CAS Constitution
THE CANADIAN AEROPHILATELIC SOCIETY
Organized 1986 in the interest of Aerophilately and Aerophilatelists everywhere
CAS Constitution 2011
This Constitution updated the original CAS Constitution passed in 1986, to reflect a number of changes made over the years in the way the Society operates.
A draft of the revised, 2011 Constitution was published in December 2010 issue of The Canadian
Aerophilatelist.
It was recorded in the Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of the CAS held on May 1st 2011, and published in the June 2011 Canadian Aerophilatelist, that:
As no comments have been received after the publication of the updated constitution in the December
2010 journal, on a motion by R.K. Malott, seconded by B. Wolfenden, it was agreed to rescind the
current constitution & replace it with the updated constitution. Passed unanimously.
SECTION 1 – NAME
The name of the organization shall be THE CANADIAN AEROPHILATELIC SOCIETY.
SECTION 2 – STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
1. To promote the advancement and growth of Aerophilately in Canada.
2. To provide a forum for the exchange of information and news about Aerophilately among members.
3. To represent Canadian Aerophilatelists at the National and International levels.
4. To promote and support Aerophilatelic research in Canada.
SECTION 3 – MEMBERSHIP
1. Membership in the society is open to all interested individuals subject to formal application and payment of annual dues.
2. The society is the sole and only judge of its membership and may terminate membership at any time for cause. Such action must be taken upon a majority vote of the Society Executive Committee.
SECTION 4 – DUES
1. Dues shall be prescribed by the Executive Committee.
2. The membership year shall commence on the first day of the month of joining the Society, and dues shall be due annually on that date.
3. The secretary shall notify all members in arrears, and members still in arrears three months after such notification will be dropped from membership without further notice.
SECTION 5 – OFFICERS
1. The Officers of the CANADIAN AEROPHILATELIC SOCIETY shall be as follows: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Editor of The Canadian Aerophilatelist, Webmaster, Western Chapter Representative, Past President, Members At Large.
2. An individual may hold more than one office in the Society, and may be re-elected to the same or different office.
3. The Executive Committee of the Society shall consist of the Officers of the Society as listed in Part 1 above. The Executive Committee shall have general supervisory Powers over all matters pertaining to the Society. Decisions of the Executive Committee shall be made by majority vote.
4. The Executive Committee will appoint members to such committees as may be established to transact the
business of the Society. The term of office for such appointments will be at the discretion of the Executive
Committee.
5. The Executive Committee shall adjudicate in all matters of business transaction and ethics involving all members of the Society, and, where necessary, take necessary disciplinary action.
6. The President shall:
– Chair the Annual General Meeting of the Society.
– Represent the Society at meetings of other Philatelic organizations.
– Serve as ex-officio member of all Society committees.
– Perform such other duties as assigned by the Executive Committee.
– Be elected at an AGM for a two year period.
7. The Vice-President shall:
– Chair the Annual General Meeting of the Society in the absence of the President.
– In the event of death, disability, resignation, or removal of the President, succeed to the Office of President.
– Such other duties as may be assigned by the Executive Committee.
– Be elected at an AGM for a two year period.
8. The Secretary shall:
– Handle all routine correspondence of the Society.
– Receive all applications for Society membership.
– Admit to membership all applicants when conditions of membership have been met and payment for dues has been received.
– Maintain a complete record of membership in the matter of application, admission, death, resignation,
suspension, expulsion, and reinstatement.
– Make a periodic report showing the status of the Society membership, and provide a membership list to
members of the Executive Committee when requested.
– Take minutes of the Annual General Meeting of the Society, and send a copy of the minutes to each member of the Executive Committee within one month of the meeting.
– Perform such other duties as may be assigned by the Executive Committee.
– Be elected at an AGM for a two year period.
9. The Treasurer shall:
– Receive all dues and other income for the Society.
– Take charge of all money, property, and securities of the Society, and deposit all money in a bank account in the name of THE CANADIAN AEROPHILATELIC SOCIETY.
– Pay all bills and obligations of the Society with Society Funds.
– Make a full and complete written financial report annually.
– Perform such other duties as may be assigned by the Executive Committee.
– Be elected at an AGM for a two year period.
10. The Newsletter Editor shall:
– Be appointed by the Executive Committee.
– Perform such duties as may be assigned by the Executive Committee. (See also Section 8).
11. The Webmaster shall:
– Be appointed by the Executive Committee.
– Perform such duties as may be assigned by the Executive Committee.
12. The Western Chapter Representative shall:
– Be nominated and elected by the members of the Western Chapter.
– Perform such duties as may be assigned by the Executive Committee.
13. The Past President shall:
– Perform such duties as may be assigned by the Executive Committee.
14. Members At Large:
– may be elected at an AGM, or appointed by the Executive Committee at any time.
– may be asked to undertake tasks by the Executive Committee.
– These positions are intended as a way of giving everybody who wants to get more involved with the CAS a chance to do so; to increase the variety of opinions expressed when the Executive needs to make a decision; and to identify volunteers who are interested in taking on specific Executive roles in the future.
15. Any vacancy occurring in an elective office shall be filled by appointment of the Board of Directors until the next succeeding election, except for the Vice-President, who shall succeed to the Presidency.
