Caledon Kennel Association Constitution & By-Laws

1. NAME, AREA OF OPERATION AND OBJECTIVES
1.1 Name
The name of the association shall be “Caledon Kennel Association,” hereinafter known as the CKA.
1.2 Area Of Operation
The area of operation shall encompass a 50-mile (80-km) radius from the boundaries of the Town of Caledon: following the arc of a circle, south to Lake Ontario/Grimsby; west of Hwy. 8 (to include Paris, Drumbo, Listowel, Ayton, Markdale); north to Georgian Bay (to include Elmvale, Edgar, Lake Simcoe, Pefferlaw) east to Hwy. 12/412 (to Ajax) to Lake Ontario.
1.3 Objectives
a) To promote and protect the interests of purebred dogs by providing professional leadership and education.
b) To hold CKC events approved for all breeds (to include, but not limited to, conformation, obedience, rally, sprinter).
1.4 Principles
a) The club shall be an incorporated, not-for-profit club.
b) The club shall maintain CKC recognition by adhering to policy set out by CKC and acknowledge that any changes in policy from time to time will supersede contravention within this Constitution and Bylaws.
c) The club shall take all necessary steps to investigate and comply with Federal and Provincial Guidelines with respect to clubs and corporations.

2. MEMBERSHIP
2.1 Membership Year
a) Membership shall be the calendar year (January to December).
2.2 Eligibility and Membership Categories
a) Regular Member
i. A Regular Member shall be at least eighteen (18) years of age and will abide by the CKA’s Constitution
and Bylaws and Code of Ethics.
ii. Entitled to one (1) vote.
iii. New members who have completed one (1) year of continuous membership and are members in good standing are eligible to vote. New members who have not completed one (1) year of membership may volunteer to serve on the Board or chair any committee as established by the CKA. In the position of Board member or chair, a new member may vote on CKA business.
iv. To maintain voting status, a Regular Member must participate in at least three (3) club activities – i.e.,
attend General Meetings, volunteer at club-sanctioned events or any combination of these two activities, per membership year.
v. If a member fails to meet the above annual requirements to maintain voting status, the member reverts to a non-voting member in the following membership year.
vi. Once the member attends three (3) General Meetings and/or volunteers at three (3) club-sanctioned activities, the member will return to full voting rights.
b) Lifetime Member
i. Any member of twenty (20) or more consecutive years in good standing shall be granted Lifetime status.
ii. Entitled to one (1) vote.
iii. To maintain voting status, a Life Member must participate in at least three (3) club activities – i.e., attend General Meetings, volunteer at club-sanctioned events or any combination of these two activities, per membership year.
c) No person who has been expelled by the CKC or convicted of cruelty to animals shall be eligible for membership.
2.3 Approval of Membership
a) Membership application to be completed and forwarded to the Secretary with appropriate fee.
b) Applications for membership will be presented for discussion and voting at the next General Meeting. The new member(s) may attend the meeting following admission to the CKA.
c) New members must be approved by a simple majority of the voting membership in attendance at the meeting.
d) New members will be notified by the Secretary within thirty (30) days.
e) An applicant whose membership application has been rejected/denied will be provided with a reason for such rejection/denial, in writing, within thirty (30) days of the decision.
2.4 Code of Ethics
As evidence of good faith and intention, all persons applying for membership shall sign the Code of Ethics, which will be an integral part of the membership application form.
2.5 Termination or Suspension of Membership
a) Lapsed membership dues over 30 days.
b) Any member of the CKA who is suspended, debarred, deprived, expelled, or whose membership has been terminated by The Canadian Kennel Club’s Discipline Committee, shall be suspended from the privileges of the club for a like period. Upon termination or suspension of membership, all records, property and related paraphernalia of the club shall be returned to a current club officer immediately.
2.6 Membership Fees
a) Annual membership fee is due January 1st.
b) Dues paid by new members joining after November 1st are applied to the upcoming membership year.

