L.M.H.A
2/18/16
L . M . H . A .
CONSTITUTION
The Constitution sets out the guiding principles of the Lawfield Minor Hockey Association Inc. It details the powers and duties of the Board of Directors and sets forth their terms of reference and eligibility to run for office. The Constitution can only be amended at the LMHA Inc. annual GENERAL membership meeting. (AGM )
ARTICLE 1 - MEMBERSHIP: L.M.H.A. Inc membership shall consist of the following:
All Board of Directors (Officers)
All Executive Members (Voting and Non Voting)
All House League and Select Team Coaches and Managers
As part of the LMHA Inc. general membership: HL , Select coaches / assistant coaches / managers ,the Executive and Board of Directors should familiarize themselves with the Constitution and take an active role in guiding the organization. Contravention in any way of the Constitution may result in further dismissal by the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE 2 - CONDUCT AND CODE OF ETHICS
A. Committee members having a possible conflict of interest on any matter in hand shall make that matter known to the Committee. If a conflict is deemed to exist the Committee member shall abstain from voting on the issue in conflict.
B. It shall be the responsibility and duty of each and every member of the Association to abide by the Code of Ethics established by the Association.
C. All violations of the Code of Ethics, by any member of the Association shall be reviewed by the Discipline Committee and will be subject to the dismissal or disciplinary action of the Committee, or in their stead by the Board of Directors.
D. All members of the Association shall conduct themselves at all times in such a manner as to further the best interests of the Association.
E. A member of this Association shall not knowingly refuse to follow any Bylaw or Rule of the Association, or other governing bodies or face disciplinary action or dismissal.
F. All members of the Association shall not cause willful damage to any Association property, or to the property of private members.
G. No Coach, Assistant Coach, Trainer, Manager, On Ice Helper, or player shall be on the ice, present on the bench, or in the dressing room while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
H. No member of the Association shall engage in a controversial manner with League or game Officials, with other members of the LMHA, or with representatives from other Associations or face dismissal / disciplinary action.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES:
The Association will be known as the LAWFIELD MINOR HOCKEY ASSOCIATION INC (L.M.H.A. INC) and its main and foremost guiding principle will be to foster, encourage and develop recreational and Select hockey within the Constitution and By-Laws of the Hamilton Minor Hockey Council, RHL’s and L.M.H.A. Inc. The Association will operate from the Lawfield Arena located at 150 Folkestone Ave , Hamilton , Ontario, is an incorporated entity for players eligible by rule or governing body approval.
These divisions will be known as:
NOVICE AGE 7 & 8 Yrs.
ATOM AGE 9 & 10 Yrs.
PEE WEE AGE 11 & 12 Yrs.
BANTAM AGE 13 & 14 Yrs.
MIDGET AGE 15, 16, 17 Yrs.
SELECT Ages as per HMHC
ARTICLE 3 - MANDATE: The mandate of the Association will be as follows:
Ø To promote, encourage and govern the greatest number
Ø To protect the mutual interests of the other members and players
Ø To ensure competitions for championships, i.e. Super Saturday, City Play downs, Alliance Championships.
Ø To be the approving body for any house League Tournaments run or entered into by any L.M.H.A. Inc House League / Select Teams
Ø To provide assistance to the member players where needed.
ARTICLE 4 - AIMS: The AIMS and Objectives of the Association are as follows:
Ø TO TEACH THE PLAYERS THE DESIRABLE IDEALS AS FOLLOWS
Ø The Coach must abide by the Association rules and, to the best of his/her abilities, teach hockey skills, and develop all the players to their potential, and to have the team practice and play their games in a sportsman-like way.
Ø Coaches must also recognize that they are the conduits through which the values and goals of a sport organization are channeled. Thus, how an athlete regards his/her sport is often dependent on the integrity and behavior of the Coach(s).
Ø Fair play at all times, to win honestly and receive defeat as a GOOD SPORT, to give credit where credit is due, not to dispute the referee’s decision, to give opponents a fair chance and not to take unfair advantage of any opponent
Ø ABOVE ALL, DISCIPLINE AND GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP, SPORT FOR SPORTS SAKE AND FOR THE GREATEST NUMBER
Ø To provide competitive and recreational hockey for children in the age groups as recognized by the Divisional names of Novice, Atom, Peewee, Bantam, Midget and Select Divisions
Ø To encourage high standards.
Ø To provide an economical and worthwhile leisure-time pursuit.
Ø To represent the game and our city with pride.
Ø To demonstrate loyalty to our players, members, sponsors and supporters.
