Constitution and Bylaws - PDF (Printer Friendly)

Constitution

Article 1 – Name

  1. The name of the organization will be Saskatchewan Seniors Association
  2. The acronym of the name will be
  3. The address of the Association will be the address of the Secretary or Treasurer
  4. The official language of the Association will be

Article 2 – Objectives

  1. To bring Senior Citizens together in one strong Association that will work for the welfare of Senior Citizens in Saskatchewan.
  2. To offer programs and activities that benefit
  3. To work with other organizations with similar

 

Article 3 – Membership

  1. Any person may become a member if they pay the prescribed fee to the Association or club.
  2. SSAI membership fees will be set by the Executive Board with the approval of the membership at the convention.
  3. Any member who has withdrawn their membership or has been removed by the Executive Board for just cause will not have their membership fees returned.
  4. Membership fees are to be submitted to the

 

Article 4 – Voting

  1. All meetings requiring a vote on motions or resolutions such votes will be by a show of hands, unless 5 members request to have a ballot vote. If voting is to expel a member, it must be a ballot vote.
  2. The President shall not A tie will be considered as defeated.
  3. A simple 50% plus 1 shall be considered final as to the decision of the motion/resolution in question.
  4. SSAI members in attendance at district/region meetings or convention who are in good standing and have paid-up fees are entitled to vote at these meetings and may run for vacant offices.

Article 5 – Executive Board

  1. The Executive Board shall consist of: President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Past President, and Region Directors.
  2. Executive Board Elections:
    1. The incumbent President automatically assumes the position of Past President at the conclusion of the Convention as the new President assumes the President position.
    2. The President, 1st Vice President and 2nd Vice President will be elected at the convention and will take office at the conclusion of the convention.
    3. The remaining Directors are usually elected at their respective regional meetings.
    4. The Secretary and Treasurer will be appointed by the Executive Board at the conclusion of the convention.
  3. Terms of Office:
    1. The Past President will hold office until the current President’s office is vacated and will act in an advisory capacity to the Executive Board.
    2. The President, 1st Vice, and 2nd Vice will be elected for a two-year term. The directors are elected for a one-year term at their respective regions.
  4. Filling a Vacancy: In the event that an officer/director/coordinator resigns within one month after being elected, the runner-up will be elected to the position.  In the event that an officer/director/coordinator resigns after having begun his/her term or is deceased before his/her office of duty terminates, the Board shall in majority vote appoint another member to fill that position. The term of office of an officer/director/coordinator elected to fill a vacancy shall be for the unexpired term of that vacancy.
  5. The Executive Board will convene at least 4 times during the year, unless convened by the President for extra meetings.
  6. The Executive Board will use their discretion to prepare and deliver pertinent resolutions that are passed at the convention to the respective Government Officials or organizations.
  7. Executive Board responsibilities will be found in the
  8. Signing authority: Will be determined by the Executive Board at the conclusion of the annual convention or at an executive meeting as needed.
  9. The minimum number of directors will be 6.

 

Article 6 – Convention

  1. The annual general meeting shall be known as the
  2. The date, time and place of the convention will be set by the Executive Board.
  3. The SSAI constitution can only be changed at the convention. Proposed changes to the Constitution must be sent in writing (email, mail, or hand delivered) to the Clubs and to members at large at least 60 days prior to the Convention at which the proposed changes will be voted on.
  4. Motions and resolutions must be in writing, seconded, and signed and handed into the Executive Board as prescribed by the Executive Board.

 

Article 7 – Dissolution

Upon liquidation and dissolution of the Association the remaining property after payment of all liabilities, shall be disposed of in accordance with the wishes of the SSAI.

Bylaws

(Approved March 6, 2024)

Article 1 – Bylaws

  1. SSAI may make, vary or revoke bylaws which shall be consistent with, shall not conflict with, and shall not alter the intent of any part of the constitution.
  2. Bylaws may be changed at the Executive Board meeting but require a 21-day notice to the Executive Board.
  3. Bylaw changes must have a two-third majority vote of the Executive Board.
  4. A quorum will consist of half of the Executive Board members.

