CONSTITUTION

(consolidated version, October 19, 2011)

 

PREAMBLE

The original Constitution was adopted on November 20, 1992. It was amended on March 24, 1993; March 25, 1995; and September 29, 1999. The following Constitution is #2. It incorporates the previous amendments, makes further revisions and supersedes the previous version.

 

ARTICLE 1. NAME OF ORGANIZATION

The name of this organization shall be the Lisgar Residents’ Association. In this document referred to as the "Association."

 

ARTICLE 2. MISSION STATEMENT

The mission statement shall be to advocate for the betterment of community living for all residents of Lisgar.

 

ARTICLE 3. OBJECTIVES

1. The objectives of this Association shall be to inform the membership of issues concerning their community through public meetings and printed material.

2. To lobby governments for better community health.

3. To advocate on behalf of the community on issues relating to community esteem.

4. To hold/sponsor community events in order to develop a growing sense of "community."

 

ARTICLE 4. BOUNDARIES

The boundaries shall be the East side of Highway 407 to the West side of Tenth Line, and the South side of Highway 401 to the North side of Britannia Road. (Amended October 19, 2011)

 

ARTICLE 5. MEMBERSHIP

Eligibility for membership shall include all residents within the "boundaries."

 

ARTICLE 6. ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP

Eligibility for Associated Membership shall include businesses, landlords, service providers, elected officials or any other organization or individual as deemed so by the Executive.

 

ARTICLE 7. EXECUTIVE AND OFFICERS OF THE ASSOCIATION

1. At the first Executive meeting following the Annual General Meeting, the Officer positions of President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer / Fundraising Chairperson, and Committee Chairpersons shall be elected from among the newly elected Executive.

2. Additional committees may be created as required by the Association and/or the Executive. Their chairperson(s) shall be on the Executive.

3. The duties of the Officers of this Association are:

• The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Association and shall preside at all meetings. The President, or his/her designate, shall represent the Association in all official capacities.

• The President shall have signing authority with the Treasurer, the Secretary, and the Vice-President. Two authorized signatures will be required on all cheques.

• The President shall have authority to authorize expenditures not in excess of $100.00 without the approval of the Executive.

• The Vice-President shall assume the duties of and exercise the powers of the President in his/her absence.

• The Secretary shall be responsible for the accurate recording of the Minutes of all meetings. He/she will be responsible for preparation and circulation of Draft Minutes and Agendas. He/she will be responsible for the preparation of all other documents of the Association as deemed necessary by the Executive.

• The Treasurer shall be in charge of all monies and accounts in the name of this Association. He/she will be responsible for the accurate reporting on the accounts at all meetings. He/she is responsible for quarterly written reports to be submitted to the Executive.

• The Treasurer shall sign and endorse all cheques together with the President, Vice-President or Secretary.

• The Treasurer is responsible for chairing the Fundraising Committee meetings and all activities and reports of that committee; and shall be responsible for the accounting of all monies related to fundraising.

• The Treasurer shall receive financial reports from the Chairpersons of all Committees as determined by the Executive.

• The Chairpersons(s) of each Committee shall report to the Executive on a regular basis on the activities of their respective committees.

• Environmental Watch Chairperson is responsible for chairing the Environmental Watch Committee meetings and all activities and shall report to the Executive on a regular basis on the committee’s activities.

• Promotions Chairperson is responsible for chairing the Promotions Committee meetings and all activities and shall report to the Executive on a regular basis on the committee’s activities.

• The Past President shall serve for one year following his/her last year of service as President, retaining all Executive privileges. He/She does not have to reside within the boundaries of Lisgar to serve.

 

ARTICLE 8. NOMINATION AND ELECTION

1. All candidates for the Executive, other than Past President, shall be nominated at or before the Annual General Meeting for the following year. A maximum of fifteen members of the Executive shall be elected at a duly called Annual General Meeting.  Nominations may be received from the floor of the meeting at which the elections are being held, provided that the nominee is present and is prepared to accept the nomination, or has previously indicated his /her willingness to the President or Secretary to stand for election.

2. Elections are by a majority vote by the membership at a meeting of the Association. The position of Past President is Ex-officio.

3. The term of office for the Executive, who are not officers shall be from the Annual General Meeting election date to the election held in the following year. Officers shall remain in office until their replacement is elected by the Executive.

4. In the event that any Officer is unable to complete his/her term of office, a replacement shall be elected by the Executive for the balance of his/her term.

5. Elected Officials (Municipal, Regional, Provincial, and Federal) are exempt from holding an Executive Position.

 

ARTICLE 9. MEETINGS

1. The membership shall meet at least one time each year.

2. Executive meetings shall be held at the call of the President, or any two members of the Executive.

3. Ad Hoc Meetings shall be held at the call of the President or all other members of the Executive.

4. All members of the Executive must be notified of an Ad Hoc meeting at least 48 hours in advance of the date of the Ad Hoc meeting, and must be notified at the same time of the agenda of the meeting.

5. Where circumstances warrant such action, the President may canvass members of the Executive by telephone in order to obtain a consensus.

6. Quorums:

   1. A Quorum for any General meeting of the membership or Ad Hoc meeting is established when a minimum of seven members are present.

   2. A Quorum for an Executive meeting is achieved when a majority (50% plus one) of its members are present

 

ARTICLE 10. RULES OF PROCEDURE

In the event of any procedural conflicts, the President shall use Robert's Rules of order as the basis for the resolution of such disputes

 

ARTICLE 11. AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION

The constitution may be amended at any membership meeting of the Association provided that:

1. The Amendment is promoted within the boundaries 7 days prior to the vote being called on the amendment.

2. The Amendment is approved by at least two-thirds of the voting members present at the meeting in which the vote is called.

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ARTICLE 12. POLITICAL AFFILIATION

1. The Association is a non-partisan organization, and therefore does not endorse any specific candidate seeking a public office.

2. The Association will seek all reasonable opportunities to provide members with appropriate non-partisan information about the candidates and important community issues so that members may be able to make informed decisions when electing a candidate to public office.

 

ARTICLE 13. DISSOLUTION CLAUSE

In the event this Association is dissolved, all of its remaining assets, after payment of liabilities, shall be offered to, in the following order:

1. The City of Mississauga Recreation and Parks Division, for the betterment of the environment of the LRA as it pertains to its boundaries;

2. The Dam Youth Drop-In;

3. Eden Food Bank

 

Approved at a Lisgar Residents’ Association Executive meeting held on June 12, 2002.

Approved at the Annual General Meeting of the Lisgar Residents’ Association held on

September 25, 2002.

Amended at Annual General Meetings of the Lisgar Residents’ Association held on

September 22, 2005, and October 19, 2011.

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**The Constitution is currently under revision at this time.