Bylaws

Article I – Name and Territory

Section 1

This organization shall be known as the Ottawa Section of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. or, in short, as the IEEE Ottawa Section.

Section 2

The territory of the Ottawa Section, as approved by the Regional Activities Board, includes the following: the Ontario counties of Renfrew, Lanark, Leeds, Grenville-Dundas, Russell, Stormont, Prescott, Glengarry and Carleton, and the Quebec counties of Hull, Pontiac, Labelle, Gatineau, Papineau and Temiscaminque. The areas within the following Postal Zones are included:

J8P J8R J8V J8Y J8Z J9A J9H J9J J0X K1A K1B K1C K1E K1G K1H K1J K1K K1L K1M K1N K1P K1R K1S K1V K1Y K1Z K2A K2B K2C K2E K2G K2H K2J K2K K2L K2M K2P K2R K2S K2W K2Y K4A K4B K4K K4M K6A K6V K7C K7H K7S K7V K8A K8H K8V K0A K0B K0C K0D K0E K0G

Article II – Officers

Section 1

The IEEE Ottawa Section is administered by the IEEE Ottawa Section Executive Committee consisting of volunteer IEEE members.
The elected officers in the IEEE Ottawa Section Executive Committee shall include:

1. the Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer and Secretary,
2. Chapter and Affinity Group Chairs,
3. Past Chair.

The appointed officers in the IEEE Ottawa Section Executive Committee shall include:

1. The Section Student Representative
2. The Section Student Branch Counselors
3. The Chairs of all Standing and ad hoc Committees

Section 2

The terms of office of the elected officers shall be for one year. No officer may serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office. After serving two years, an officer may return to that office after at least one year has passed since last holding the position.

Section 3

Terms of office will begin on January 1 but, in any case, the outgoing officers will continue until their successors are duly elected and take office.

Section 4

Any vacancy occurring during the year – except for the chair position – shall be filled by a majority vote of the voting members of the Section Executive Committee. A vote by the Chair shall decide the outcome in the event of a tie.

In the event of vacancy of the Chair position the Vice Chair shall assume the role of Chair, and the position of Vice Chair shall be filled as described above, until the next election.

Section 5

The duties of the elected officers shall be available upon request from the Regional Activities Department staff including the following:

The Section Chair shall exercise general supervision of the affairs of the Section in accordance with the policies and instructions of the Section Executive Committee. Subject to the approval of the Section Executive Committee, the Chair shall appoint the Chairs of all Standing Committees and ad hoc committees of the Section. The Chair shall be the official representative of the Section.

The Section Vice-Chair shall support the Chair in carrying out his/her duties, oversee Standing Committees as directed by the Chair, and exercise such immediate duties as may be required in the absence or unavailability of the Chair.

The Section Secretary shall record the minutes of all business meetings of the Section and of the Section Executive Committee. He/she shall make such reports of his/her activities as may be required by the IEEE Operations Center and oversee Standing Committees as directed by the Chair. The Section shall retain a recorded copy of the minutes.

The Section Treasurer shall be responsible for all receipts and disbursements in accordance with the Section budget, and such financial reports as may be required by the Section Executive Committee and by the IEEE Operations Center.

Article III – Standing and Ad hoc Committees

Section 1

Standing Committees and ad hoc Committees and Representatives of the Section may include but are not limited to the following:

• Section Student Representative
• Audit Committee
• Communications Committee
• Educational Activities Committee
• Membership Development Committee
• Student Activities Committee
• Bylaws Committee
• Events Committee
• Annual General Meeting Committee

Section 2

The Chairs of the Standing Committees will be appointed by the Section Chair with the approval of the Section Executive Committee, and their terms will begin on January 1 and expire on December 31. In any case, outgoing Chairs will continue until their successors are duly elected and take office.

Section 3

Each Committee Chair will appoint his/her Committee members, with the approval of the Section Executive Committee, and their terms will begin on January 1 and expire on December 31. In any case, the members will continue until the successors take over.

Section 4

The duties of the Standing Committees shall be available from the Regional Activities Department staff upon request or as directed by the Chair.

Section 5

The Section Chair shall, with the approval of the Section Executive Committee, appoint ad hoc committees as needed.

Section 6

The Section Chair shall, with the approval of the Section Executive Committee, appoint an Ottawa Section Student Representative (SSR) to the Student Activities Committee. The SSR is a voting member of the Section Executive Committee.

ARTICLE IV – Management

Section 1

The voting members of the Section Executive Committee are the elected members of the Executive Committee, the Section Student Representative and the Student Branch Counselors.