3. OFFICERS & BOARD OF DIRECTORS
3.1 Officers
a) The Officers of the CKA shall be the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, or combined Secretary/Treasurer.
b) The Officers must reside in the CKA’s area of operation. The President and Vice-President and either the Secretary or Treasurer must be members of The Canadian Kennel Club in good standing.
3.2 Board Of Directors
a) The Board of Directors of the CKA shall be comprised of the Officers, Past President and three (3) Directors.
b) The Board of Directors shall at all times by its action serve the best interests of the CKA and its members and shall only use its full authority when forced with emergency situations requiring immediate and positive action and for which there is insufficient time, in its judgment, to call a General Meeting.
3.3 Duties Of The Officers
a) President
i. Shall be a Regular Member in good standing with the CKA and the Canadian Kennel Club.
ii. Shall preside at all meetings of the CKA and shall be the Chief Executive, exercising general supervision over the interests and welfare of the CKA
iii. Shall be ex-officio member of all committees.
b) Vice-President
i. Shall be a Regular Member in good standing.
ii. Shall perform all duties of the President when the latter is absent or when requested to do so by the President or a quorum of members.
c) Secretary
i. Shall be a Regular Member in good standing.
ii. Shall keep minutes of CKA General Meetings, AGM and Board of Directors meetings and will carry on all correspondence and arrange the place of the meetings.
iii. Shall advise the CKC of the Officers and Directors of the CKA within ten (10) days of any changes.
d) Treasurer
i. Shall be a Regular Member in good standing.
ii. Shall keep all financial accounts of the CKA.
iii. Shall collect all dues and revenues of the CKA.
iv. Shall keep account of all monies belonging to the CKA in chartered bank or trust company.
e) Director
i. Shall be a Regular Member in good standing.
ii. Shall perform duties as delegated.
iii. Shall not also be a club officer.
f) Past President (ex officio position)
3.4 Term Of Office
The term of office for all Officers and Directors shall be for a period of two (2) years.
3.5 Execution of Documents
a) The President or Secretary, or designated committee chair (i.e., Show Chair, Trial Chair, Judges’ Committee Chair) shall sign contracts or documents in writing that require the signature of the club.
b) All contracts or documents so signed shall be binding upon the club without any further authorization or formality.
c) Electronic signatures by authorized signing authorities will be considered the same as if written signatures were provided in person.
3.6 Vacancies
a) Should the position of the President become vacant, the Vice-President will automatically become the acting President.
b) Vacant positions, other than that of the President, will be appointed by an online vote of eligible voting members.

4. ELECTIONS
4.1 Timing
Elections for all Officers and Directors will be held biennially, on the second Tuesday of October. The term for all Officers and Directors will start with the membership year (January 1).
4.2 Nominations
a) An Election Chair shall be appointed in an election year at the General Meeting two months prior to the election.
b) The Election Chair will ascertain if any Officers/Directors of the current Board are willing to stand for reelection in their current position or to any other position and to submit said nominations so that they may be published in the minutes of the meeting prior to the election.
c) The Election Chair will also encourage new candidates, accept nominations and run the Election Meeting.
d) Any two (2) Regular or Life Members may propose and second the nomination of a third Regular or Life Member for election, providing that each nomination is in writing, signed by the nominee, nominator and seconder, and submitted to the Election Chair and the CKA Secretary. No person shall be a candidate for more than one position.
e) Nominations will close one (1) day prior to the start of voting.
f) Positions with no nominations will be filled at the first General Meeting after the elections (see Vacancies).
4.3 Voting
a) Voting will be done by electronic ballot. The online ballot recommendation will be presented and approved
at the General Meeting two months prior to the election.
b) A list of eligible voters will be printed in the minutes two months prior to the election.
c) Successful candidates will win be a simple majority of votes cast.
d) In the event of a tie, a revote must be cast until a winner can be declared.
e) If a successful candidate declines the position, the runner-up will assume that position.
f) The results will be announced after the results have been confirmed.
4.4 Documentation
All documentation pertaining to elections, including ballots and nomination forms, shall be retained and stored for a period of two (2) years.

5. MEETINGS
5.1 General Meetings
a) Shall be held, at the discretion of the Board of Directors, a minimum of four times a year.
b) Shall be attended by members only, with the exception of speaker(s) and/or members’ guests who will be admitted to the meeting at any time following the Treasurer’s Report.
c) Meetings may be held in person and/or by electronic means.
5.2 Annual General Meeting
a) The Annual General Meeting shall be held in February.
b) The AGM may be held in person and/or by electronic means.
5.3 Board of Directors Meetings
a) Shall be held as required. Meetings may be requested by an Officer or Director.
b) Meetings may be held in person and/or by electronic means.
5.4 Quorum
Quorum shall consist of one-third of the voting members (rounded up to the next integer).
5.5 Order of Business
a) All meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order.
b) Order of Business for meetings shall be: roll call, approval of minutes of last meeting, financial report, correspondence, membership, health and welfare, committee reports (show handling, trials, shows, etc.), old business, new business, notice of next meeting, adjournment.
5.6 Voting
a) Motions shall be passed by a simple majority.
b) No voting by proxy.

6. FINANCE
a) The fiscal year will be the calendar year (January to December).
b) CKA cheques shall be signed by the Treasurer and one (1) of the following: President, Vice-President or Secretary. (No club expenses can be paid via e-transfers due to the two-signature requirement.)
c) Two signing authorities should not reside in the same household. No member of the treasurer’s immediate family shall have signing authority.
d) No Officer, Director or member of the CKA shall receive any remuneration for his/her services. The CKA will reimburse a CKA member for any accountable expenses that may be incurred in holding club functions.
e) At the AGM, a schedule of fees, including membership fees, discipline hearing fees and any other applicable fees, will be approved. Changes to membership fees should be discussed at a General Meeting at least six (6) months prior to the club’s year end.
f) Expenditures of monies other than those considered to be normal budget/forecast expenses shall require discussion at a General Meeting and approval by a simple majority of voting members present (in person or electronically). Expenses of an urgent nature that cannot wait until the next General Meeting, Board approval is required.

