BOIESTOWN-DOAKTOWN MINOR HOCKEY ASSOCIATION

CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS 

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CONSTITUTION  

1.  The Association shall be known as The BOIESTOWN-DOAKTOWN MINOR HOCKEY ASSOCIATION. 

2.  The Boiestown-Doaktown Minor Hockey Association shall have jurisdiction to govern and administer minor hockey within the communities of Boiestown, Doaktown and the surrounding area including all of School District 18's Subdistrict 1 as defined in Regulation 2001-24 under the Education Act, E-1.12, RSNB (2001) as follows: Astle, Bettsburg, Blissfield, Bloomfield Ridge, Boiestown, Carrolls Crossing, Grand Lake Road, Hayesville, Hazelton, Holtville, Ludlow, McGivney, McNamee, Nelson Hollow, New Bandon, Parker Ridge, Porter Cove, Priceville, Rocky Brook, Storeytown, Taxis River, Village of Doaktown, Weaver Siding, and that part of the community commonly called Cains River in the Parish of Blissfield. 

3.  The objectives of the Association are:

• to provide an organized Minor Hockey program for the youth of the Boiestown-Doaktown area within the structure of the Canadian Hockey Association and Hockey New Brunswick.
• to teach the skills of the sport of hockey
• to teach fair play, sportsmanship and team membership values
• to provide recreation and enjoyment through organized hockey
• to provide supervision, direction and education of all coaches, players and team affiliates. 

4.  The Association shall be comprised of an Executive, a Board of Directors and a General Membership.

BY-LAWS

1.  The Boiestown-Doaktown Minor Hockey Association shall be a member of Hockey New Brunswick and Hockey Canada and shall further the aims and objectives of Hockey New Brunswick and Hockey Canada. The Association shall not affiliate or enter into any agreements with associations or organizations that are not members of Hockey New Brunswick or Hockey Canada and none of the financial resources or any other assets of the Association shall be contributed to any other association or agency that is not also a member of Hockey New Brunswick or Hockey Canada. 

2.  The Association shall hold an Annual General Meeting in the month of September. 

3.  The Executive office shall be voted decided during the Annual General Meeting

1. The Executive of the Association shall consist of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, one director from each hockey age group (if possible), and additional directors as the Association sees fit.
2. All candidates for Executive office shall be members in good standing of the Association.
3. All positions on the Executive are for one-year terms, and shall stand vacant at each Annual Meeting of the Association.
4. All members in good standing of the Association may be nominated for positions on the Executive and may stand for election thereon. In the event of more than one candidate being nominated for any Executive position, ballots will be distributed to all members in good standing who shall vote by secret ballot.
5. Those eligible to vote at the Annual General Meeting shall be anyone living in the area covered by the Association and who is positively connected to the Association. Voter eligibility shall be decided by the Chairperson. Those eligible to vote at General Meetings other than the Annual shall be a member of a family of a registrant or someone who has taken an approved and active part in the affairs of the Association. Voter eligibility to be decided by the Chairperson.
6. Balloting shall be administered by a member in good standing of the Association who is not a candidate for office, who has agreed to conduct the election and counting of ballots, and who has been selected by a majority vote of the Association members.
7. The winner of an election shall be declared when she or he receives at least 50 per cent plus one of the ballots cast for that position.
8. In the event there are more than two candidates for any office, and none of the candidates receives the required minimum as set forth by (g) above, then the lowest-placing candidate shall be dropped from the balloting and the election will continue until a winning candidate is declared.
9. Vacancies on the Executive may be filled, by a majority vote of the Association at a meeting called for that purpose, between Annual meetings. 
   

4.  The Executive shall appoint persons to the following positions:

- Director of Fund Raising

- Director of Coaching

- Director of Education

- Chairman of Discipline Committee 

5.  The agenda for the Annual Meeting shall include a:

- President's Report

- Treasurer's Report (which will include the presentation of the annual financial statements)

- The election of the Executive and Board

- Constitutional amendments

- The setting of the Registration fees for the upcoming season

- Any matter deemed necessary by a member of the Executive, the Board or the General Membership 

6.  Notice of General Meetings shall be posted in the businesses of the area at least two weeks prior to the meeting. 

7.  For the purposes of annual meetings and other general meetings, a quorum of the Association shall consist of either the president or vice-president, plus no fewer than 7 members of the Association. For the purposes of executive meetings, a quorum of the executive of the Association shall consist of either the president or vice-president, plus no fewer than five directors or members of the executive of the Association. 

8.  Amendments shall only be accepted at the Annual General Meeting.

1. Amendments to this constitution and by-laws shall be accepted and voted on only during the annual meetings of the Association.
2. Amendments will be preceded by a Notice of Motion which shall be distributed to the voting members of the Association not less than seven days before the Annual Meeting. 

9.  The Association shall be managed by the Executive, which shall meet once monthly during hockey season, or more often as required. 