ARTICLE 5 - IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THE ABOVE, THE ASSOCIATION WILL BE SET AND GOVERNED AS FOLLOWS:
BOARD OF DIRECTORS ( singularly –“officer”) : The BOARD OF DIRECTORS shall consist of the following and be elected at a duly called L.M.H.A. Inc AGM meeting in accordance with the constitution and bylaws of the L.M.H.A. Inc and will report back to the Executive of any decisions or recommendations made.
President, three (3) Vice-Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, Registrar
All Officers are requested to attend all Board meetings and Executive Meetings. A minimum of 50% plus one (1) Officers including the President or Vice-President will constitute a quorum. An unavoidable absence for any meeting, or for two (2) or more consecutive meetings without notification or regrets, will be considered serious, and a review will be made of his / her efficiency with chance of dismissal immediately by a majority vote of the remaining Board of Directors. The Board of Directors meets each 2nd Thursday of every month excluding April, May, June, & July unless called for by the President.
POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS: The Board of Directors (officers) shall have all authority and rights that are granted to them in accordance with the Constitution , Rules and Regulations and By-Laws of the L.M.H.A. Inc, including but not limited to: the day to day affairs of the Association, filling vacancies on the Board of Directors or Executive as the need arises, suspension of any referee, player, coach or official connected with any affiliated team, amendments to the regulations of the association and of any championship or tournament play. However, none of the above duties can be designated to solely the discretion of one person, and must be confirmed and regulated at a duly called meeting of the Board of Directors and will report back to the Executive, all decisions and recommendations.
Board of Directors spending limits shall be no more than three hundred fifty dollars ($350.00), unless approved at a duly called Executive Meeting by the L.M.H.A. Inc.
PRESIDENT: The President shall preside (chair) at all meetings of the Association Board of Directors, Executive Meetings, and any General Members meeting, with the usual privileges of office and in accordance with the Roberts Rules of Order. The President does NOT make discipline decisions within LMHA. The President is the final appellant within LMHA and may review the decision of the Discipline Committee and make the final decision if it is in writing to him within 48 hours of the decision of the Discipline Committee. The President votes only on issues at the Association level if there is a tie needed to be broken. In a case where the President is unavailable to Chair a meeting, a member of the Board of Directors chosen by the President may take his / her chair.
ELIGIBILITY FOR PRESIDENT: Persons nominated for President (nominated by the L.M.H.A. Inc membership only) shall have served on the Board of Directors or LMHA Executive for two (2) of the previous four (4) years.
TERM OF OFFICE FOR PRESIDENT: The term of office shall be for a period of two (2) years and will commence on May 1st and will conclude in two (2) years on April 30th. There is no limit on the number of terms served. RESTRICTIONS: The president shall not convene or hold any other “office” in any division while holding office. The term for President shall expire on all even numbers of Years.
VICE – PRESIDENT(s) The 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President and 3rd Vice President shall perform the duties of the President in his absence. The Vice Presidents shall perform such duties as are assigned by the President and/or Board of Directors. The VP of hockey operations ( 1st VP) or in his absence the 2nd VP or in his absence the 3rd VP shall oversee and advise the operations of the hockey program working hand in hand with all hockey operations liaisons, and the Board of Directors under the rules and regulations it is governed by, but shall not be required to convene any leagues. The VP(s) of hockey operations shall report to the President of the Association and the Board of Directors any undertakings and concerns therein.
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ELIGIBILITY FOR VICE-PRESIDENTS: Nominated by the L.M.H.A. Inc membership only. To be eligible for the position(s) of the 1st VP and 2nd VP, you must have served at least two (2) years on the Board of Directors or Executive, one (1) of which must have been in the previous two (2) years. The 3rd VP position can be elected if they are an LMHA voting member of the current year.
TERMS OF OFFICE FOR VICE PRESIDENTS: The term for the 1st V.P. and 3rd V.P. shall expire on all Odd Numbers of years. The term for the 2nd V.P. shall expire on all Even Numbers of years.
TREASURER: The treasurer shall be responsible for all accounts of the Association. All accounts shall be paid by cheque and require a minimum of two signatures, one of which must be the treasurer, the other shall be appointed by the Executive Committee. The treasurer shall keep accurate records of all receipts and disbursements and shall report monthly to the Executive Committee. These accounts shall be made available for inspection by the HMHC or the RHL’s upon receipt of written request to the President. On an annual basis, the treasurer shall present a Financial Statement to the Annual General Membership Meeting. The Treasurer and signing officer’s shall be bonded and / or insured in the appropriate amount, at the expense of the Association.
