ECSONG Constitution

The Constitution and By-Laws of the Society of Ontario Nut Growers (SONG)

ARTICLE I

Name: This Association shall be known as The Society of Ontario Nut Growers SONG.

ARTICLE II

Objectives: The objectives of this association shall be:

1. To promote interest in nut-bearing plants, their products and their culture.
2. To promote scientific research in the breeding and culture of nut bearing plants suited to Ontario conditions.
3. To encourage planting of improved varieties in gardens and orchards, on farms and public lands.
4. To disseminate information on propagation techniques and cultural practices,
5. To provide opportunities for closer association among nut growers.

ARTICLE III

Membership: Membership in this society shall be open to all persons who are interested in supporting its objectives regardless of place of residence. Application for membership shall be presented to the Treasurer in writing accompanied by the required dues.

ARTICLE IV

Regional Chapter formation is encouraged by SONG to aid in the exchange of information and material. SONG's Constitution is to be a guide to regional chapter functioning except where specific compliance is required. A regional chapter will consist of a minimum of five members of which a minimum of three are SONG members. A regional chapter will propose its name and main area of geographic interest. The chapter, its name and area will be confirmed at the subsequent Annual SONG Meeting. In future years the SONG Treasurer will indicate the existence of each regional chapter.

ARTICLE V

Officers and Board of Directors: The elected officers shall consist of a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary, a Treasurer or Secretary-Treasurer, and the Editor. These (4) or (5) officers together with the two (2) immediate Past Presidents not presently holding an elective office, plus two (2) additional members appointed at the discretion of the President, shall constitute the Board of Directors of the organization. Upon confirmation of a regional chapter of SONG, the Chairperson of the regional chapter will automatically become a member of the Board of SONG. The president elect will reduce his appointments to the board by one if one regional chapter exists or by both if more than one regional chapter exists.

ARTICLE VI

Amendments: This Constitution and its By-Laws may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members voting at any regularly called meeting; notice and copy of such amendment having been mailed by any member to each member thirty (30) days before the date of said meeting.

BY-LAWS

SECTION I

Duties of Officers and Board of Directors

ARTICLE I

The President: The President shall preside at all meetings of the organization and shall be chairman of the Board of Directors. He shall be responsible for all business transactions of the organization, which must conform to the Constitution and By-Laws. He shall appoint standing committees and other special committees that the organization may authorize, except the Nominating Committee. It shall be the responsibility of the President to arrange for the place, time, and program of all regular meetings. Such meetings to be held in various locales in consideration of the residence of the current membership.

ARTICLE II

The Vice-President: The Vice-President shall serve as President-Elect, and in the absence of the President shall perform the duties of that office.

ARTICLE III

The Secretary: The Secretary shall keep permanent records of all meetings of the organization and the Board of Directors. He shall handle all correspondence, notices of meetings and special events. He shall present the Secretary's Report at all meetings.

ARTICLE IV

The Treasurer: The Treasurer shall collect dues, pay authorized bills, maintain a record of membership and distribute membership cards and membership lists annually. He shall notify members when their dues are about to expire and, if necessary, that their dues have expired. He shall present the Treasurer's report at all meetings. e, with the assistance of the President, shall prepare the annual budget and shall obtain approval of this budget by the Board of Directors in advance of the annual meeting, He shall provide the Secretary with a current membership list.

ARTICLE V

The Editor: The Editor shall publish and distribute "The SONG News" at least twice each year.

ARTICLE VI

The Board of Directors: The Board of Directors shall manage the affairs of the organization between meetings. It shall pass on the annual budget. A quorum of the Board of Directors shall consist of four (4) members including at least two (2) current officers. The President shall call a meeting of the Board of Directors prior to each regularly scheduled meeting of SONG. Any member of the Board of Directors may call a meeting of the Board by notifying all members in writing at least one week prior to the meeting.

SECTION II

Elections

ARTICLE I

The officers shall be elected at the annual meeting and shall hold office for one year, beginning immediately following the close of the annual meeting.

ARTICLE II

In addition to presentation of a slate of officers by the Nominating Committee, nominations may be made from the floor at the annual meeting.

ARTICLE III

All members whose dues are paid are eligible to vote.

SECTION III

Finances

ARTICLE I

The annual dues shall be ($15.00) per member. The year through which a member is paid up will appear on the mailing address label. A lapsed date will indicate dues are due. By paying for two years dues, members can receive a basic guide to growing the different nut species under Ontario conditions.

ARTICLE II

The fiscal year shall be the same as the calendar year. Annual membership shall begin January 1st and end December 31st.

