Constitution

1. The name of the Association shall be WESTERN DIVISION OF THE CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF GEOGRAPHERS and bear the acronym WDCAG.

2. The objectives of the WDCAG shall be the promotion of Geographical study, teaching, and research.

Bylaws

I. MEMBERS

1. All members in good standing, of any class, in the Canadian Association of Geographers (CAG), who reside in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, the Yukon Territory, the Northwest Territories, and in the American States of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana will be regular members in the WDCAG.

2. Persons other than members of the CAG who are in attendance of a WDCAG Annual General Meeting (AGM) and support the goals and objectives of the Division, may vote on-site at that AGM but need to identify as “Intended member” on the attendance sheet. Intended members must obtain CAG membership at the AGM or as soon as possible after, after which they will become regular members.  

3. All members, regular and intended, are entitled to vote on the business of the WDCAG during the AGM.

II. MEETINGS

1. The Division shall meet in general session for the purpose of conducting the business of the Division. Time, place, and conditions of the meeting shall be determined by the Executive. Notice of such Annual General Meeting (AGM) shall be announced to members of record at least two weeks prior to the meeting. Announcements will be distributed electronically to the member's email address as shown on the records of the Division or those of the CAG.

2. Such notice shall set out in general terms, the business to be conducted at the meeting.

3. At each AGM an attendance sheet shall be distributed, and once all in attendance have listed their names, email addresses, and membership status (regular/intended) this list is to be filed with the minutes of that meeting. One member-at-large will be in charge of distributing, collecting and transcribing this attendance sheet.

4. Prior to the AGM, usually on the same day, the Division’s Annual Executive Meeting shall take place, which main aim it is to prepare the matters of business for the AGM.

5.The Division may meet as part of an activity program, at such time and at such location as may from time to time be determined by the Executive. Participation in this activity program is not restricted to members of the Division.

6. Traditionally, such activity program has been the WDCAG’s Annual Meeting, a student-focused Conference which has been held, in rotation, at members’ host institution campuses.

III. EXECUTIVE

1. The executive shall consist of the following elected positions:

a) President

b) Vice-President (see Section 4)

c) Past-President (see Section 4)

d) Secretary-Treasurer

e) Four members-at-large (MAL)

f) A minimum of two and a maximum of four student members, of which at least one from British Columbia, the Yukon, Washington or Oregon and at least one from Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Idaho or Montana

and the following non-elected positions:

g) The Western Geography Journal Editors (see Section  VII) - ex officio

h) Newsletter Editor - ex officio

i) Appointed British Columbia Education Committee Chairperson

2. Members of the Executive must be in good standing of the CAG.

3. The Executive shall be elected at the AGM.

4. The Executive of the WDCAG shall consist of a president, serving a two year non-renewal term of office; a past-president or a vice-president, each term consisting of one year; a secretary-treasurer elected for a period of two years; four members-at-large each elected for a period of two years; and between 2-4 student members each elected for one year. Appointed positions shall consist of the newsletter editor and journal editors - all ex officio, each for a term of two years; and a British Columbia Education Committee Chair for a term of two years. Elections for the vice-president shall be bi-annually and the vice-president will, under normal circumstances, take the position of president in the year following the election and will succeed to past-president in the year immediately following the two year presidential term of office. There will not be a past-president in the year in which there is a vice-president and there will not be a vice-president in the year in which there is a past-president. The members-at-large shall be elected on the basis of two vacancies per year. One of those vacancies may be filled by the Chair of the conference organizing committee for the following year’s Annual Meeting & Conference, if that person is or becomes a member in good standing of the CAG.

5. The President shall chair the Division’s Annual Executive Meeting and AGM, and shall assume such duties as may from time to time be assigned by a meeting of the Executive or by the AGM.

6. The President shall fulfill the role of Regional Councillor on the Executive Committee of the CAG, and liaise between the WDCAG and the Canadian Association of Geographers (CAG).

7. The Vice-President will normally succeed the President in office.

8. The Past-President shall Chair the Nominating Committee.

9. The Secretary-Treasurer shall keep or cause to be kept, Minutes of meetings of the Executive and the AGM as well as keeping, or causing to be kept, proper records of the Division. The Secretary-Treasurer shall ensure copies of all documents are forwarded to the webmaster and posted on the Division’s website in a timely manner and shall be responsible for the financial affairs and operation of the Division.