Section 2

A quorum shall be necessary in order to conduct the business of the Section Executive Committee. A majority of the voting members of the Section Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum. A Chapter or Affinity Group Vice-Chair may take the place of the respective Chair, in case of an absence of the Chair at a Section meeting.

Section 3

Meetings of the Section Executive Committee ordinarily will be held monthly and will be called by the Section Chair or by a request of any three members of the Section Executive Committee.

Section 4

The fiscal year of the Section shall be from January 1st to December 31.

ARTICLE V – Nomination and Election of Officers

Section 1

A Nominating Committee consisting of three or more members, not then candidates for office (positions of chair, vice-chair, secretary or treasurer) of the Section, shall be appointed by the Section Chair, with the approval of the Section Executive Committee.  When possible, the Past Chair of the Section shall chair the Nominating Committee.

Section 2

The nominations of the Nominating Committee will be announced to the Section membership and, following this, additional nominations may be made by petition. To be valid, the petition must be signed by 10 or more voting IEEE Ottawa Section members.

Section 3

If only one nomination is made for each office, the candidates shall be declared elected by acclamation at the Annual General Meeting. If additional nominations are made, a paper ballot shall be available to the membership at the Annual General Meeting.  Voting will take place after presentation of the candidates at the Annual General Meeting. Results will be tabulated by a Tellers Committee during the AGM.  The results will be announced at the Annual General Meeting.

Section 4

The yearly timetable for this procedure is as follows:

Appointment of Nominating Committee	No later than July 1st
Announcement of Nominating Committee	August Newsletter/e-mail to members no later than August 15th
AGM Invitation and Election Notice: AGM Invitation Announcement of Nominating Committee: list of candidates/positions with short biographies Call for additional nominations including list of positions with description and rules governing the nomination and election processes Rules governing the nomination and election processes (nominations by when, how nominations will be publicized, how to vote)	Mailing to members no later than September 11th /Invitation to Annual General Meeting; in any case 30 days prior to the Annual General Meeting
Nominations Close	October 1st
Hold contested election: ballots to section members; Tellers Committee identified;Voting and Tabulating; and Announce ResultsOr: Uncontested Election declared by acclamation and Announce Results	At the Annual General Meeting in mid October or any time before the end of the current year

Section 5

A simple majority of votes cast shall be necessary for the election of any officer.

ARTICLE VI – Finances

Section 1

All expenditures of Section funds must be approved by the Senior Executive officers (Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer).

Section 2

Without prior authorization of the IEEE Executive Committee, Section funds can be used only for normal operations of the Section. “Normal operations” are identified as those activities recognized as within the day-to-day operations of a Section. More information about the interpretation of “normal operations” can be obtained either from the IEEE Policy & Procedures Manual, or from the IEEE Operations Center staff.

Section 3

All funds received by the Section shall be deposited in one or more accounts designated by the Section Executive Committee. The signature of either the Treasurer or the Chairman shall be required for any withdrawal, except that the Executive Committee may authorize additional officers to execute withdrawals in the event that the Treasurer or the Chairman is unavailable.

The financial operations of the Section shall be audited as soon as practical after the close of the fiscal year by an independent agent appointed by the section Executive Committee in accordance with IEEE bylaws.

Section 4

Where permitted by local government and banking regulations, the IEEE Staff Director, Financial Services, shall be an authorized signer on all Section and subunit accounts.

ARTICLE VII – Amendments

Section 1

Amendments to these bylaws may be made by two-thirds vote of the entire Section Executive Committee. Proposals for amendments may originate in the Section Executive Committee or by petition signed by 10 or more voting members.

Section 2

Amendments to or revocations of these Bylaws shall be in accordance with the IEEE Bylaws, Policy & Procedures and the RAB Operations Manual.

Section 3

Revised bylaws must be reviewed for compliance by IEEE Staff. The approval of the Region 7 Director must be secured for the final version of the bylaws to be placed on the consent agenda of the next RAB meeting.

Article VIII – Publications

Section 1

The Section shall publish a periodical named the “Ottawa Section Newsletter”, which will be the major medium of communication within the Section membership. This periodical may accept advertising.

Article IX – Chapters and Affinity Groups

Section 1

The Ottawa Section shall encourage the formation of Technical Society Chapters and Affinity Groups according to the requirements of the IEEE RAB Operations Manual.

Section 2

All such subunits shall adhere to the requirements of these bylaws, including financial activity and election procedures.