10. The President shall chair all meetings, shall exercise the authority of the Association in cases of emergency, shall be the official spokesperson for the Association, shall negotiate arrangements with the Arena Association and shall represent the Association at all affiliate functions. 

11. The Vice-President shall act in the place of the President if the President should become unable to act.

12. The Treasurer shall maintain all financial records, document all financial transactions and prepare proper financial statements for the Annual Meeting and if requested by the President or Board of Directors.

1. Each registered team may appoint its own treasurer to administer team-specific finances, including tournament fees, ice time rentals, officials' honoraria, and other matters not falling within the broad interests of the Association. 

13. The Secretary shall issue notices of meetings, record the minutes of all meetings and generally assist the President with Administrative functions. 

14. The Association shall bank at The Bank of Nova Scotia in Doaktown unless the Executive chooses to bank elsewhere and passes a Motion to that effect, said motion being in effect until superseded by a further motion. 

15. Bank documents are to be signed by the Treasurer, and any one of the following: President, Vice-President, or Secretary. 

16. The fiscal year end of the Association shall be July 31st. 

17. At the request of the President or the Board an audit of the financial records may be conducted to be paid for by the Association. 

18. Each team in the organization shall have a head coach and a manager and may have one or two assistant coaches. 

19. The registration procedure shall be determined at the annual meeting for each year and the rate will be set at that time.

1. All players shall register with their proper age group as defined by Hockey New Brunswick and Hockey Canada.
2. No player shall play any game, or participate in any practice, as a member of a team for which he has not registered, except as follows:

    c. Any agreement above, to be valid, must be executed in writing in a form approved by the Association, and shall be kept by the Secretary, who shall produce copies immediately when requested.

• i)   the coach and manager of any team playing out of age group players shall be responsible for maintaining copies of all permissions and shall produce them on the request of any official.

• ii)  Any coach or player who is found in violation of Article 19(b) or 19(c) shall be suspended from play until reinstated by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.

  d. Any player qualifying for and playing for a developmental hockey team (i.e. "Triple A") shall be exempt from any provisions of Article 19 but shall be prohibited from playing or practicing with any team formed by the Association if the player is not also duly registered with the Association.

  e. Any player wishing to apply for and exemption from any registration fees as set forth by the Association shall do so at least one week prior to the Annual General Meeting. Said application will be taken up by the membership at the Annual General Meeting and all matters of player registration shall be decided by a majority vote.

  f. In cases of disciplinary problems exhibited by players in prior years, the Association may refuse to register any player, and the player so refused shall have no cause of action against the Association. The Association shall, in the case of all refusals, set forth the reasons in writing and the conditions for future registration, if any.

  g. A player refused registration by the Association shall be eligible for a release from the Association, so he or she may seek registration elsewhere, but the release shall be accompanied by a letter from the Association citing reasons for its refusal to register said player.

  h. A player who is suspended from school, or not attending regular classes( with the exception of those who have graduated and are of eligable age and approved by the Board of Directors), shall not participate in any games or practices for the duration of that suspension or period of non-attendance. 

20. An ice time schedule shall be prepared before the beginning of each season. Teams who use extra ice time beyond that scheduled will be responsible for the payment of that ice time. 

21. Everyone involved with the Boiestown-Doaktown Minor Hockey Association should at all times bear in mind that:

1. the Association is responsible to provide a positive experience for all minor hockey registrants; and
2. the Association is teaching more than the technical aspects of hockey; it is also teaching sportsmanship, fair play, and values that will help the registrants develop into well-rounded, productive adults; and
3. we are working with children and should be always aware of their need for positive social interaction with other players and adults.
4. if at any given time the Board of Directors deem it necessary, a criminal record check can be required of those requesting participate as a member of the coaching staff ( head coach, assistant coach, trainer or manager) or the Executive/Board of Directors. 

22. In order to maintain the above goals, a Discipline Committee shall be formed by the Association, with a chairman and as many members as the chairman and the Executive deem necessary.

1. All matters of conduct by players or coaches during Association sanctioned games or practices shall stand permanently referred to the Discipline Committee.
2. The Committee shall assess suspensions and penalties as it sees fit. These suspensions and penalties may be in addition to any suspensions or penalties mandated by Hockey New Brunswick and/or the Minor Hockey Council.
3. Any gross misconduct assessed shall result in and automatic suspension from practices and play until the Committee, or the Board of Directors, meets and votes to reinstate the suspended member.
4. The Committee or Board of Directors may attach any conditions it sees fit as part of any reinstatement, and any breach of those conditions shall result in the reinstatement being voided.
5. Any player assessed three fighting majors in a season shall be automatically suspended until reinstated by a majority vote of the Association's Board of Directors.
6. For the purposes of this section, the "season" shall consist of all regular, exhibition, tournament and playoff games. 

23. The Association shall have a code of ethics posted in the arena for all those involved with our hockey program to see. 

24. This Constitution shall be made available to anyone who requests it, and may be posted publicly at the arena or elsewhere.