16. No Officer shall receive any compensation for services in the performance of duties of the said office, but shall be reimbursed for any administrative expenses incurred.
SECTION 6 – ELECTION OF OFFICERS
1. The Officers of the Society shall be elected biennially, and shall serve for a period of two years, or until their successors have been elected.
2. Election of Officers will take place at the annual meeting of the Society in odd numbered years commencing in 2005.
3. Officers shall commence their terms of office immediately following the annual meeting at which they were elected.
4. Election will be determined by majority of those members casting ballots either in person at the annual meeting or by mail.
5. Any member of the Society in good standing may be nominated for and elected to any office of the Society.
6. The Executive Committee shall supervise the elections and certify the result thereof to the membership.
SECTION 7 – ANNUAL MEETING
1. An annual meeting of the Society shall be held each year at a time and place to be determined by the Executive Committee.
2. Should circumstances prevent the holding of an annual meeting within one year of the previous annual meeting, it may be postponed to an appropriate time as soon as possible thereafter.
3. Each member shall be entitled to attend the annual meeting, and shall be entitled to vote on all matters brought before the annual meeting. Such matters as are voted on by the membership at large will be decided by a simple majority vote of those present at the meeting.
4. The minutes of the Annual General Meeting of the Society shall be published in the issue of The Canadian
Aerophilatelist following the meeting.
SECTION 8 – PUBLICATIONS
1. The Society will publish an official newsletter/journal to be known as “The Canadian Aerophilatelist”. The
newsletter/journal shall be for the purpose of promoting the objectives of the Society; to inform members of Society activities; and to inform members of information related to aerophilately.
2. The Society will maintain a website with the domain name www.aerophilately.ca
3. The content of the website will include past issues of The Canadian Aerophilatelist except those from the current and previous calendar year.
4. The Society publications shall be operated on a ‘non-profit’ basis and all those connected with their preparation and distribution shall serve without compensation.
5. Advertising may be accepted to help offset publication and distribution costs for the Society publications.
6. The Executive Committee shall appoint an editor for the newsletter/journal.
7. The Executive Committee shall appoint a webmaster for the website.
SECTION 9 – GENERAL
1. No member shall be allowed to send any other member of the Society, any unsolicited approvals or merchandise of any kind.
SECTION 10 – AMENDMENTS
1. These by-laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting at an annual meeting.
SECTION 11 – CANADIAN AEROPHILATELIC SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP AWARDS
The CAS has three awards for recognizing members and others who have made exceptional contributions to
Aerophilately. The three awards are: a Fellowship, a Life Membership, and an Honorary Membership.
The qualifications for each award are:
Fellowship
Awarded to an individual who has been a member in good standing for fifteen years; who has actively participated in the activities of the CAS; and who has made a major contribution to Aerophilately, preferably with an emphasis on Canadian Aerophilately.
Fellowships will be restricted to no more than 10% of the membership.
The recipient receives a plaque or a certificate.
Fellows may use the letters F.C.A.S. after their name.
Life Member
Awarded to an individual who has reached the age of 85 and has been a member in good standing for fifteen years, and agrees to allow members to contact him/her through the Executive for purposes of research.
The recipient receives a certificate, and is no longer required to pay the annual membership fee.
Honorary Member
Awarded to an individual who is not a member of the Society, and who has made a contribution to Canadian Aerophilately. The recipient receives a testimonial, and a free membership to the Society for one year.
Process for Selection –
Fellowships
Any CAS member may nominate an individual for a Fellowship at any time. The name of the nominee, and details of their contribution to aerophilately, should be sent to the CAS Vice President.
The Vice President will convene a Nominating Committee of three Fellows of the CAS. The Nominating Committee will review the nomination received, and a list of all CAS members who have been in good standing for fifteen years.
The Nominating Committee may recommend to the Executive a member or members to be awarded a Fellowship.
Life Member
Members approaching the age of 85 should contact the Secretary, as not all members have a Date of Birth recorded, and express their willingness to allow members to contact him/her through the Executive for purposes of research.
Honorary Member
Members may nominate at any time, a person for a one year Honorary Membership.
The nominee’s name and address, and details of their contribution to Canadian Aerophilately, should be sent to the Vice President.
SECTION 12 – CANADIAN AEROPHILATELIC SOCIETY EXHIBITION AWARDS
The CAS will provide an award for the BEST AIRMAIL EXHIBIT at all National Level shows in Canada.
The CAS award will be open to all airmail exhibitors, whether or not they are members of the CAS.
Both single-frame and multi-frame exhibits are eligible for the award.
The award should be given to the best “airmail exhibit”. – This may be an exhibit in the aerophilatelic class, an
astrophilatelic exhibit, or an airmail related exhibit in any other class such as display or thematic.
If there is only one airmail exhibit, that exhibit should receive the CAS Award regardless of the medal level it
achieves.
SECTION 13 – CANADIAN AEROPHILATELIST EDITOR’S AWARD
In addition to the above awards, the Society also presents the annual Canadian Aerophilatelist Editor’s Award to an individual (member or non-member), selected by the Editor for an outstanding contribution to the newsletter/journal or aerophilately.