Constitution
NOTE: last approved revision dated February 2024.
Article 1. NAME
The name of the organization shall be the CANADIAN CORRESPONDENCE CHESS ASSOCIATION, subsequently referred to as the CCCA.
Article 2. NOT-FOR-PROFIT BODY
The CCCA shall be a not-for-profit body and shall not make or authorize any payment of surplus funds to its members.
Article 3. OBJECTIVES AND POWERS
The objective of the CCCA shall be to administer and foster Canadian correspondence chess both domestically and internationally on behalf of the CCCA. Its purpose shall be to provide the opportunity to play correspondence chess in various forms within a national organization, nationally and internationally, and offer its membership reliability, permanence, friendly contacts, and a wide choice of playing strengths from beginner to master. The CCCA shall have power to do all such acts as are necessary for, or conducive to, achieving its aims.
Article 4. MANAGEMENT
The administration of the affairs of the CCCA shall be vested in the Executive, which shall meet at least once each calendar year. Additional meetings of the Executive may be called at the request of a majority of the Executive. Ample notice shall be given to all Executive Members and the chosen date shall attempt to accommodate the majority of the Executive.
Article 5. PLACE OF MEETING
Executive meetings shall be held at a place established by the majority of the Executive Members, either in-person or online.
Article 6. MEMBERSHIP
Membership shall be open to all residents of Canada as well as Canadian citizens living abroad who have been duly admitted, have paid such fees as the Executive may determine from time to time, and carry (or will carry) the Canadian flag on their ICCF profile. Members who change their ICCF profile country affiliation shall be permitted to finish all Canadian and International Tournaments that they are currently engaged in.
Article 7. FOREIGN MEMBERSHIPS
Foreign memberships will be permitted but their only entitlement as a CCCA member is the receipt of the CCCA’s periodical, CHECK!
Article 8. HONORARY LIFE MEMBERS
The Executive may elect any person to be a Life Member of the CCCA and any Life Member shall be exempted from paying any further membership fees. The Executive shall restrict these appointments to persons who have performed exceptional service to the CCCA or to Canadian Correspondence Chess.
Article 9. PERIODICAL
The CCCA shall issue a periodical as often as approved by the Executive free of charge to all members. It will generally include tournaments available, tournaments completed, results of individual games, and a rating list, and may feature selected annotated games of members and columns dealing with openings and correspondence chess features.
Article 10. GENERAL MEETING
Owing to the difficulty of calling members together, it shall not be mandatory for the CCCA to hold General Meetings. On petition, signed by at least thirty members requesting that a General Meeting be held, and setting out the reasons for such request, the Executive shall call a General Meeting in conjunction with the annual Executive meeting, or at such other time as they deem appropriate. Notice of such a General Meeting shall be advertised in the CCCA periodical and posted at least three weeks prior to the date of the meeting. The place of the meeting shall be at the discretion of the Executive. At this meeting a two-third majority vote shall be sufficient to force a general membership vote on constitutional changes or to force an election for any Executive position.
Article 11. QUORUM
At a General Meeting, thirty persons present in person or by proxy, and at an Executive meeting a majority present in person or by proxy shall constitute a quorum.
Article 12. VOTING
Each member shall be entitled to one vote at General Meetings and each Executive Member to one vote at Executive meetings. The Chair shall have the right to vote on any motion and when voting is equal shall be entitled to a tie-breaking vote. Voting may be effected either in person or by proxy; proxies must be in writing and be held by a member of the CCCA.
Article 13. MINUTES
Minutes shall be kept of proceedings at all General and Executive meetings by the Secretary.
Article 14. EXECUTIVE
The Executive shall consist of not less than three (3) members of the CCCA, holding the following positions: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Tournament Coordinator. The members of the Executive may at any time appoint further persons to be additional members of the Executive. The same member may concurrently hold multiple Executive positions, except that the President and Treasurer shall not be the same person.
A person shall cease to be a member of the Executive if:
- a. he/she tenders his/her resignation from the Executive,
- b. he/she ceases to fulfill the duties of his/her office as voted to be removed from holding their Executive position by a two-thirds majority of those present and voting at a meeting of the Executive,
- c. a two-thirds majority of those present and voting at a meeting of the Executive resolves that he/she shall cease to be a member of the CCCA, or
- d. he/she ceases to be a member of the CCCA.
Article 15. EXECUTIVE POWERS
The Executive shall have all powers necessary for the achievement of the objectives of the CCCA and may raise monies; determine fees and subscriptions; pay honoraria, fee-for-services, and prizes; and buy or sell equipment, material or property of any description as it deems advantageous to the CCCA.
