ONTARIO ARTIST BLACKSMITH ASSOCIATION
Constitution and By-Laws
September 1991
Updated and Accepted: September 10, 2005
President: Duff MacDonald Secretary: Kim Saliba

ARTICLE I

1. Name:
The official name of this not-for-profit corporation is the Ontario Artist Blacksmith Association, which shall be abbreviated to O.A.B.A.

2. Head Office:
The head office of the Corporation shall be in the Province of Ontario and be located at the home address of the current Treasurer of the Corporation.

3. Corporate Seal and Logo:
The Seal, an impression of which is stamped hereon, shall be
The Seal of the Ontario Artist Blacksmith Association

The logo depicted below shall be the only symbol of the association and shall be used only on official correspondence, documents, membership cards and any other O.A.B.A. approved items.

ARTICLE II

Purpose: The overall purpose of the Association is to promote blacksmithing as a
high quality, creative craft and affordable art form, which has a growing place in modern society and to:

1. serve as an organization for blacksmiths in Ontario, particularly but not exclusively, those who make it their profession,

2. promote an exchange of creative ideas among both full and part-time blacksmiths,

3. provide to all members the opportunity for teaching and learning about specific techniques of blacksmithing, planning, marketing and other useful skills,

4. provide and promote a supportive network of communication and fellowship among members,

5. promote to the potential markets of iron artwork that the work of the blacksmith is a desirable art form in today’s world, with specific emphasis on the associations of architects, designers and also the general public.



ARTICLE III

The Executive:
The elected Executive will be responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Association including organizing meetings, careful, efficient and prudent financial management, fund raising and publishing, printing and circulating the Association newsletter to the membership. They will meet at such times and places as they choose at the call of the President at least on a quarterly basis. Three members of the Executive present at a called meeting will represent a Quorum and business can be conducted.

1. The Board of Directors of the Corporation will consist of the elected Officers, serving as the Executive, which includes the President, the 1st Vice-President, 2nd Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary.

2. All new positions on the Executive shall be elected by secret ballot, by simple majority of the attending members, each year at the Annual General Meeting for a term of two years. Incumbents will be eligible for re-election to the same position for one further two-year term. Incumbents may run for election to a different position at the end of their second term.

3. Three positions on the Executive should be changing at each Annual General Meeting. All members in good standing are eligible to run for office and to vote at the Annual General Meeting.

4. Any Director may resign by doing so in writing. The Executive will appoint a member in good standing to fill the vacancy until the next Annual General meeting, if required



ARTICLE IV

Membership:
1. Membership in the Association shall be open to any full or part-time blacksmith, or person interested in the techniques of blacksmithing or its support in Ontario. Members will be entitled to voting rights on association matters, to attend workshops and to receive the association newsletter. Associate members such as museums, libraries, professional associations and some individuals, interested only in receiving the newsletter will not be entitled to vote. Workshops, however, may be attended by associate members and/or representatives.

2. An Honorary Life Member is elected by the Executive in recognition for having made an outstanding contribution to O.A.B.A. Honorary Life Members shall be exempt from payment of dues for their lifetime but entitled to regular member privileges.

ARTICLE V

Dues:
1. The membership dues shall be set by the Executive and shall remain unchanged from year to year unless changes are approved by vote at the Annual General Meeting.

2. Dues shall be payable on the date the member joins and shall be due on the same date each following year. If the dues are not paid on time but paid late the due date will not change from the original date of joining the Association unless more than three months has passed.

3. Any member who has not paid a due membership fee after three months from the due date shall be considered to have resigned from the Association. Members are responsible for checking with Membership Chairperson for their dues renewal date.

ARTICLE VI

Meetings:
1. Meetings will be run according to common sense and according to the duties set out to the Officers in this document. Where Parliamentary procedure is appropriate, Roberts Rules of Order (revised) shall be the Parliamentary Authority.

2. An Annual General Meeting shall be held during the second weekend in September. Notice of this meeting shall be sent to the membership in the July-August edition of the Iron Trillium. Every member shall have one vote.
3. Upon agreement of the Officers and under exceptional circumstances, questions may be put to vote by the membership at a time other than at the Annual General Meeting through the newsletter and mail-in membership ballot.
4. Wherever possible, members proposing motions for consideration at the Annual General Meeting, shall submit said motion, in writing, to the Newsletter Editor for inclusion in the newsletter previous to the Annual General Meeting.
5. At the Annual General Meeting, resolutions will be entertained from the floor if submitted in writing to the Secretary.

6. The Association will try to hold a workshop every two months. The date, location and program will be set by the Officers upon recommendations by the members. Notice of the workshops shall be sent, if possible, no less than 21 days in advance. There may be an additional fee for attendance at workshops. Guests of a member may participate but at twice the workshop fee.
7. The cost of the workshop materials shall be covered by the participants.

