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OUR CONSTITUTION, BYLAWS AND RULES & POLICIES

CONSTITUTION

  1. The name of the Society is the CENTRAL OKANAGAN OUTDOORS CLUB.
  2. The purpose of the Society is to foster outdoor recreational activities for its members such as hiking, road biking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.
  3. The Central Okanagan Outdoors Club is a Member Funded Society. It is funded primarily by its members to carry on activities for the benefit of its members.  On its liquidation or dissolution, this society may distribute its money and other property to its members.

BYLAWS:

MEMBERSHIP

  1. Any person who is 19 years of age or older may become a Member upon signing and returning the Society’s waiver form, paying the annual membership dues and being accepted by the Society as a Member.
  2. The amount of the annual membership dues will be set by the Board of Directors.
  3. A Member must uphold the Society’s Constitution and comply with its bylaws, rules and policies.
  4. Membership fees are due on the first day of May. Members in good standing will be given thirty (30) days grace before termination becomes effective.
  5. A person will cease to be a Member for nonpayment of dues or by notifying the club of his or her resignation.
  6. The Directors may by a resolution of at least two-thirds of the Directors present at a meeting discipline, suspend or expel any Member.
  7. The Society must send the Member notice of the proposed Directors’ resolution for discipline, suspension or expulsion, including a brief statement of reasons.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF MEMBERS

  1. The Board of Directors shall convene an Annual General Meeting of Members in each calendar year.  Two weeks notice will be provided to all Members and an agenda will accompany the notice.  The Annual General Meeting will be held in-person at a location chosen by the Board of Directors.The President shall chair the meeting and the Secretary will record votes and minutes.The Treasurer will provide a financial report.
  2. Five Members at the meeting constitute a quorum.
  3. Members will elect (or re-elect) all Board of Directors positions by majority vote.
  4. A Member is entitled to one vote.
  5. Voting is by a show of hands.
  6. There is no proxy voting

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

  1. The Board of Directors provides overall guidance for the Society by administering its bylaws and managing its affairs.  The Board may create policies and rules as necessary to fulfill this mission and shall publicize these to all members.  The Board will generally operate by consensus but if necessary any issue will be decided by majority vote.
  2. The Directors may regulate their meetings and proceedings as they think fit.
  3. A quorum for any meeting of the Board shall be a majority of the Directors then in office, and meetings may be held in-person or remotely.  The Board may meet as often as necessary during the year.  The President will generally convene a Board meeting, but any Board member may do so.
  4. Directors will be elected at the Annual General Meeting for a term lasting until the next Annual General Meeting.
  5. The Board may appoint sub-committees to investigate issues or carry out tasks on behalf of the Board.
  6. Upon an untimely vacancy or a position not filled at the Annual General Meeting, the Board may appoint a member to fill any vacancy until the next Annual General Meeting.
  7. No Board member shall receive any remuneration of any kind.

NUMBER AND DESCRIPTION OF BOARD POSITIONS

  1. The Society must have at least one and may have no more than seven directors.
  2. The Board must elect members of the Board to the following Board positions, and a Director may hold more than one position:
    1. President;
    2. Vice-president;
    3. Secretary;
    4. Treasurer;
    5. Directors at Large (up to three positions if any)
  3. A Board member may be removed from office by a unanimous vote of all the other Board members.
  4. The President is the chair of the Board and is responsible for supervising the other directors in the execution of their duties.
  5. The Vice-president is the vice-chair of the Board and is responsible for carrying out the duties of the President if the President is unable to act.
  6. The Secretary is responsible for doing, or making the necessary arrangements for, the following:  (a) issuing notices of general meetings and directors’ meetings; (b) taking minutes of general meetings and directors’ meetings;  (c) keeping the records of the Society in accordance with the Act;  (d) conducting the correspondence of the Board;  (e) filing the annual report of the Society and making any other filings with the registrar under the Act.  In the absence of the Secretary from a meeting, the Board must appoint another individual to act as Secretary at the meeting.
  7. The Treasurer is responsible for doing, or making the necessary arrangements for, the following: (a) receiving and banking monies collected from the members or other sources; (b) keeping accounting records in respect of the Society’s financial transactions; (c) preparing the Society’s financial statements; (d) the Treasurer shall provide a financial report at all Board and general meetings consisting of the following: revenues and expenditures since the last Annual General Meeting, and current bank balance.
  8. Any two designated Directors will be the signing authorities for the club’s bank account.
  9. A contract or other record to be signed by the Society must be signed on behalf of the Society: (a) by the president, together with one other director, (b) if the president is unable to provide a signature, by the vice-president together with one other director, (c) if the president and vice-president are both unable to provide signatures, by any 2 other directors, or (d) in any case, by one or more individuals authorized by the Board to sign the record on behalf of the Society.

AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS

  1. These Bylaws may be amended by a Special Resolution of the Members at the Annual General Meeting. Special Resolutions must be passed at a general meeting by at least 2/3 of the votes cast.
  2. Notice of Motion of Special Resolution must be circulated at least fourteen (14) days prior to the date of the Annual General Meeting at which the resolution shall be debated and voted on.

Rules and Policies

  1. A Member must be respectful of others and not engage in negative behaviour.  Such behaviour includes but is not limited to bullying, sexual harassment and any other kind of harassment or discrimination.
  2. The year-end of the Society will be April 30th.
  3. The membership year is May 1 - April 30.  Any member who joins part way through the year must pay the membership fee to join, and is still required to pay the membership renewal fee that is charged  during the month of May each year for the following May 1 - April 30 year.
  4. Guests must be accompanied by a COOC member and may participate in a maximum of two events before becoming a member.  Guests must sign a guest waiver for each event which will be provided by the event organizer.
  5. Expenditures over $25 must be approved by any 2 of the directors.  Expenditures under $25 may be approved by the Treasurer alone.

OUR CURRENT DIRECTORS:

Jean-Charles Kotwicz Herniczek - President
Peter Woodward - Vice president
Deb Dunn - Treasurer
Laurie Cole - Secretary
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Our outdoor activities including hiking, road biking (including rail trail-type biking), snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and downhill skiing. We know there are many other activities, but we leave those to other, more specialized groups.

The original hiking club was founded in 1997 when a few like-minded folks started hanging out and chugging their way up some of the local slopes. Through time, the club morphed into an informal group of generally 40+ (age that is) outdoor enthusiasts, arranging activities that include hiking, biking, downhill & cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing in the Kelowna area and beyond.

NOTE: Your participation in COOC activities may expose you to physical risks and hazards that could result in injury.  As a member you are responsible for choosing whether or not to participate in a particular event based on your assessment of your own capabilities and the risks of the activity itself.

Carpooling: for liability reasons COOC does not arrange carpooling.
Any carpooling arrangements are private and entirely at the risk of the drivers and passengers involved.

Also of interest:
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