1. Membership:
    1. Membership is open to radio amateurs, and to individuals who are engaged in studies leading to a Certificate of Proficiency in Amateur Radio. Membership includes all Club privileges as well as rights to vote on expenditures or elections for Club officers, and to hold a Club office except as noted in Bylaw 3. Applications for membership shall be submitted with dues for the current year as applicable, at a general meeting. Because of the importance of e-mail communication to Club business, members must provide the Club with an e-mail address for communication, and must advise promptly of any address change. Membership may be withdrawn by majority vote as defined in Bylaw 2 at a general meeting.
    2. Life membership, free of annual dues or assessments, may be granted to major benefactors of the club. Candidates for nomination shall be approved by majority vote of the officers. Two weeks in advance of the next monthly general meeting, notice of the successful nominee name(s) and the intent to hold a vote on the matter shall be sent to the club members. Life members count in the membership total and for the purposes of calculating a quorum.
  2. Meetings and Voting: General Meetings shall be held monthly as advised by the President unless cancelled or rescheduled by the President and the members notified in advance. The Club’s Annual General Meeting shall be part of the December general meeting. The election of officers shall be held at the Annual General Meeting, or at the first subsequent general meeting for which at least two weeks notice of the election has been provided to the members. Special Meetings shall be called by the President, at the written request of any five Club members. Notices of Special Meetings shall be sent to all members, along with a description of the business to be transacted, so that they arrive not less than two days before the meeting. Only such business as designated shall be transacted. An e-mail notice sent to the member’s e-mail address on record with the Club is an acceptable means of communication for a notice of meeting other than a regularly scheduled general meeting. All votes or elections shall require a quorum of five members to be present. An individual who has not paid the Club dues and assessments for the current year does not count in the membership total for the purposes of calculating a quorum and cannot vote on any matter.
  3. Officers: The Officers, also called Executive, shall be the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and one Director. Officers shall be licensed radio amateurs.
  4. Duties of Officers (Executive):
    1. The President shall preside at all meetings of this Club, and shall enforce observance of this Constitution and By-Laws; decide all questions of order; sign all official documents adopted by the Club, and perform all other duties pertaining to the office of President, including the appointment of committees and other officials, as noted in the By-Laws. At the Annual General Meeting the President shall provide a brief report of the activities of the club throughout the year. At the end of his/her term he/she shall turn over all Club property (books, materials, statements, and documents relating to the President’s position), to his/her successor.
    2. The Vice President shall assume all the duties of the President in his/her absence, and such other duties as the President may assign. At the end of their term the Vice President shall turn over all Club property (books, materials, statements, and documents relating to the Vice President’s position), to his/her successor.
    3. The Secretary shall record a summary of what is done at all meetings, record a list of the attendees at meetings and make these available to the Webmaster in a timely manner prior to the next meeting. The Secretary shall maintain a record of the Club’s current Constitution and By-Laws as well as earlier approved amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws, and shall have those with him/her at all meetings, for examination on request by a member. At the end of their term the Secretary shall turn over all Club property (books, materials, statements, and documents relating to the Secretary’s position), to his/her successor.
    4. The Treasurer shall receive and receipt all monies paid to the Club; keep an accurate account of all monies received and expended; pay bills with proper authorization; and maintain the current membership list. At meetings he/she shall advise the Club of the financial status of the Club. At the end of each year he/she shall present in written form, an itemized statement of disbursements and receipts. At the end of their term the Treasurer shall turn over all Club property (books, materials, statements, and documents relating to the Treasurer’s position), to his/her successor.
    5. The Director shall be responsible for the officials and committees and other duties as assigned by the President. At the end of their term the Director shall turn over all Club property (books, materials, statements, and documents relating to the Director’s position), to his/her successor.
  5. Terms of Office: The terms of office of President, Secretary and the Director shall commence in January of an even-numbered year, and the terms of Vice President, and Treasurer shall commence in January of an odd-numbered year. To commence the rotation in an even-numbered year, the current one-year terms of the President, Secretary and Director shall be extended to two years, while the terms of Vice President and Treasurer shall expire at the end of their one-year term, with those re-elections for two-year terms.
