Branch Bylaws
& Rules
Branch Bylaws
ALBERTA-NORTHWEST TERRITORIES COMMAND
INNISFAIL BRANCH NO. 104
OF THE ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION
- NAME:
This Branch shall be known as the Alberta-Northwest Territories Command, Innisfail Branch No. 104 of The Royal Canadian Legion and shall hereinafter be
referred to as the Branch. - MEMBERSHIP:
Branch Membership shall be comprised of Life, Ordinary, Associate, Affiliate Voting, and Affiliate Non-Voting in accordance with the General By-Laws of The Royal Canadian Legion. - ENTITLEMENT TO VOTE AND HOLD OFFICE:
(a) No person shall be nominated except as otherwise provided in these Bylaws. Only Life, Ordinary, Associate and Affiliate Voting members in good standing shall have the right to vote or hold office at any level within this branch. Members so nominated must be present at the nominating meeting or have signified in writing willingness to accept such office.
(b) Subject to the General By-Laws and Alberta-NWT Command policy, a member in good standing may hold more than one position within the Branch; however, the holding of two (2) Officer positions simultaneously should be avoided. Conversely, an elected/appointed Officer or Executive Committee member of this Branch shall not hold office at different levels simultaneously (i.e. in the Branch, District, Alberta-NWT Command or Dominion Command). - INITIATION:
Every new member shall be initiated according to the Ritual, Awards and Protocol Manual prior to receiving a membership card. - COMPLAINTS AND DISCIPLINE:
The Procedure for lodging complaints against members and the subsequent disciplinary action shall be strictly in accordance with Article III of the current General By-Laws. - ANNUAL DUES:
(a) Every member shall pay annual dues in an amount to be decided upon by a General Meeting of the Branch.
(b) Members whose dues are not paid by the thirty-first (31st) of January annually are considered not to be in good standing and shall be dealt with in accordance with the General By-Laws as amended. - OFFICERS:
The Officers of the Branch shall be:
(i) the President;
(ii) the Immediate Past President;
(iii) the Vice-President(s); and
(iv) the Treasurer. - EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:
(a) The Branch Executive Committee shall be:
(i) the Officers; and
(ii) three (3) or more Executive Members as may be required for the proper operation of the Branch.
(b) The Branch Executive Committee shall take office and assume their duties and functions fourteen (14) days after their election or at the end of the month in which they were elected, whichever period shall be the longer, and shall be installed in accordance with the Ritual, Awards and Protocol Manual and the General By-Laws as amended.
(c) Subject to the jurisdiction of the membership of the Branch assembled in a General Meeting, the Executive Committee shall meet monthly and transact the business of the Branch.
(d) The duties and obligations of the Executive Committee shall be in accordance with the Branch Leadership Manual. - GENERAL MEETING:
A General Meeting of the Branch shall be held monthly, except January, March, May, June, July, August, October and December, at which time the minutes of the previous General Meeting shall be read or distributed and adopted. - ANNUAL MEETING:
An Annual Meeting shall be held in February each year for the receiving of a report of Branch finances and for the election of the Branch Executive Committee, or in lieu thereof for deciding the date and method of electing the Branch Executive Committee. - QUORUM:
A quorum for all meetings shall be twenty-five (25) voting members or shall consist of those members present who are in good standing. - STANDING COMMITTEES:
(a) The President may appoint a Chairman for each of the following Standing Committees at the first meeting of the Executive Committee following the election:
(i) Finance (the Treasurer);
(ii) Entertainment;
(iii) Membership;
(iv) House and Property;
(v) Sick and Visiting;
(vi) Sports and Games;
(vii) By-Laws and Resolutions;
(viii) Poppy;
(ix) Ways and Means; and
(x) Other Committees as deemed necessary.
(b) Each Chairman so appointed shall select the members of the Committee, submitting same to the Executive Committee for approval at its next meeting.
(c) Chairman of Standing Committees shall submit a written report to the Executive Committee at each meeting, or as agreed upon, by request of the Executive Committee. - FINANCIAL:
(a) The Chairman of the Finance Committee (Treasurer) shall:
(i) maintain an accurate and true account of all monies received and paid out by the Branch;
(ii) maintain a record of all other financial transactions of the Branch;
(iii) be a signatory on all Branch financial accounts; and
(iv) deposit all Branch funds, in the name of the Branch, in a bank or other recognized financial institution designated by the Branch.
(b) All Branch cheques, drafts, or orders of payment of money shall be signed by the Chairman of the Financial Committee (Treasurer) and the Branch President or such person as the Executive Committee may designate. No two signing authorities may be related to each other nor live in the same domicile - AMENDMENTS TO BY-LAWS:
(a) These By-Laws shall not be altered, amended, varied, or added to except
by Notice of Motion.
(b) Any Notice of Motion must:
(i) be given in writing at the General Meeting prior to the one at which it will be given consideration;
(ii) detail such alteration, amendment, variation, deletion, or addition;
(iii) be signed by the member presenting the Notice of Motion; and
(iv) receive a majority of two-thirds (2/3) of the voting members present at the Meeting at which it is given consideration. - EFFECTIVE DATE OF BRANCH BY-LAWS:
These By-Laws shall not be in effect until approved by Alberta-NWT Command.