Article 2 – Duties of Officers

  1. President
    • shall chair all meetings and committees unless delegated to other members
    • shall not vote
    • shall act as an arbiter in consultation with the Executive Board on questions regarding the Association, handling disputes and complaints
    • shall set and be an ex-officio member of all committees and appoint a chair person
    • shall head all delegations or shall appoint a designate in his/her place
    • shall visit clubs in the Association, time and finances permitting
    • shall ensure all information passed at the Executive Board and convention is given to the persons responsible for acting on or disseminating this information.
  2. 1st Vice President
    • shall assist the President as required
    • shall take over as President upon the resignation or passing of the President for the remainder of the President’s term of office
    • shall head committees as required
  3. 2nd Vice President
    • shall have the same duties as the 1st Vice President
    • shall take over as 1st Vice President if required
  4. Secretary
    • shall be appointed by the Executive Board at the conclusion of the convention
    • shall keep the minutes of all meetings of the SSAI Executive Board
    • shall read the minutes of meetings as requested
    • shall send copies of minutes to Executive Board members, coordinators and clubs
    • shall maintain correspondence by telephone, mail and email
    • shall have custody of the official seal of the SSAI to be used on official documents
    • shall maintain a contact list of members and clubs
    • shall prepare the SSAI newsletter for quarterly Gray Matters distributed by SSM
  5. Treasurer
    • shall be appointed to the Executive Board at conclusion of the convention
    • shall receive and issue receipts for all dues, per capita fees, and all other monies of the Association, and place them to the credit of the SSAI, in a bank approved by the Executive Board
    • shall make all disbursements of the Association with the consent of the Executive Board as directed and obtain receipts if requested
    • shall keep the accounts of the Association, prepare statements for the Executive Board as required, and see that a reviewed or an audited financial statement is prepared for the annual convention
    • shall co-operate with the reviewer/auditor appointed by the Executive Board to review or audit the books and accounts and verify them correct
    • shall maintain a list of members and clubs who have remitted membership fees
    • shall sign and issue all membership cards to members and clubs
    • shall inform Directors of changes in clubs in a timely manner
    • shall have financial signing authority
    • shall receive membership fees from members-at-large and from the clubs
    • shall annually file to Information Services Corporation (ISC) to update the list of directors and submit annual financial statement
    • shall annually file to Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) – annual non-profit corporation tax return
  6. Directors
    • shall be elected annually in a region designated by the Association
    • shall ensure elections are held in the region and in each of the districts in their region
    • shall act as a link between the Association, the region, districts, and clubs
    • shall advise and assist the coordinators in the districts within their region
    • shall visit/contact all clubs in their region annually, weather, time and finances permitting
    • shall sit on committees of the Association and help with all SSAI functions
    • shall attend SSAI Executive Board meetings
  7. Coordinators
    • shall be elected annually in the district at a district annual meeting
    • shall assist clubs in identifying local problems and possible solutions and keep the Director informed of club level concerns
    • shall keep the local clubs informed about matters happening at the Association, region and district levels

Article 3 – Members at Large

Members for whom no club is available or who do not wish to join a club shall become members at large. Members are encouraged but not required to join a club to lend support at the local level. See also: Constitution – Article 3.

Article 4 – Application Rejection

  1. Club or Executive Board may reject an individual membership with a two-third vote majority.
  2. Club or Executive Board may also cancel an existing membership with a two-third vote majority.
  3. Cancelled membership will not have fees refunded.
  4. Member who has had his membership rejected/cancelled may within 30 days appeal in writing to the President of the SSAI.

Article 5 – Organizational Structures & Administration

  1. The Association is composed of members at large and members of clubs united to form the Saskatchewan Seniors Association Inc.
  2. The province is divided into districts – adjoining districts form a region.
    Boundaries will be flexible enough to take care of any necessary changes.
  3. The fiscal year will be April 1 – March 31.

Article 6 – Funding

Funding will be by per capita fee (annual membership fee) plus any additional funding (i.e. grants, donations) and fundraising as determined by the Executive Board.
If funds are available, Officers, Directors, and Coordinators may be compensated for mileage and other expenses.  They shall submit expense sheets to the SSAI Treasurer.