ARTICLE III

New members paying dues after October 1st would not be required to make any additional payment at the succeeding annual dues date of January 1st.

ARTICLE IV

Solvency: Money spent shall not exceed the amount in the SONG Treasury. Debt obligation exceeding the SONG Treasury will be meet be persons of first hand involvement. Regional Chapters shall not obligate SONG to debts. Regional Chapters will be self-funding except that for each members, who is also a member of SONG, 10% of the current paid-up dues can be funded to the regional chapter, which is the first choice of that member. Upon membership list submission, partial payment may be made from the SONG Treasury at the discretion of the Treasurer. Full payment will lag until the completion of the current SONG fiscal year.

ARTICLE V

Grace Period: Members whose dues have not been paid within six months after the dues date of January 1st will be dropped from the roll.

SECTION IV

Meetings

ARTICLE I

There shall be a minimum of one (l) meeting a year with such other special meetings as may be decided by the membership or the Board of Directors. The annual meeting shall be held on the last Saturday of July.

ARTICLE II

A quorum at a regularly called meeting shall consist of seven (7) eligible voting members and must include at least two (2) members of the Board of Directors. Absent members may vote by proxy for any changes in the Constitution and By-Laws. Proxy vote must be received by the Secretary or Secretary/Treasurer at least three (3) days prior to the meeting.

ARTICLE IV

The order of business at all regularly scheduled meetings shall be as follows:

1. Report by Secretary.
2. Report by Treasurer.
3. Receipt of Communications.
4. Report of Standing Committees
5. Report of Special Committees.
6. Old Business.
7. New Business.
8. Adjournment.
9. Program, Speeches, etc.

The order of business as stated above may be set aside by a 2/3 vote of the members present at any regular meeting.

SECTION V Standing Committees

ARTICLE I

As soon as possible after the annual meeting, the President shall appoint the following committee:

1. Membership and Publicity Committee.

SECTION VI

Publications

ARTICLE I

The organization shall publish a bulletin containing news items, reports of meetings and other information pertaining to nut-tree culture. The bulletin shall be published at least bi-annually. A Copy of the Constitution shall be sent to all new members and a copy of the membership list shall be sent to all members annually. The bulletins shall be distributed to all members and a complimentary copy sent to the Secretary of the Northern Nut Growers Association.

Other organizations interested in nut tree culture can, upon request, receive a free copy of the bulletin.

ARTICLE II

Preparation of the news bulletin and other literature authorized by the Board of Directors shall be the responsibility of the Editor unless delegated otherwise by the Association or its Board of Directors.

SECTION VII

Nominating Committee

ARTICLE 1

The Nominating Committee shall consist of the immediate Past President, who shall serve as Chairman, and two members elected by the attending membership at the annual meeting. It shall be the duty of the Nominating Committee to hold a meeting prior to the next Annual meeting and to present a slate of nominees for the elective offices at the Annual meeting.

SECTION VIII

Auditor

ARTICLE I

One (1) auditor shall be elected at the Annual Meeting for the forthcoming year. It shall be the duty of the auditor to audit the Treasurer's Books and present his report at the Annual Meeting.

October 14, 1972 as amended July 29, 1978

The Constitution and By-Law No. 1 of the Society of Ontario Nut Growers - Eastern Chapter

CONSTITUTION

The Ottawa Area Chapter is constituted a Regional Chapter of the Society of Ontario Nut Growers (SONG) in accordance with the Constitution of SONG.

The Ottawa Area Chapter adopts the following By-Laws to govern its functioning as a Regional Chapter in accordance with Article IV of the Constitution of SONG.