8. The Officers will attempt to publish a calendar of workshops and/or monthly meeting locations for the year before the end of the first quarter.


ARTICLE VII

Fiscal Year:
The fiscal year of the Corporation shall be from September 1 to August 31 of the following calendar year.


ARTICLE VIII

Duties and Powers of the Officers of the Corporation:

(i) The President shall:
(a) be a member of A.B.A.N.A. and preferably a practicing blacksmith;
(b) preside at all general and Executive meetings of O.A.B.A.;
(c) appoint all committees and shall be an ex-officio member of said committees;
(d) act as Chairman of the Executive;
(e) prepare an annual report on activities for the annual General Meeting;
(f) be notified of all communications with O.A.B.A. from outside organizations;
(g) act as official spokesperson for the Association;
(h) approach fund granting agencies (government and other for financial assistance);
(i) serve as signatory for cheques with the Treasurer and in other financial matters.

(ii) The 1st Vice-President shall:
(a) assume the duties of the president if the President is unable to continue for reasons of health or personal circumstances;
(b) serve as an alternate signatory for cheques with the Treasurer and other financial matters;
(c) organize and assist demonstrators for the monthly meetings or workshops.

(iii) The 2nd Vice-President shall:
(a) assume responsibility of 1st Vice-President if required;
(b) assist in the production of an informative quality newsletter, particularly through solicitation of materials for publication by members and from other newsletters.
( c) organize the locations for the monthly meetings or workshops.

(iv) The Treasurer shall:
(a) make arrangements with the local branch of the chartered bank that holds O.A.B.A. monies convenient for the Treasurer to deposit of Association monies and withdrawal by cheque over the signature of the Treasurer and the President or 1st Vice-President;
(b) receive all fees from members and associate members and with the assistance of the Membership Chairperson provide the secretary and the Newsletter Editor with an up-to-date membership list;
(c) keep records of all association finances, bills, etc;


(d) report the state of the Treasury at each Executive meeting and at the Annual General Meeting and provide a written account of the Association’s finances as of the end of the fiscal year, August 31, for inclusion in the newsletter soon after that date;
(e) control expenditures, within reason;
(f) provide a proposed budget from the Executive at the Annual General Meeting.
(g) accurately complete and file all required government tax and corporate returns by their due dates.

(v) The Secretary shall:
(a) keep an accurate record of all proceedings of the general and Executive meetings of O.A.B.A.;
(b) conduct the correspondence of O.A.B.A.;
(c) keep a record of attendance at all Executive and general meetings and workshops, to be included at the beginning of each set of minutes;
(d) provide safekeeping of the Corporate Seal and the Minute Book and maintain any other files, documents and records pertaining to the Members or the business of O.A.B.A., i.e. newspaper reports, etc.
(e) assist the Newsletter Editor as deemed necessary.

(vi) The Past President shall:
(a) advise the new Executive as requested or needed.

(vii) Any position within the Executive may be amalgamated or separated as required.


ARTICLE IX

Committees & Appointees:

(i) Committees such as membership, volunteers, publicity, etc may be formed by the Executive as needed and a Chairperson will be appointed. The Chairperson may be asked to sit on the Executive while in charge of the committee.
(ii) The Newsletter Editor shall be appointed by the Executive. The duties will be as follows:
(a) publish a newsletter six or more times yearly with additional flyers when necessary;
(b) establish an e-mail list to notify members in an emergency.
(c) not exceed the budget set by the Executive.

ARTICLE X

Select Committees:
(i) Select committees may be appointed for a special temporary service, such as the planning of a conference, a workshop, or to seek nominations for office.

(ii) The Nomination Committee will be struck solely to submit a ballot, present it to the Executive and disband. The Nominating Committee will submit its report to the secretary by the end of the second quarter.


ARTICLE XI

Amendments:
(i) The amending formula to the constitution will be as follows:
The mover of the amendment must obtain a seconder and notice of the motion is sent to the President and Newsletter Editor. It must be published in two newsletters preceeding the Annual General Meeting and a vote on the amendment is taken at the Annual General Meeting. Quorum for a constitutional amendment must be based on total membership with a minimum of FIFTEEN members present.

(ii) By-laws can be changed by advance notice in writing, moved and seconded, sent to the President and published in one newsletter previous to the Annual General Meeting. Quorum for by-law amendments is based on a minimum number of FIFTEEN members present.


ARTICLE XII

Termination:
Upon dissolution of the Corporation and after payment of all debts and liability any remaining assets shall be donated to a charitable or not-for-profit organization in the Province of Ontario that preferably promotes blacksmithing.

ARTICLE XIII

By-Law Voting
(i) Only members in good standing may vote. Members in good standing are paid up members. Members may vote in person or by official proxy. Official proxies may be mailed in or returned by another member. Proxy envelopes must have member’s name and signature on them.

(Submitted by Bob Cook & Shirley Young : June 25, 2009)