DUTIES: The treasurer shall pay all accounts by cheque signed by him /her and one (1) other person authorized by the Board of Directors to be a signing officer. He / she shall keep an accurate record of all moneys received and disbursed on behalf of the Association. The treasurer will provide a report monthly (or more frequently) to the Board of Directors and/or their Executive for viewing. The Treasurer shall present a viewable copy of the FINANCIAL STATEMENT to the Annual Membership Meeting and forward a copy of the year end financial statement to the Secretary-Treasurer of the H.M.H.C.An unavoidable absence of the treasurer and the absence of a financial statement for any meeting, or for two (2) or more meetings, will be considered serious and a review will be made of his / her efficiency. The term for the Treasurer shall expire on all Odd Numbers of years.
SECRETARY: The Secretary shall be responsible for keeping an accurate record of the meetings held by the Board of Directors, the Executive, and the General Membership and also notify the Government of any change in officers of L.M.H.A. Inc. He / she shall keep and maintain an up to date Minute Book, which shall hold all minutes of all meetings held with respect to the Association. These minutes shall be available to any Member of the Association, for inspection, upon receipt of written notification to the President of such a request that would not be deemed private and confidential. Confidential minutes shall be kept separate and only be available to the Executive (typical coaches background search, player discipline problems, parental harassment or financial background). The Minute Book shall be kept in the L.M.H.A. office. The term for the Secretary shall expire on all Even Numbers of years.
TREASURER AND / OR SECRETARY: A treasurer and / or secretary may be appointed by the Board of Directors prior to the Annual Membership Meeting. Such recommendation must be confirmed at the L.M.H.A. Inc membership meeting by at least a majority of the members present. The treasurer and / or secretary need not have served on the Executive prior to his/her appointment and must agree to serve until at least the next Annual Membership Meeting or until the time comes when the position is up for re-election.
REGISTRAR: The Registrar shall be responsible for the leagues registration, refunds, divisional numbers and reporting to the Executive as required. Any / all signing of players done through L.M.H.A. Inc must be approved by the L.M.H.A. Inc, Registrar or his appointee which may include a designate from the L.M.H.A. Inc Board of Directors in his absence. The Registrar shall receive and certify all certificates submitted on behalf of the players applying for registration in the Association and shall keep a register of all players in the Association. Any other business as designated by the Executive Committee. The registrar is also responsible for the delivery of all MHAO Rosters to be duly completed and sent to the MHAO prior to December 1st of each year. LMHA reserves the right to not accept any registration as they see fit and reserves the right to refund any players registration fees after a review of any circumstance while a member of LMHA without prejudice. The term for the Registrar shall expire on all Odd Numbers of years.
ARTICLE 6 - ELECTION OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS: The election of the Board of Directors of the L.M.H.A. Inc shall be held at a duly called Membership Meeting. Such elections shall be conducted in the recognized way and voting shall be by secret ballot. A simple majority shall carry. The Chairman of the election shall be the Current President, Vice President or Past President if not seeking office, or an individual appointed by the Parks and Recreation Dept. of the City of Hamilton. Any vacancies created during a term of office or left open after the annual elections will be filled by a majority vote of the Board of Directors for the remaining term of office and reported back to the executive any decisions.
ARTICLE 7 - THE EXECUTIVE – (Voting Members) - shall consist of the following:
All of the Board of Directors ( excluding President )( SEE DUTIES OF PRESIDENT); Divisional Conveners ( 2 votes per division ), Select Rep, and Referee in Chief; Such Association officials shall attend LMHA Executive meetings called for their particular area of responsibility or be responsible for sending a delegate. Total Voting members equal 19. No Proxies allowed.
ARTICLE 8 - The Executive - (Non Voting Members) - shall consist of the following:
Assistant Referee in Chief; Technical Development Chairperson; Statistician; Ice Scheduler; Sponsorship Committee; Social committee ; Privacy Officer; Administrator; Constitution Committee Chairperson; Equipment Manager; Risk Management and Safety Committee Chairperson; Tournament Chairperson; or any other ADHOC Committee created to the Executive as a non voting member approved by the Board of Directors. Such Association officials are encouraged to attend LMHA Executive meetings called for their particular area of responsibility. Please note that all Executive (voting and Non Voting) are encouraged to attend all regularly scheduled Executive Meetings.
ARTICLE 9 - ABSENCE: Any Officer or Executive voting member who is absent from 2 consecutive regularly scheduled meetings without notification is subject to dismissal at the discretion of the Board of Directors without review.