The purposes and objects of the Legion are to constitute an association of those who have served or are serving in Her Majesty’s Armed Forces or any Auxiliary Force and of others who support the purposes and objects of the Legion, which association shall be democratic and non-sectarian and shall not be affiliated to, or connected directly or indirectly with any Political Party or organization.
Rules
These regulations are designed to enhance the club atmosphere and provide congenial surroundings and facilities for the enjoyment of our members, their guests and visitors.
All members and guests are asked to cooperate in assisting us to conduct the affairs of the Branch in an orderly and civil manner.
- All members, guests, visitors and staff must comply with all current Alberta Gaming & Liquor Control Board (AGLC) policies & laws. The AGLC states that the licensee is responsible to ensure that patrons remain safe and free from unwanted disturbances. It is unlawful for a licensee or an employee to permit any activity in licensed premises that is contrary to any municipal bylaw or any Act or regulation of Alberta or Canada, detrimental to the orderly operation of the premises or may be injurious to the health or safety of people in the premises.
- Staff are required by AGLC to ask for proof of age whenever a person who appears to be under 25 years of age attempts to buy liquor. If unsatisfied that a person is at least 18 years of age licensee staff must refuse entry or ask the person to leave.
- AGLC rules state that it is an offence to serve liquor to anyone less than 18 years of age (minors). Management & staff are responsible to ensure liquor is not sold or provided to minors.
- Minors must be seated with a parent or guardian and behave in an orderly & supervised manner. All minors must vacate the premises by 8.00pm.
- AGLC rules state that all liquor must be consumed on the licensed premises (served liquor cannot, therefore, be consumed away from, or taken away from, Legion premises).
- AGLC rules state that staff are prohibited from providing liquor to anyone who appears to be intoxicated by liquor or a drug. Entry will not be permitted to enter the premises if intoxicated on arrival. Management and employees have the authority to instruct any person or persons to leave the premises should it be deemed necessary.
- Soliciting drinks is not permitted.
- Membership cards must be presented to any staff member upon request.
- No person is permitted to solicit money or sell lottery or sweepstake tickets on the premises without the permission of the Branch Executive or the Branch Manager.
- Profane language, loud and disorderly behaviour will not be tolerated.
- Smoking is only allowed in the designated smoking areas – electronic cigarettes are not permitted in any of the Branch rooms or Auditorium
- Members may be subject to suspension or removal of privileges if rules are not complied with or their conduct is not appropriate to the best interests of the Branch and the enjoyment of other members, guests & visitors.
Guests (Non-members)
- All non-members must be signed in by a Branch member – guest details must be provided in accordance with the information required in the Guest book.
- Guests (not minors) will be granted all the privileges of the Branch but are required to comply with all house rules and reasonable requests made by staff and management.
- Members are responsible for the custody & conduct of their guests at all times – guests must leave the premises prior to or with the sponsoring member.
- The doorperson, bar staff or any member on duty is not permitted to sign in guests.
Visiting Members
- Visiting privileges are granted to members of other Legion Branches or members of approved veteran organizations, or service associations. Proof of membership is required. Visiting members must prove membership and provide the information required in the Visiting Members Guest Book.
- Members of Canadian, US or Commonwealth forces will be granted visiting privileges either by being in uniform or by proof of membership (ID or warrant card).
- All visiting members will be granted all the privileges of the Branch but are required to comply with all house rules and all reasonable requests made by staff and management.
Dress
- Members and guests should dress in a manner that is not offensive to other guests – anti-establishment wording, logos and pictures are not accepted.
- Armed forces, RCMP, Legion uniforms, or service organization dress uniforms (or work wear) is acceptable.
- Hats, toques, hoods, caps are not allowed to be worn at any time. Berets can be worn on official duty as part of a uniform only.
- Shirts and shoes must be worn at all times – swimwear or underwear is not appropriate dress.
Head Gear Policy
Following is a directive from Dominion Command:
The turban is conserved by the Canadian government and the Supreme Court of Canada to be an item of religious headgear which members of the Sikh community are obligated to wear. This is much the same as the yarmulke in the Jewish faith. In Canada, the law considers it discrimination against these people to ask them to remove said headgear in order to gain access to premises or services. The argument that it is not discriminatory if everyone is asked to remove their headgear is not valid according to the courts. As such, The Royal Canadian Legion has always upheld the law of the land and will do so in this matter. To do otherwise would be to violate the principles on which we were founded.
While branches are allowed to set their own dress policies and operate autonomously, they must always also operate within the General By-laws that govern the granting of a charter. General By-law 109(2) states that branches: “May not issue By-laws or policy statements or authorize activities which impinge on the image or operations of the Legion as a while.” A dress policy that precludes the wearing of religious headgear does just that. Dominion Command has studied this matter at length in 1994 and from every possible angle. We are not aware of any branches that have a policy precluding the wearing of religious headgear but if there are then they are in violation of the law and the consequences may be quite severe.
Questions or Concerns?
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