10. The Secretary-Treasurer and any other member of the Executive as specified by the Executive shall be the signing officers of the Division.

11. The Secretary-Treasurer shall prepare a budget to be presented to the AGM. This budget, after general approval by the members, is to be referred to the incoming Executive as a guideline.

12. The Journal Editors, Newsletter Editor, and Webmaster shall be ratified annually at the AGM. It is anticipated that these positions will be of at least two years duration.

13. The British Columbia Education Committee (BCEC) Chairperson will be appointed by the Executive. This position will be filled from within the Executive or from within the WDCAG membership at large. It is anticipated that this position will be of at least two years duration. On appointment the BCEC Chairperson automatically becomes a full voting member of the Executive.

14. The Executive may co-opt a member of the WDCAG to fill any vacant position on the Executive. The co-opted member will become a full voting member of the Executive.

15. The Executive may pay such members or other persons for any services performed to the Division or on behalf of the Division upon special resolution of the Executive, such resolution to be first obtained.

16. The following non-elected positions will generally be filled by WDCAG members in good standing, but these positions will not be members of the executive.

a) Archivist

b) Awards officer

c) Webmaster

IV. VOTING AND ELECTIONS

1. Voting on matters of the business of the Division during an AGM shall be restricted to members in good standing as well as intended members in attendance of the AGM.

2. Voting outside the AGM is restricted to members in good standing only, and may be in the form of a referendum or electronic vote, which shall be administered by a member of the executive.

3. A quorum of a business meeting shall be those members in good standing in attendance at the meeting.

4. At any meeting of the Division each member shall be entitled to one vote. Proxy votes will not be permitted.

5. All items voted on require a majority of fifty percent plus one.

6. The President shall receive nominations from the floor at the AGM for new members of the Executive, and the incoming officers shall be elected by a majority vote of members attending the AGM.

7. In case of a tie, the Chair shall have a casting vote at the AGM and when voting occurs electronically outside the AGM.

V. COMMITTEES OF THE DIVISION

A. NOMINATING COMMITTEE

There shall be a Nominating Committee comprised of the available three immediate past presidents and which shall ensure that the AGM will be presented with a list of candidates suitable to stand for office and representing the professional and regional interest groups within the Division. It is desirable to ensure some continuity between outgoing and incoming Executives.

Guidelines for the Nominating Committee

-- The President is responsible for ensuring that the Nominating Committee convenes.

-- The immediate Past President will chair the Nominating Committee.

-- The Chairperson of the Nominating Committee will report to the President prior to the AGM.

-- Verbal agreement to stand must have been obtained from those members whose names are on the list.

-- All persons whose names are on the list must be, or become, members in good standing of the CAG.

B. BRITISH COLUMBIA EDUCATION COMMITTEE

There shall be a British Columbia Education Committee (BCEC) comprised of no fewer than one and no more than eight members. The Chairperson of the BCEC shall, upon appointment, become a full voting member of the Executive.

The objectives of the BCEC shall be to promote geographic education within the province of British Columbia, to promote and maintain liaison and communication with elementary, secondary and post secondary institutions, the respective Ministries, the professional associations and other appropriate educational support groups and to establish and maintain a network with other similar organizations outside British Columbia.

VI. CONSTITUTION CHANGES

1. Proposed changes to the Division's constitution must be submitted in writing to the Secretary-Treasurer at least forty days prior to the AGM.

2. Such changes are to be submitted to the membership, in writing, at the time of the notification of the AGM.

3. The AGM may change the constitution by a resolution obtaining a simple majority vote of those present at the meeting.

VII. PUBLICATIONS

1. The Division’s Archivist shall keep a record of each annual meeting and conference by obtaining and archiving the program and abstracts issued by the host institution on the WDCAG website. These materials will be made available to the membership via the Division’s website.

2. The journal Western Geography shall, under normal circumstances, be published annually and distributed online through the Division’s website. The journal shall have at least two editors, who together should broadly represent the physical and human geography subdisciplines.

3. It shall be the responsibility of the Executive to develop a journal publications policy which, when affirmed by majority vote of the AGM, shall be the policy of the Division. This policy shall be made available via the Division’s website.

4. A Newsletter for the WDCAG will be distributed to members online through the Division’s website. There will normally be one Newsletter per annum.

5. The Division will maintain a website.