Article 7 – Clubs

  1. The local group shall be called a club.
  2. Each club will elect its own officers and establish its own bylaws to meet its local requirements in accordance with its constitution.
  3. Guidelines for the operation of a Club may be found in the SSAI Handbook.
  4. If a club wishes to move to a different region, a letter of intent stating the same must be submitted to the SSAI Executive Board.

 

Article 8 – Districts

  1. Each district will hold a district meeting at least once per year to elect a Coordinator, to hold office for 1-year term. Incumbent is eligible for nomination.
    (See also Constitution Articles 3.1 and 4.4)
  2. Coordinators job description in Article 2 item 7.
  3. Expenses for the district meeting will be the responsibilities of the district clubs.

 

Article 9 – Regions

  1. Each region will hold a meeting at least once per year to elect a Director, to hold office for 1-year term. Incumbent is eligible for nomination.
    (See also Constitution Articles 3.1 and 4.4)
  2. In some cases, the district and region meetings may be combined into one event on the same day in one location. Ensure that attendees break up into groups based on their district to vote/elect a coordinator for their local district.
  3. Vacant coordinator positions may also be filled at a region meeting
  4. Expenses for the region meeting will be the responsibilities of the region clubs.
  5. The regions that encompass the cities of Regina and Saskatoon may elect an extra Coordinator for these cities if deemed necessary.

Article 10 – Elections

  1. Vacant director/coordinator positions may also be filled at convention.
  2. A nomination to an executive position of a member not present at the meeting at which an election is taking place may be made if the member nominated has signed a written statement signifying acceptance.

 

Article 11 – Multiple Leadership Positions

  1. More members are encouraged to get involved in volunteer leadership roles
  2. a member may fill the positions of both district coordinator and region director if necessary
  3. If a region director or district coordinator is elected at convention to the position of President, 1st Vice President, or 2nd Vice President, they may fulfill the duties of both positions as described in Bylaws Article 2, however they are entitled to only one vote on the Executive Board. The President shall not vote.
  4. a region director elected to another provincial executive position may appoint one of the coordinators from their region to attend ongoing provincial board meetings to represent their region and vote on behalf of their region.
  5. a region director unable to attend a provincial board meeting may appoint one of the coordinators from their region to attend the meeting to represent their region and vote on behalf of their region.

Article 12 – Recognition of Members

Recognition of members may be issued by the SSAI executive board as follows:

  1. 90+ Category: anyone 90 years of age or over can receive honourary life membership (does not pay the annual fee) and a congratulatory certificate.
    A request must be submitted to the SSAI Secretary.
  2. Extraordinary Service Category: for extraordinary service to the Association, a certificate for this service may be given to the member at the discretion of the SSAI Executive Board.

 

Article 13 – Review of documents

The Constitution & Bylaws and SSAI Handbook will be reviewed at least every two years with recommendations for change being sent to the Executive Board:

  1. for discussion and potential adoption at their executive meeting for bylaw changes and handbook changes
  2. for distribution to the membership and for potential adoption at the Annual Convention for Constitutional changes.

 

Article 14 – Oath of Office

Officers shall be lined up at the front of the hall, the installing officer shall ask:
“Do you the elected officers accept the offices you have been elected to fill?”
The officers answer in the affirmative, “I do”
and the installing officer shall give the following Oath of Office:

 

“I, (NAME), do solemnly pledge upon my honour, to perform the duties of my office into which I am about to be installed, to the best of my ability, and in accordance with the principals and constitution of the Saskatchewan Seniors Association Inc. Always having a high regard for the welfare of the members and all seniors. I also promise that I will deliver to my successor in office, all records and property of this association, which may be in my possession at the close of my term of office. To all this I pledge my most sacred word of honour.”

 

The installing Officer will then say: “I now pronounce the Officers of the Saskatchewan Seniors Association Inc. duly installed into their several offices. May Peace, Harmony, and Great Achievements endure throughout your tenure of office.”

 

Article 15 – History

The Saskatchewan Seniors Association Inc. (SSAI) came into being June 12, 1981, at a joint convention held in Saskatoon, the home of the first organized Seniors in Saskatchewan, by uniting the Pensioners and Seniors Organizations, with the Saskatchewan Association of New Horizons Projects, formed in 1976, to give SSAI a membership of over twenty-five thousand.