ARTICLE 10 -SIGNING OFFICERS: The Board of Directors shall appoint three (3) signing officers from amongst themselves, one of which shall be the treasurer. If for any reason the treasurer is incapacitated during his / her term of office and is not available, an interim Treasurer would be appointed and become the third signing officer. No spouses (or those living Common Law) shall have signing privileges.
ARTICLE 11- AMMENDMENTS: any proposed amendments to the Constitution or the Rules and Regulations of the Association shall be made in the following manner: Written amendment change form which shall include the general nature of the items to be changed or amended, to be presented to any member of the Constitution and By-Law Committee in a sealed envelope and no less than six weeks prior to the annual General Meeting. Any changes to the By-Laws shall be made under the heading Constitution / Rules and Regulations which is covered on the first page of the By-Laws of the L.M.H.A. Inc by-Laws and Constitution.
Any changes or amendments to the Constitution of the Association may only be made at a duly called L.M.H.A. Inc Annual General Membership Meeting.
ARTICLE 12- MEETING PROCEDURES: All meetings will be conducted by approved Parliamentary Procedures. (See Roberts Rules)
MEETINGS: Executive meetings shall be called by the President and the Secretary shall duly notify the members as to the time and place; where possible once a month. Absence regrets are required.
SPECIAL / EMERGENCY MEETINGS: A special / emergency meeting shall be called at the request of three (3) executive members presented to the executive body and passed by a simple majority of the Board of Directors as per quorum for an executive meeting or by a request by half (1\2) plus one of the eligible voting membership presented to the president and one (1) other executive member. This meeting shall be called within 10 (ten) days. The calling of this meeting will allow any necessary changes. Only the issue or issues named on the request shall be dealt with, or issues that are added to the agenda by a majority vote of the executive body at a duly called executive meeting.
QUORUM: A quorum for the Executive Meetings shall consist of a clear majority of members eligible to vote and shall include at least two (2) Officers. Viz (voting members equals 19 therefore quorum is 10 voting members). All motions will be passed by a clear majority of voting members present. (See duties of president)
A quorum for the Annual General Membership Meeting AGM shall consist of twenty-five (25) of the members eligible to vote and attend an Annual Membership Meeting of the Association.
GENERAL INFORMATION MEETING (GIM): The date of the General Information Meeting shall be no sooner that the 2nd week of February and no later than the date of Super Saturday. Notice of the Annual General Information Meeting must be posted prominently within Lawfield Arena for a period of not less than two (2) weeks prior to the meeting.
ELIGIBILITY TO ATTEND A GENERAL INFORMATION MEETING: All members of the L.M.H.A. Inc and any parent / legal guardian who have a child or children who are registered with the Lawfield Minor Hockey Association Inc in that year shall be entitled to attend.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING (AGM): The date and location of the Annual Membership Meeting shall be designated by the Board of Directors. The date of the Annual Meeting shall be no sooner that the 1st week in February and no later than the 1st week of March. Notice of the Annual Membership Meeting must be posted prominently within Lawfield Arena for a period of no less than two (2) weeks prior to the meeting.
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ELIGIBILTY TO ATTEND ANNUAL GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING: All LMHA members as per the LMHA Constitution. General voting on questions that are relevant and constructively placed before the Annual Meeting shall be achieved by an open vote of all the eligible voters. In the case of a close vote the president may call for a complete count. Amendments to By-Laws and Constitution are voted upon by L.M.H.A. Inc membership only.
ARTICLE 13 - SECURITY CLEARANCE: Any person seeking to volunteer or apply to be a coach, assistant coach, trainer or rostered manager and Executive position must submit a valid Police Record Clearance in accordance with LMHA and their governing bodies requirements.
Article 14 - Any elected member or appointed L.M.H.A. Inc Executive member is subject to dismissal without review, if he/she contravenes in anyway the constitution, By-Laws, or Rules and Regulations of the L.M.H.A. Inc or for conduct not befitting the intent or objectives of the L.M.H.A. Inc or H.M.H.C. or breaches the confidentiality of the L.M.H.A. Inc .
Article 15 - Dissolution Clause: In the event that Lawfield Minor Hockey Association Incorporated ceases to exist the following Dissolution Clause would come into effect.
Upon dissolution of the L.M.H.A. Inc., all remaining assets, after payment of all debts and liabilities, will be forwarded in their entirety to the Hamilton Minor Hockey Council.
(New – Feb. 2009)
