an honorable discharge from their service.
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all regular members shall have voting rights on all business matters conducted by The Club.
DEFINITION FOR ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP
The definition of the words Associate Member in The Club shall:
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have been a Peace Officer, either serving or retired, of a recognized Police
Service ie; RCMP, OPP/QPP or a Municipal Police Service who have not served on a UN mission or in a theatre of war.
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have been a Firefighter, either serving or retired, of a recognized Fire
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have been a Paramedic, either serving or retired, of a recognized Service.
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have served a minimum of ten years in their respective service.
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be an Honorary Colonel, or retired Honorary Colonel, so appointed or having served in the Canadian Armed Forces.
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be nominated by two regular members for Associate Membership.
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enjoy all the privileges of membership, except voting on any Club matters or serving on the Executive.
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be expected to abide by all the By-Laws of The Club.
THE OFFICERS OF THE CLUB
BY-LAW #3:
The Officers of The Club shall consist of:
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The President
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1st Vice President
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2nd Vice President
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Immediate Past President
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Secretary
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Treasurer
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Membership Chairman
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Padre
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Communication Director
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Directors at large (4)
The 13 Member Officers of The Club shall constitute the “EXECUTIVE OF THE CLUB”
The Duties & Responsibilities of the Executive are assigned by the Executive. New members of the Executive shall be nominated by the existing members of the Executive. Approval of the new Executive shall be ratified by a vote of the General Membership at the November meeting annually.
EXECUTIVE QUORUM
BY-LAW #4
To form a quorum to conduct any business for The Club the Executive shall have a minimum of seven (7) members present.
MISSION STATEMENT
BY-LAW #5
Our mission is to promote comradeship among the members through social gatherings such as dinner meetings, be informed by our Guest Speakers and just enjoy each other’s company. All members are encouraged to suggest such other activities that the members could participate in that would fall within our mission statement.
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
REGULAR AND ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP
BY-LAW#6
The Applicant shall/must:
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make application for membership on the appropriate application form.
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ensure all sections of the form are completed.
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be recommended by two regular members affixing their signatures, one of whom shall have fully vetted the eligibility of the person to be accepted as a member in good standing.
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submit the form and fee to the Membership Chairman.
The Executive shall:
(a) review the person’s application form as submitted by the Membership
Chairman.
(b) accept or reject any person’s application for membership in The Club.
(c) when the person is accepted, the Membership Chairman will advise
the applicant and arrange for his/her investment into The Club.
(d) when and if the applicant is rejected he/she shall receive a written
explanation from the President.
MEMBERSHIP FEES
BY-LAW # 7
The Membership fees are:
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for regular members $30.00
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for associate members $40.00
The membership fee is a one-time fee, the person’s name is added to the nominal role and he/she will receive a copy of The Club History, a Membership Card, a Meeting Date Card and a Lapel Pin.
MEETING DATES
BY-LAW #8
The Club meetings, usually five per year, will be held at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 147 on the fourth Thursday of the month except November when it will be held on the Thursday prior to November the 11th.
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Winter Meeting in February
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Spring Meeting in April
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Summer Mixed Meeting with Spouses in June
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Fall Meeting in September
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Remembrance Day Meeting and change of Executive in November
MEAL PRICES
BY-LAW #9
The cost of the meals shall be set by the Executive.
NOTICE OF MEETINGS
BY-LAW #10
In November of each year a Date Meeting Card will be available for all members outlining the dates and times for all meetings for the following year. New members, as they join, will also be given a date card.
The Membership Chair shall inform the membership of the date of the upcoming meetings. The Chair may also let the membership know who the guest speaker is, special arrangements for the dinner (food bank donations or spouses to attend), and other important notices such as approval of the By-Laws.
ATTENDANCE
BY -LAW 11
Members attendance at all meetings shall be recorded and any member absent for five consecutive meetings shall have his/her name deleted from the current nominal roll but, the name shall remain as a matter of record should the member wish to return to The Club. The review of the attendance records shall be carried out at the February meeting of the Executive Members who shall determine the status of such members.
A WREATH FOR REMEMBRANCE DAY
BY-LAW #12
The Treasurer shall purchase an appropriate Wreath from the Royal Canadian Legion prior to November 11th, Remembrance Day. The wreath shall be laid, on behalf of the membership, at the cenotaph by the President or his/her representative.
GUESTS OF THE CLUB
BY-LAW #13
Any person(s) who meets the criteria for membership as set out in By-Law #2 may, at the invitation of a member, be a guest of The Club and attend a Club meeting. An exception to this By-Law may be granted by the President on special occasions. If permission is granted by the President, the member should advise the President that a guest is present and be prepared to introduce their guest at the request of the President.
A widow, widower, or caregiver of a deceased member may ask the President for permission to attend a Club dinner. A request may be made by a member on behalf of the widow, widower, or caregiver.
AMENDMENTS AND/OR CHANGES TO THE CLUB BY-LAWS
BY-LAW #14
Any and all Amendments and/or Changes to The Club by-laws shall be passed by a majority of The Club members present at any Club meeting where at least two weeks notice has been given to each member by mail. Minor changes may be made by the Executive to keep the By-Laws current.
An exception to this by-law may be granted if the Executive presents a Motion to wave the requirements of By-Law #14 to the membership at any Club meeting and two/thirds (2/3s) of the members present pass the Motion for the exception. In addition any amendments, changes or business put forth at such a meeting would require two/thirds (2/3s) of the members present to vote in favor of any Motion put forth for consideration in order for it to be approved.
On approval of all amendments and/or changes to The Club By-Laws these new amendments and/or changes shall supersede and rescind all previously published By-Laws.
PRESIDENT’S SHIELD
BY-LAW #15
The Membership Chair shall ensure that the Past President’s Name is added to the President’s Shield on an annual basis.
SIGNING AUTHORITY
BY-LAW #16
In all legal and administrative transactions for The Club, two signatures shall be required for approval and the following shall have signing authority for all authorized transactions: the President, 1st Vice President and 2nd Vice President.
For Financial transactions two signatures will also be required and the following shall have signing authority: Treasurer, Secretary and Membership Chair.
GUEST SPEAKERS:
By-Law #17
As a token of our appreciation the guest speaker shall be given a Certificate of Appreciation indicating that a donation has been made to ‘Sleeping Children Around the World’ in their name. Exceptions may be made at the discretion of the Executive.
Donations:
By-Law #18
Donations may be made, at the discretion of the Executive, to organizations that support Veterans.
REVIEWING THE BY_LAWS
BY-LAW #19
The By-Laws of The Club and the Duties and Responsibilities of the Executive Members shall be reviewed on an annual basis each year at the February meeting of the Executive.
APPROVAL BY-LAW
BY-LAW #20
The By-Laws contained herein have been duly voted on and passed by The Club membership in accordance with The Club By-Laws contained in By-Law #14.
DATED THIS 26th DAY OF FEBRUARY 2024.
President Secretary.
//Original Signed By // //Original Signed By //
Paul Pirie Ellen Stahls
These By-Laws were voted on and approved by the VCB membership at the dinner on 25 April 2024.