Article 16. HANDLING OF FUNDS
The Executive shall have power to open Savings Accounts and Current Accounts with any recognised national Canadian Bank, Trust Company, Credit Union, or recognized electronic payment service; make deposits and required payments; and invest surplus funds in any way it thinks fit. Payments shall be made electronically where possible. Signing Officers shall be the Treasurer (primary) and the President (secondary) and, given the geographic distance possible between these two Executives, with any-to-sign authority.
Article 17. EXECUTIVE MEMBER TERMS
The Executive shall serve in accordance with the following:.
- a. TERM: The term of all Executive members shall be one year or until their successors have been elected.
- b. RE-ELECTION: All Executive members are eligible for re-election.
- c. VACANCY: If a vacancy occurs, such vacancy may be filled by a member appointed by the remaining members of the Executive.
Article 18. EXECUTIVE MEMBERS DUTIES
The standard roles and responsibilities of each Executive member are detailed below.
Additionally, the Executive will determine yearly the amounts of any honoraria to be distributed to the Executive Officers, as well as the payment amounts for any fee-for-service positions such as the periodical editor and webmaster.
Article 18A. DUTIES OF THE PRESIDENT
The duties of the President include, but are not limited to:
- a. Function as the Chair for AGM and Executive meetings.
- b. Function as the National Delegate to the ICCF.
- c. Function as the International Events Coordinator.
- d. Perform CCCA member maintenance on the ICCF site.
- e. Function as the Secondary Signing Officer; conduct financial business in the event the Treasurer (Primary Signing Officer) is unavailable
Article 18B. DUTIES OF THE VICE PRESIDENT
The duties of the Vice-President include, but are not limited to:
- a. Assume duties of the President, if the President is unavailable.
- b. Perform delegated Presidential duties/roles.
Article 18C. DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY
The duties of the Secretary include, but are not limited to:
- a. Maintain minutes of all AGM and Executive meetings.
- b. Maintain record of all motions passed by the Executive for the year.
- c. Maintain Membership database.
- d. Contact members about renewing membership.
- e. Providing “Welcome” kit to new members.
Article 18D. DUTIES OF THE TREASURER
The duties of the Treasurer include, but are not limited to:
- a. Function as the Primary Signing Officer.
- b. Conduct payment of transactions, once approved by the Executive.
- c. Record incoming payments (memberships and tournament entry fees) and communicate such as needed to other Executives.
- d. Maintain CCCA financial records.
- e. Conduct banking and investment activities as approved by the Executive.
- f. Produce Financial Statements (Statement of Financial Position; Statement of Operations) within 30 days of Dec.31 fiscal year-end.
- g. Produce interim Financial Statements (see f) within 30 days when requested by Executive.
Article 18E. DUTIES OF THE TOURNAMENT COORDINATOR
The duties of the Tournament Coordinator include, but are not limited to:
- a. Coordinate all aspects of regular CCCA tournaments.
- b. Coordinate all CCCA aspects of International Team Friendlies.
- c. Contact members for upcoming CCCA tournaments and International Team Friendlies.
- d. Propose final format & prizes for each tournament to the Executive.
- e. Create tournaments and International Team Friendlies on the ICCF server.
Article 19. RULES
The Executive shall establish such standing rules as it considers necessary with respect to the correspondence chess play of the CCCA including the adoption of the tournament calendar, tournament rules (eg. Format, qualification, rate of play, etc..), rules for the allocation of prize money, and the fixing of tournament fees. The Executive may delegate to the Tournament Coordinator the responsibility for establishing special rules for particular tournaments.
Article 20. AMENDEMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION
This Constitution may be amended by:
- a. A two-thirds majority of those present or by proxy, and voting at a General Meeting. The proposed amendment must be put forward in the CCCA periodical with ample time given for a response from the membership. (See also Article 10. GENERAL MEETING); or,
- b. A two-thirds majority of those present or by proxy, and voting at an Executive meeting. All Executive Members must be given adequate notice that an amendment is on the agenda.
Article 21. WINDING UP
The Executive shall not have the power to wind up the affairs of the CCCA. Winding up shall only take place on a motion carried by seventy-five percent of those present and voting at a properly constituted General Meeting and subsequently ratified by a simple majority of members voting by postal ballot. The motion shall include recommendations for the disposal of surplus assets of the CCCA. It shall be the duty of the Executive to conduct the ballot, and to submit the motion to the members in the form carried by the General Meeting.