7. COMMITTEES
7.1 Standing Committees
Chairs for Standing Committees will be appointed or renewed at the Annual General Meeting.
a) Show Committee
The Show Chair will organize and assign volunteer tasks as required.
b) Trial Committee
The Trial Chair will organize and assign volunteer tasks as required.
c) Judges’ Committee
i. The Judges’ Committee members being the President (ex officio), Show Chairperson, Trial Chairperson and Specialty/Booster Chairperson.
ii. The President shall add a maximum of three (3) other members.
iii. Committee duties shall be to select judges and negotiate contracts.
iv. The Judges’ Committee Chair will be appointed by the committee.
7.2 Ad Hoc Committees
a) The membership, at a General Meeting, may appoint Ad Hoc Committees by a majority vote in order to further the interests of the CKA in the area of elections, events the club is recognized to hold, discipline and membership, and any other project that may require the resources of a committee.
b) The membership, with a majority vote, may terminate any committee formed for the above purpose once the committee has fulfilled its purpose.

8. CONFLICT RESOLUTION
8.1 Complaints Against Members
a) Any member may lay a complaint against a member for alleged misconduct prejudicial to the best interests of the CKA. Written complaints containing details of the alleged misconduct must be filed in duplicate with the Secretary.
b) The Secretary upon receiving such a complaint, shall forward, within thirty (30) days, a copy of the complaint, along with a notice of hearing to the defendant, the complainant and each member of the Discipline Committee.
c) The CKA’s Officers will appoint three (3) members to serve on the Discipline Committee. These appointments should be unanimous. The Secretary will attend, ex officio, to record proceedings.
d) Should a complaint be laid against the Secretary, the President shall act in accordance with these Bylaws.
e) To avoid frivolous complaints, a fee will be required.
f) Prior to setting up a hearing, mediation should be tried first.
8.2 Hearing
a) The procedure for any hearing shall be as follows: Call to Order, Chair Opening Remarks, Complainant, Defendant, Questions, Deliberations.
b) The Discipline Committee shall ensure that both the complainant and the defendant are treated fairly.
c) This meeting may take place in person or electronically.
d) Should the complaint be sustained after hearing all the evidence and testimony presented by the complainant and defendant, the committee may, by unanimous vote, impose an appropriate penalty.
e) The Secretary shall then notify each of the parties of the decision within thirty (30) days of the decision.
8.3 Appeals
a) A member who has been disciplined has the right to appeal the Discipline Committee’s decision.
b) The process for appeals will be the same as for complaints.
8.4 Complaints Against Executive
a) Where the complaint involves misconduct, misrepresentation or any breach of this Constitution and By-Laws by one or more members of the Board of Directors, written notice of the offence together with supporting evidence must be forwarded to the Secretary by email and the Secretary must immediately provide copies of the complaint to the Board of Directors.
b) The process for the hearing and appeals will be the same as for complaints against members.
c) If the Complainant remains dissatisfied and communicates dissatisfaction in writing to the Secretary, a Special General Meeting shall be scheduled by the Secretary where, by a majority vote of the membership present, the complaint will be deemed justified or disregarded.
d) If the complaint is deemed justified, resolution will be presented in the form of a Motion and the majority vote of the membership present shall rule.

9. EXPULSION
a) The members of the CKA, in good standing, shall have the power, by a two-thirds majority vote of eligible voting members, to forfeit the membership of any member of the CKA likely to endanger the welfare or reputation of the CKA by conduct on his/her part.
b) A written notice must be provided to the expelled member within thirty (30) days of the decision, which must include why the member is being expelled, who was involved in the decision and the decision itself.
c) A member has the right to appeal the decision (as outlined in Section H).

10. AMENDMENTS
a) Amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws may be made only after the proposed changes have been raised for debate in at least two regular meetings of the CKA.
b) At least two-thirds of eligible voting members must cast a ballot. Of the two-thirds, a simple majority is required to pass the amendment(s).
c) Voting will be conducted by e-ballot.

11. DISSOLUTION
a) Shall require at least two-thirds of the entire current membership (Regular and Life) to cast a ballot. Of the two-thirds, a two-thirds majority is required for dissolution.
b) Shall result in disbursement of all monies, once all outstanding debts have been settled, to an organization dedicated to canine health and/or welfare, as agreed upon by a simple majority vote of the current Regular and Life members.
c) Voting will be conducted by e-ballot.
d) The Secretary will immediately notify the CKC in writing of the decision to dissolve and include a copy of the minutes from the meeting where dissolution was confirmed.

Revised January 2025