OAIA - Ontario Association for Impact Assessment

By-Laws

These By-laws were amended on 24 October 2006 and further amended on 22 October 2009 by the general membership of the OAIA at the Annual General Meetings held on those dates.
1. NAME

The name of the organization shall be the Ontario Association for Impact Assessment, or "OAIA".

2. PURPOSE

The purpose of the OAIA is to promote the continuing improvement of the practice of impact assessment. It does this primarily by promoting public awareness of impact assessment, by fostering the development of knowledge related to impact assessment, and by encouraging the application of improved practices. The organization seeks to include persons with interests in all aspects of impact assessment including: environmental impact assessment; socio-economic and cultural impact assessment; and, human health and safety assessment.

Activities of the organization are intended to include, but not necessarily be limited to:

actions to facilitate networking, including the compilation and distribution of a directory of members;

preparation of an OAIA newsletter and other communication and educational activities for members, the public, and external organizations;

programs of meetings, speakers, and seminars;

a program to encourage professional development, standards, and professional conduct; and

non-partisan programs to encourage public understanding of, participation in, and monitoring of, impacts of human activities.

OAIA is an Affiliate of the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA), and supports the objectives of that organization. However, the Affiliate or its members may not take positions, stands, or make commitments in the name of the International Association for Impact Assessment, without prior IAIA Board concurrence and approval.

3. STRUCTURE

3.1 Officer and Directors

The affairs of OAIA shall be conducted by a Board of Directors.

Any individual member of OAIA may serve as a Director or an Officer. Termination of membership shall automatically terminate eligibility to be a Director or an Officer.

The Board of OAIA shall consist of twelve members: a President-Elect, President, Immediate Past-President, and 9 Directors at large.

Election of a President-Elect by the general membership shall occur annually. The President-Elect shall serve a one-year term in that capacity, followed by a one-year term as President, and finally a one-year term as Immediate Past-President.

Nine Directors shall be elected by the general membership of OAIA for two-year terms.

The President shall chair Board meetings and shall have the authority to call meetings. The President shall have the authority to approve financial transactions up to $500 in value, without seeking prior Board approval.

The President-Elect shall perform all of the duties of the President in the event of the absence or disability of the President, and shall have other duties and powers as may be assigned by the Board of Directors.

The Immediate Past-President shall function as a voting Director and shall have such duties and powers as may be assigned by the Board of Directors.

A Secretary, a Treasurer, and a Director of Communications shall be appointed by the Board of Directors from amongst its members and shall have such duties and powers as may be assigned by the Board of Directors. A Board member may serve in the dual capacity of Secretary and Treasurer.

A subset of the full Board, designated as the Executive Committee, shall have the decision-making powers of the full Board to decide issues of greater importance or urgency when convoked by the President. The Executive Committee shall be composed of President, Immediate Past-President, President-Elect, Treasurer, Secretary and Director of Communications. Decisions taken by the Executive Committee shall be communicated to the full Board at the next scheduled Board meeting.

The members of the Executive Committee shall be known as Officers of the OAIA.

3.2 OAIA Board

Subject to the Purpose of OAIA (Section 2 above), the Board shall have the authority to set OAIA policy, priorities and budgets, approve financial transactions, and approve the creation and staffing of operational positions required to carry out the work of OAIA.

3.3 Meetings and Elections

Business meetings of the general membership shall be held at a minimum of once each calendar year. Notice of such a meeting shall be sent to the general membership not less than 30 days prior to the date of the meeting.

A President-Elect shall be elected annually by the general membership of OAIA, and once elected, shall serve successive one-year terms as President-Elect, President and Immediate Past-President. The nine Directors at large shall be elected for two-year terms by the general membership of OAIA. A nomination and election process shall be carried out annually for a President-Elect and for those Officers and Directors required for the full Board of Directors as described in these By-laws.

The general membership of OAIA shall vote for a slate of candidates to fill all Board vacancies. Only paid-up members shall be eligible to nominate a candidate for a Board position, run for office, or vote.

The Executive Committee shall have the power to appoint new members to the Board to fill vacancies arising between Annual General Meetings (AGMs) or as a result of an incomplete slate having been elected at an AGM. Appointment of new Board members shall be communicated forthwith to the general membership. New appointments between AGMs become full members of the Board upon appointment. The initial terms of such appointees shall end at the time of the second AGM following the appointment.

All new terms of office shall commence on the date of the election of the holder to the office in question.

In the event that a candidate for President-Elect is not found, a nomination and election process for the positions of both President and President-Elect shall be held the following year. The President so elected shall serve a one-year term as President, followed by a one-year term as Immediate Past-President.

In the event that a candidate for President is not found, the Board may appoint an Interim President. In those circumstances the Board may also request the current Immediate Past-President to sit for an additional one-year term to maintain the structure of the Board and the Executive Committee.

In the event that an elected Director or Officer declines taking office, the position shall be filled by the candidate who was not elected, but who received the next highest number of votes.

In the event that that there is only a single candidate for President-Elect (or, in certain exceptional cases, for President), the position or positions shall be considered elected by acclamation.

In the event that the number of Directors at large nominated for positions on the Board is less than or equal to the number of available Directors' positions, the slate of nominees shall be considered elected by acclamation.

The Board shall meet as workload requires, but no less than twice annually.

Meetings held by telephone conference shall be considered official meetings of the Board.

Votes undertaken by means of electronic devices (Fax, E-mail) shall be considered official votes of the Board.

4. FINANCES

OAIA may raise funds for its operations by those methods that its Board sees fit, including the collection of membership dues, the selling of advertising (including the advertising of employment opportunities on the OAIA’s web site), the charging of fees for events it sponsors or promotes, and the acceptance of financial support from organizations and individuals in the private and public sectors.

Regular and student membership fees shall be fixed from time to time, at the discretion of the Board.

5. MEMBERSHIP

There are two categories of members: standard members and student members. Eligibility for student membership is based on full-time enrollment, during some period of the membership year, in a program leading to a recognized degree.

Membership shall be on an individual, personal basis. Annual membership dues shall be for the calendar year (January 1 - December 31). Membership in OAIA shall lapse if fees are not paid within 60 days of the start of a new calendar year.

Members are strongly encouraged to become members of IAIA.

6. AMENDMENT OF THESE BY-LAWS

Amendment of these By-laws shall be carried out in the following manner. The general membership shall receive 30 days notice of the Board's intention to amend the By-laws and the specific text under consideration. During the 30-day period, the general membership shall have the right to submit comment and/or request clarification of the proposed amendments. At the conclusion of the 30-day period, the Secretary shall convene the general membership to vote on the proposed amendments. This vote may be done electronically or as the Board sees fit. Following tabulation of the votes, the Secretary shall issue results of the vote forthwith. A simple majority of votes cast is required for adoption of By-law amendments.

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