Constitution
Northwestern Ontario Water and Wastewater Conference
BY-LAW 1: 2005
Title
This Association shall be known as the "Northwestern Ontario Water and Wastewater Conference." The acronym shall be NWOWWC.
Area Boundaries
The area represented by this Conference will take in all municipalities within the districts of Kenora, Rainy River and Thunder Bay.
Purpose of Conference
This Conference shall have as its objectives:
- The presentation of information on existing, new or improved methods of construction, operation and maintenance of waterworks and wastewater systems.
- The encouragement of exchanging experiences in the operation of waterworks and wastewater systems by utility personnel, consultants, and contractors.
- The presentation of health and safety information to reduce and eliminate accidents and lost time in the water and wastewater industry.
- To co-operate with the Ministry of the Environment and the Ontario Water Works Association (OWWA) section of the American Waterworks Association on all matters of mutual concern.
- The promotion, advancement and recognition of the water and wastewater industry to the betterment of Northwestern Ontario's citizens.
- To provide a conference environment where water and wastewater employees can be exposed to the services of suppliers, contractors, and consultants.
Membership
Membership in this conference shall be available to all municipalities within the area outlined in clause (2). This shall include Public Utilities commissions, City, Town or Village Councils, and Improvement Districts operating waterworks and wastewater departments, and shall include all personnel of said departments.
Associate Membership
Associate membership shall be available to all firms or individuals not eligible under clause (4) but who are interested in the waterworks industry and the aims and the purposes of this Conference.
Associate members are invited to attend the annual conference and arrange for the presentation of a paper of a general nature on their line of products or their projects.
Voting
All delegates representing municipalities shall have full voting privileges at all General Meetings.
Associate members shall have all the rights of delegate members except voting or holding of any executive office in the Conference.
Meetings
The Conference shall be held annually during the fall of the year. The locations and dates shall be as designated by the Board of Directors. The Chairperson may call special meeting(s), if and where required.
The Conference shall be for one and one half days between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm.
A quorum for regular meetings shall be the majority of the executive and delegates from at least 50% of the member municipalities.
Accepted parliamentary procedure shall be followed at all Regular, Board or Committee Meetings of the Conference.
Officers
An executive Board of Directors consisting of the Conference Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary-Treasurer and six (6) Directors shall govern this Conference. The Chairperson and/or Vice-Chairperson and Secretary-Treasurer shall represent this Conference when required at activities other than Regular Board Meetings.
Elections
At the Annual Meeting of the conference, a Nominating Committee consisting of the immediate Past chairperson and two (2) members appointed by the Chairperson shall present a proposed slate of Officers to be elected by the Conference membership. Any member of the Conference shall have the privilege of making further nominations.
Election of Officers shall take place at the annual Conference and the new officers will take office immediately following the adjournment of the meeting.
Term of Office
The Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson and the Directors shall be elected for two (2) years.
The Secretary-Treasurer shall be elected from the membership and will hold office until their resignation or replacement by the Board of Directors.
To commence, three (3) Directors shall be elected for a term of one year and three (3) for a term of two (2) years. Hereafter, three (3) Directors shall be elected annually for a term of two (2) years.
Board of Directors
To constitute a Regular Meeting of the board of Directors, all members must receive seven days notice of such a meeting and a quorum shall consist of five (5) members. There shall be a meeting of the Board of Directors at the close of the first day of the Annual Conference. Any member of the Board of Directors unable to attend the meetings shall notify the Secretary-Treasurer at least five (5) days before such meetings.
Should a Director leave the geographical area of this Conference or no longer be employed by a Public Utilities commission, City, Town, Village, or Improvement Districts operating waterworks and wastewater departments for any reason, the Board shall direct a member of the Conference to complete the term of said Director.
The legitimate expenses of the Directors while attending Board Meetings or at related activities shall be paid from the general funds of the Conference
The Board of Directors shall appoint a special committee for a specific purpose or duty when required.
Membership Fees
In order to defray the operating expenses of the annual Conference, registration fees shall be:
- Delegate Fee: $120.00
- Vender Booth (Standard): $350.00 (includes one representative)
- Vendor Booth (Premium): $400.00 (includes one representative)
- Additional Vendor Representatives: $50.00
Finances
- All monies collected by the Secretary-Treasurer on behalf of the Conference shall be deposited in a Chartered Bank to the credit of the Conference.
- The payment of all accounts shall be authorized the Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson and Secretary-Treasurer, and made by cheque signed by the Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson and Secretary-Treasurer.
- The Secretary-Treasurer will keep account of all receipts and expenditures and submit a statement to the Board for their approval at the regular meetings.
- The fiscal year of this Conference shall be from September to September of the following year.
Amendments
- These by-laws can be amended by a majority vote of members of the Conference at any regular meeting.
- Any proposed amendments shall be submitted in writing to the Secretary-Treasurer at least six (6) weeks prior to the regular meeting of the Board of Directors.
- Proposed amendments shall be printed on the notice of the regular Conference meeting.