By-Law No. 1

1. The name of this Regional Chapter shall be "Eastern Chapter" (the "Chapter").
2. The region of the Chapter shall include the areas covered by the watersheds of the South Nation, Rideau and Mississippi .Rivers and the contiguous areas of the Ottawa River.
3. Eligibility for membership in the Chapter shall be in accordance with Article III of the Constitution of SONG.
4. The Chapter may assess its members an annual or such other fees as it decides necessary to carry on its business.
5. The Officers of the Chapter shall be a Chairman, a Vice-Chairman, a Secretary and a Treasurer although the offices of Secretary and Treasurer may be held by one person.
6. The Council of the Chapter shall consist of the Immediate Past Chairman, the Officers and two Councilors elected by the members at the Annual Meeting of the Chapter.
7. Officers and Councilors shall hold office for one year but anyone shall be eligible for re-election.
8. A Nominating Committee shall be appointed by the Council each year at least one month prior to the date of the Annual Meeting and shall be chaired by the Immediate Past Chairman with two additional members who are not members of the Council. Nominations may also be made from the floor at the Annual Meeting.
9. Council may make appointments during the year to fill any vacancies that may occur in its membership.
10. The business year of the Chapter shall be the calendar year.
11. The Annual Meeting of the Chapter must be called by the Council before the last day of March of each year for the purpose of hearing reports, reviewing the financial statement, electing Officers, appointing an auditor, and carrying on such other business as may properly be brought before it.
12. A quorum at the Annual Meeting shall consist of a minimum of a fifth of the paid up members, of whom at least two shall be Officers of the Chapter, and any motion shall be considered carried if supported by a majority of the members present.
13. The Treasurer of the Chapter shall maintain a bank account in the name of the Chapter at such place as the Council considers appropriate, shall keep books of the Chapter's financial transactions including the collecting of fees and prepare a financial report for the Annual Meeting.
14. Signing authority for the issuing of cheques or withdrawal of funds shall rest with the Treasurer together with either the Chairman or Vice-Chairman.
15. An Auditor shall be appointed by the membership each year at the Annual Meeting.
16. The by-laws of the Chapter may be amended in accordance with Article VI of the Constitution of SONG.

The ECSONG Nut Culture Prize

1. The Prize is an award for the best nut culture related essay or report submitted by a student attending selected post-secondary institutions in Eastern Ontario.
2. It will be known as "The ECSONG Nut Culture Prize". The name may be changed at an Annual General Meeting.
3. It is to be awarded annually in perpetuity, the amount of the prize and the status of Second Place and Honourable Mention to be decided each year at the Annual General Meeting.
4. The Chair of the ECSONG Prize Adjudication Committee is to administer the award will be appointed at the Annual General Meeting. The second judge is, ex officio, the Editor of The Nuttery. The Committee Chair will choose the third judge.
5. The purpose of the Prize is to encourage students to undertake scientific and technical research projects towards improved nut culture practices and principles germane to the Eastern Ontario region, and to report results, and to consider careers in such research.
6. To date, students at the following post-secondary institutions (colleges) in the Eastern Ontario region are eligible to apply: Alfred College (Charles De Maisonneuve); Kemptville College of Guelph University (Peter Beresford); Algonquin College (Brian Henderson); and La Cité Collégiale (Reynold Richmond). Others are invited.
7. Any topic is acceptable provided it pertains to some aspect of nut culture of relevant to Canada in general, and the Eastern Ontario region in particular.
8. A submission may be in the form of an essay based on personal convictions and perspectives, or it may be a literature review citing and evaluating published articles, or a scientific report based on experimental/observational data, or other format.
9. Submissions are to be typewritten, double-spaced and limited to not more than 20 letter-size pages of text, not counting charts, figures, bibliography and a one-page Summary or Abstract. Three (3) copies are to be mailed in time to reach the Editor of ECSONG's newsletter, The Nuttery, at 2446 Sudbury Ave., Ottawa K1C 1L9, by March 1st.
10. Submitted reports will be evaluated by at least three (3) judges of whom one might be a teacher or mentor at the student's college, another a person(s) with special knowledge in the topic area, and the third judge will be the Editor of The Nuttery. Judges will assign marks independently but base these on a possible maximum of:
    • 20 marks for Originality and/or Topicality;
    • 40 marks for organization and quality of Content;
    • 20 marks for style and effectiveness of Presentation; and
    • 20 marks for Conclusions/Summary/Abstract.
11. The Adjudication Committee will meet at the behest of its Chair, in the week of March 1st. All papers will be read for the first time, and each scored by each judge. Those papers receiving the highest and duplicate scores will be discussed, and one selected. Amongst the remainder, the second highest score will be declared Second Place, and third highest score declared Honourable Mention. Should there be duplicate scores at either or both of these levels, then tie-breaking discussion will ensue. If winners cannot be agreed, the a new ad hoc committee of arbitration will be struck to make the choices. The results will be forwarded to the Chair, ECSONG for final approval.
12. The author receiving highest aggregate marks becomes winner of the ECSONG Nut Culture Prize for that year. The second and third highest scores may be awarded Second Place and Honourable Mention.
13. The successful author will be presented with a certificate and a cheque at the Annual General Meeting of ECSONG in March and will be invited to review the paper and answer questions arising from it.
14. At the least, a summary of this work will appear in The Nuttery and will also be published on the Internet, with the author receiving full credit. The author(s) retain the copyright of their work.
15. A Foundation may be established worth about $10K, the proceeds from which would fund the prize annually. The RVCA has volunteered to administer such a Foundation. If funded from ECSONG Treasury instead, a by-law might be enacted.