  6. Dues: An annual assessment of $20.00 per member is hereby set. Dues for each calendar year are due and payable, in advance, on the first day of the year, or upon joining the Club. New membership dues that are paid in November or later shall be deemed to cover the current year and the following year. The Treasurer shall maintain the list of current members in good standing and shall make the list available to the President and Webmaster. The Club, by majority vote of the members present at a general meeting, may levy upon the membership additional or alternative dues or assessments. Non-payment of such dues or assessments may be cause for expulsion from the Club at the discretion of the membership. [Editor’s note: Dues were increased by majority vote on October 4, 2011 and November 18, 2019 and now stand at $30 per member.]
  7. Liability Insurance: For purposes of liability insurance coverage under the Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) master plan, an applicant for membership and all renewing members must disclose and maintain their membership status in RAC, once registered. Membership in RAC of Club members is not mandatory, but an assessment may be levied on a member to offset the additional RAC liability insurance premium associated with Club members who are not current RAC members. The assessment shall be determined by the Executive and announced to the members at the next general meeting.
  8. Bank Account: The Treasurer shall maintain a bank account with chequing privileges and shall make available to all Officers of the Club all details related to the account. The location of the account shall be announced to the members at the annual general meeting. The Signing Officers of the Club shall be the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Director.
  9. Signing of Cheques: Cheques drawn on the Club bank account MUST be signed by two of the five Signing Officers of the Club.
  10. Expenditures: Expenditures should be approved in advance, and prior to the actual expenditure. Single expenditures up to $250 may be approved by two Signing Officers and disclosed at the next general meeting. Expenditures exceeding $250 but less than $500 shall require approval by a majority of the members at a general meeting. Expenditures exceeding $500 shall be presented at a general meeting and opened for discussion on the WCARC email list, following which a majority vote will be held at the next general meeting.
  11. Communication with Members: In addition to the use of e-mail for communications within the Club, the Club shall maintain a web site to facilitate communication with all members. The web pages shall contain information about the Club, key contacts, Club Executive, meeting location and date/time, current roster of members, minutes of meetings and other information for the use and benefit of the Club members. The URL of the WCARC shall be http://www.wcarc.on.ca. Any e-mail addresses shown on the web site shall be encoded to reduce unsolicited e-mail (spam). Club members shall have full access to materials on the Club web pages, and may have other Internet-related privileges as the Club may make available. The web pages shall be designed so that all critical information is available at reasonable speed, to members who have dial up Internet access.
  12. Officials and Committees: The following appointments by the President shall have their terms of reference and reporting requirements included in a letter or memorandum of appointment, a copy of which shall be held by the Secretary who shall have these available at all meetings, for examination on request by the members.
    1. Webmaster: The President shall appoint a Webmaster who shall keep the Club web pages as current as possible. The appointment term shall be for two years.
    2. Call Sign Sponsor: The President shall appoint a Call Sign Sponsor to be the official trustee for the Club call sign and the Club contact with Industry Canada and for related matters. The Call Sign Sponsor must hold an Advanced Qualification. The Call Sign Sponsor’s address shall appear as the address of the Club for matters such as communication with Industry Canada, and for the receipt of QSL cards. Industry Canada and the VE3 Incoming QSL Bureau must be informed of any change in Call Sign Sponsor and associated address. The appointment term shall be for two years.
    3. Equipment Manager: The President shall appoint an Equipment Manager who shall record and track the Club’s significant assets, and equipment loaned to the Club, including tools, test equipment, repeater equipment, beacons, digipeaters, etc. The Club Equipment Manager shall provide his reports to the Executive and Club, at regular meetings. If a member wishes to borrow a Club asset, the Club Equipment Manager shall advise that member of the location of the asset, and shall record the new location of the asset upon advice by the original holder that he/she has released possession. The appointment term shall be for two years.
  13. Special Information Attachment: The Club shall identify the meeting place; Executive; Webmaster; Club Call Sign Sponsor; Club Equipment Manager; Signing Officers; Committees and their chairs; and any other officials appointed by the President in a Special Information Attachment to this document. The Special Information Attachment may be amended as required by the Secretary, as decided or announced at Club Meetings.

Signed by the Executive Officers of West Carleton Amateur Radio Club, Inc. in office for the Year 2008

Alphonse Penney (VO1NO) – President

Douglas Leach (VE3XK) – Vice President

Bernard Baker (VA3BGB) – Secretary

Kenneth Asmus (VA3KA) – Treasurer

Dale Hennigar (VE3XZT) – Director

Approved by all members present on August 5, 2008.

Amendments were made on the following dates: