Constitution & Bylaws
CONSTITUTION
Article 1 - Name and Fiscal Year
1.1 The name of the organization shall be the French River Minor Hockey Association hereafter referred to as the FRMHA.
1.2 The fiscal year of the FRMHA shall run from the first (1st) day in May in any year to and including the thirtieth (30th) day of April in the following year.
Article 2 - Goals & Objectives
2.1 The goal of the FRMHA shall be to foster and promote good sportsmanship among minors through “House League” hockey within French River and surrounding areas, without restriction of race, nationality, religion, level of ability, or gender.
2.2 To provide a hockey program that is of the best quality while still affordable to any person wishing to participate.
2.3 To promote and encourage the game of hockey within the community.
2.4 To offer a program that will provide the essential skills and leadership so that the participants can compete at a level suitable to their skills and needs, for not only players but the coaches, trainers, and managers as well.
2.5 To promote fair-play amongst its teams and ensure its teams conduct themselves with proper behavior. Players, staff, and parents shall be encouraged to represent the community and the FRMHA, with utmost pride, class, and integrity.
Article 3 - Authority
3.1 The FRMHA shall operate under the playing rules and regulations of the Northern Ontario Hockey Association (NOHA) and its affiliates Hockey Canada and the Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF). In addition, the Nipissing District Hockey League (NDHL) rules and regulations will apply to the FRMHA. The bylaws of above noted organizations shall be adhered to for the FRMHA.
3.2 The FRMHA shall remain a member, in good standing, for both the NOHA and NDHL. As such, the FRMHA will maintain voting rights as per the by-laws of both organizations.
3.3 Notwithstanding Articles 3.1 and 3.2 the FRMHA will remain (either through affiliation or directly) a member, in good standing, with Hockey Canada.
Article 4 - Composition
4.1 The FRMHA shall be composed of organized “House League” hockey teams for the following divisions:
Under 7 (U7) ages 4, 5, & 6
Under 9 (U9) ages 7 & 8
Under 11 (11) ages 9 & 10
Under 13 (U13) ages 11 & 12
Under 15 (U15) ages 13 & 14
Under 18 (U18) ages 15, 16, & 17
4.2 The FRMHA will submit an application, on an annual basis and when merited, for an affiliation declaration in accordance to NOHA regulations, whereby a player may play up in a higher category.
Article 5 - The Board of Directors
5.1 The Board of Directors shall be comprised of the following:
President (signing authority, must be filled)
Immediate Past President
Treasurer (signing authority, must be filled)
Secretary (must be filled)
General Board Member 1
General Board Member 2
5.2 The Board is empowered to conduct business of the FRMHA on behalf of its members and, subject to the limitations contained herein, to make such decisions, and to carry out such actions as it considers necessary as stated in Article 2 - Goals & Objectives.
5.3 Members of the Board shall be elected as per Article 10.1.
5.4 No person may hold more than one position on the Board, notwithstanding Article 8.3
5.5 Each member of the Board shall hold one vote on any decisions regarding the FRMHA. In the event of a tie vote, the president’s vote will decide.
Article 6 - Term of Office and Vacancies
6.1 The Board shall all hold office for two (2) consecutive fiscal years, with the exception of the Immediate Past President who will remain a member of the Board for only (1) complete fiscal year.
6.2 To ensure continuity of the Board, the President, Secretary, and General Board Member 2 shall be elected on uneven years and the Treasurer and General Board Member 1 shall be elected on even years.
6.3 Filling of Vacancies
In the event that any Board member is unable to perform the required duties, resigns, or thorough revocation, the remaining Board may elect from within the remaining Board to fill the position of President, Treasurer, Secretary, General Board Member 1, or General Board Member 2 until the next Annual General Meeting of the FRMHA.
Should all remaining members of the Board decline the open position, the remaining board shall solicit applications for the open position, and approve from those applications a candidate by majority vote.
Any such Board member position filled will be up for election at the next Annual General Meeting with the balance of the length of term for the position decided in accordance with the time limitations of Article 6.1 and 6.2.
Article 9 - Responsibilities
President
-Shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors. Refer to Article 7.
-Shall be an ex-officio member of all sub-committees of the FRMHA.
-Shall oversee the operations of the FRMHA and ensure that it operates in a functional and responsible manner.
-Shall call meetings when necessary or at the request of two (2) members of the board.
-Shall act as a signing officer for the FRMHA
-Shall prepare an Association's Report for presentation at the Annual General Meeting.
-Shall obtain a tie breaking vote, when required.
-Shall return the Approved Minutes to the Secretary for the distribution to the remaining Board within five (5) business days.
Immediate Past President
-Shall act as an ex-officio (non-voting) member to the Board of Directors in the interest of continuity.
Treasurer
-Shall keep an accurate up-to-date record of all financial transactions of the FRMHA
-Shall issue receipts for all funds received and retain receipts thereof;
-Shall retain all receipts for payments and invoices;
-Shall ensure that the FRMHA membership dues are paid and kept current;
-Shall act as a signing officer for the FRMHA;
-Shall provide a financial report at each meeting of the Board;
-Shall provide a financial statement for presentation at the Annual General Meeting;
-Shall ensure that all dues, fees, invoices, and information required by the NOHA/NDHL are delivered on behalf of the FRMHA.
-Shall disperse all payments by cheque or email money transfer (EMT)
Secretary
-Record the minutes for all Meetings, Special Meetings, and the Annual General Meeting through their term of office.
-Receive and record all items to be included in
-Shall produce an agenda for all meetings of the Board and communicate it to the Board prior to any meeting date.
-Maintain a complete record of all minutes and have them to the President for approval within five (5) business days.
-Keep a Meeting Minutes binder and have them available at every meeting through the terms of their office.
-Receive and file all FRMHA letters and correspondence.
-Receive nominations for officers of the Board and confirm acceptance of the nomination prior to the Annual General Meeting.
-Shall act as Head of Constitutional Committee
-Shall oversee and maintain the appropriate use of the FRMHA’s online socials.
General Board Member 1 & 2
-Shall be responsible for administering all fundraising activities of the FRMHA.
-Shall act as Head of the Fundraising Committee.
-Ensure that all fundraising efforts are administered in accordance with all policies/practices/guidelines as set out in the FRMHA.
-Shall be responsible for team staff recruitment.
-Shall work with team staff on personal development/certification requirements.
-Lead resource on Hockey Canada’s Long-Term Player Development and Athlete Development Models.
-Be available to all staff to assist with team developmental efforts.
-Work with team staff on the identification of high performance and committed players ready for higher levels of play and coordination of mentoring for them as they transition to higher levels both within and outside of the FRMHA.
Article 7 - Meetings
7.1 Meetings of the FRMHA shall take place as needed, when possible, with no less than ten (10) meetings per fiscal year. All meetings must have a quorum of 50%+1 of the Board members.
7.2 The president shall preside over all meetings of the Board of the FRMHA.
7.3 Each member of the Board shall have one (1) vote for decisions regarding the FRMHA, quorum for a vote will be 50% +1 for any matter. The President shall represent a tie-breaking vote, when required.
7.4 The Secretary shall distribute to each attendee the agenda for each meeting.
7.5 Any member of the Board which does not attend three (3) consecutive meetings must provide legitimate reasons. If the Board deems the absence of any member of the Board unacceptable, that person may be removed from their office and replaced by a remaining member of the Board as per Article 8.3.
7.6 Each meeting of the FRMHA shall have the following format:
1. Call to Order and President’s Welcome Address
2. Approval of Past Minutes
3. Officer Reports
3.a President’s Report
3.b Treasurer’s Report
3.c Secretary’s Report/Correspondence
4. Reports
4.a Fundraising
4.b Constitutional
4.c Publicity
5. Agenda
6. Old Business
7. New Business
8. Motion to Adjourn
7.7 Special meetings may be requested to the Board by any two (2) members of the Board itself or if any two (2) members, in good standing, of the FRMHA, request it.
7.8 Each special meeting of the FRMHA shall have the following format:
-
Call to Order and Attendance
-
Adoption of Agenda
-
Report
-
Update
-
Adjournment
7.8 There will be an Annual General Meeting (AGM) held at the end of each regular season, taking place between April 1st - May 15th of any given year.
7.9 Each Annual General Meeting of the FRMHA shall have the following format:
-
Call to Order and President’s Welcome Address
-
Yearly Financial Statement from the Treasurer
-
Nominations for the Board of Director positions. Refer to Article 11.
3.a General Board Member 2
3.b General Board Member 1
3.c Secretary
3.d Treasurer
3.e President
-
Adjournment
7.10 Any member of the FRMHA as described in Article 11.1 may attend the AGM and hold a vote. The AGM is open to the general public in the interest of the FRMHA but not permitted a vote.
Article 8 - Membership and Elections
8.1 Members shall be defined as such:
A person who is at least 18 years of age who is registered as a parent/guardian of a registered player within the FRMHA for that current year.
8.2 Nominations for positions on the Board of Directors shall take place at the AGM. Nominees must meet the requirements of Article 11.1 at the time of their election and throughout the term of their office. Each nomination must be seconded by another member.
8.3 Proxy nominations are permitted but must meet the requirements of Article 11.1 and have an “AGM Nomination Form” filled out and submitted via sealed envelope to the FRMHA Secretary to be opened at the AGM only.
8.4 If there is only one person nominated for any position on the Board, that person shall be acclaimed, provided there are no objections to the nomination by the members present.
8.5 There can be no voting by proxy, only one (1) vote per member that meets the requirements of Article 11.1, to a maximum of two (2) votes per family.
Article 9 - Constitution
9.1 The Secretary of the Association with a minimum of any (2) members of the FRMHA that meet the requirements of Article 11.1 shall make up the Constitutional Committee for the purpose of reviewing and making recommendations to the membership for any changes.
9.2 The Secretary will be required to post a notice on the FRMHA online socials of a call for proposed amendments to the Constitution at a minimum of 14 days prior to the date set for the AGM. Proposed amendments to the Constitution must be received only from the members who meet the requirements of Article 11.1 in writing no later than 7 days in advance of the AGM. When one or more amendments of the Constitution are received, the Constitutional Committee Head shall prepare and present a compilation of all submissions which shall be placed before the general membership at the AGM for adoption, rejection, or modification.
Article 10 - Funds and Expenses
10.1 No member shall attempt to raise any funds in the name of or for the FRMHA without first obtaining the approval of the Board.
10.2 No payment or expenditure for an amount greater than $50.00 shall be made by or on behalf of the FRMHA without the person making the payment or incurring the expenditure first obtaining the approval of the Board of Directors, which approval shall be gained by a majority vote of the Board.
10.3 The books and accounts of the FRMHA shall have a review by the Board prior to the preparation of the financial statement for the presentation at the AGM.
10.4 FRMHA profits; all profits are to be used for the purposes of the Goals & Objectives as outlined under Article 2.
Article 11 - Dissolution
11.1 In the event that the Board of Directors decides to dissolve the FRMHA for any reason, the Treasurer shall ensure that all outstanding invoices, debts, and disbursements are paid in full and that any outstanding amounts owed to the FRMHA are collected.
11.2 The Treasurer shall prepare a final financial report and notify the President of its completion. The President shall call a Special Meeting of the Board, the purpose of which will be to decide where the remaining balance of funds (if any) are to be distributed.
11.3 The remaining funds must be given to a non-profit organization or organizations operating within the boundaries of the Municipality of French River. Preference shall be given to those organizations which provide sporting activities for the local youth of the community.
Article 12 - Disciplinary Matters
12.1 Any disciplinary matter involving the conduct of a player, coach, team official, or any other individual whose conduct falls under the jurisdiction of the FRMHA, shall be dealt with an ad-hoc Discipline Committee which shall be established by the Board in accordance with the provisions of this Article.
12.2 The President shall act as the head of the Discipline Committee and the rest shall consist of the entirety of the remaining Board of Directors. The head of the Discipline Committee shall only vote on a matter in the event of a tie-vote among the other members of the committee.
12.3 Notwithstanding the above provisions, any individual in a position of conflict shall not sit on the Discipline Committee. At that time the President or the Board may choose any member, in good standing, of the FRMHA to fill in.
12.4 The proceedings of all Discipline Committees shall be held in the strictest of confidence and any record of proceedings of a Discipline Committee shall be maintained in the personal possession of the Secretary of the FRMHA.
12.5 At the end of each hockey season the Board shall review the subject matter dealt with by the Discipline Committee, and provided that there are no matters of an ongoing nature, prepare a summary of all disciplinary matters dealt with during the year, without reference to names, but including a description of the matter dealt with and details of any disciplinary action taken. Summaries will be kept with the President after completion.
BYLAWS
Referees & Officiating Officials
• Officials must be registered annually with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association (NOHA) and meet the Hockey Canada certification requirements.
• Payment of officials are to follow NOHA guidelines and can be done by cheque or email money transfer (EMT).
Officials Used for Officiating Games
U7 and U9
• Half ice U7 games shall use a coach from each team;
• Half ice U9 games shall use a minimum of one (1) Level 1 (or higher) Official;
• Full ice U9 games shall use two (2) officials;
• U9 will follow Hockey Canada’s half-ice to full ice pathway.
U11 and Above
• Regular season games and play-off games for the above divisions are required to have two (2) officials.
Officials officiating must not be younger than the division being officiated.
Major Penalty Report
When a major penalty occurs in a game, the referees are required to fill out a Major Penalty Report and sign the report. It is the responsibility of the Referee in Chief to enforce the use of Major Penalty Reports as is governed by NOHA.
Disciplinary Issues / Fairplay
The FRMHA will follow the OHF Code of Conduct / Safe Sport Policies for all persons involved. Any person being involved in the activities under the FRMHA are expected to follow these policies and act within these measures. Failure to do so could result in disciplinary action, including, but not limited to, the loss or suspension of certain or all privileges. Such discipline may include the removal or ban from an arena, games, practices and other team activities.
Timekeepers
Timekeepers must use the FRMHA’s iPad for League games. It is the responsibility of the timekeeper to ensure that game sheets are completely and properly filled out and to deposit the iPad on the charger when the games are completed.
Game Times
Game times for house league teams playing in the NDHL will be as outlined in the NDHL’s Constitution, Bylaws and Regulations.
Player Movement
No player may be allowed to play in a lower category without the FRMHA’s permission. Any Division with more than one team, is to use the FRMHA Evaluations & Team Draft in making the teams fair and equal.
Movement of Players to a Higher Division
Requests to move players to a higher division/age group will be considered under the following circumstances:
• The division the player is being moved from will still have a minimum of 12 players (not including goalie) of division age;
• The team that the player is moving up to will not have at least 10 players already;
• Movement up will only be allowed to one division higher;
• Approved by the FRMHA Board and the decision is final, no appeals are allowed;
• If a team requests a player from a lower division to play a game in a higher division, permission from the lower division coach must be granted;
• A player may practice in a higher division if they are registered as an AP with higher division.
Scheduled Games
• Teams must give adequate notice of cancellation except under extreme circumstances.
• It will be the responsibility of the team not showing up for a scheduled game without a valid reason, to reschedule the game.
• Schedule changes and rescheduled games must be done ONLY through the FRMHA with a minimum of two weeks notice.
Game Cancellations
If a team cannot be present on the day of a scheduled game it must:
-
Complete reschedule form (Reschedule forms available on the NDHL website: click here)
-
Completed reschedule forms must be mailed, emailed, faxed, or delivered to the respective NDHL District League Scheduler and the commissioner at least fourteen (14) days prior to the originally scheduled game.
Exhibition Games
Notification for all exhibition games must be given to the NDHL Representative.
Any exhibition games scheduled after a suspension is given, the player shall not be allowed to serve the said suspension.
All exhibition game sheets must be turned in to the NDHL and the game sheet will clearly be marked EXHIBITION.
Play-Offs
All games must be played and fines must be paid before any team will be allowed to play in the NDHL Play-offs.
All teams are obligated to play in the Play-offs.
Jerseys & Equipment
All players registered with FRMHA must wear French River Rapids Jerseys as handed out by the FRMHA’s designated equipment manager.
It is the responsibility of each division’s Team Manager to ensure proper cleaning and use of such jerseys and equipment. The Team Manager must sign for said jerseys and equipment and turn all of it in at the end of each hockey season.
Fundraising
All teams carded under the FRMHA are permitted to raise funds to offset their respective team expenses. It is recognized that the funds raised are to be used for the betterment of the team. These can include, but are not limited to, tournament fees, team jackets, etc.
All fundraising activities must adhere to the guidelines set forth in this policy as well as the Municipality of French River and all OLG requirements and regulations.
This is to ensure the money raised is properly obtained and managed. The FRMHA will not be responsible for any activity that does not adhere to this policy.
Fundraising Process:
• All teams will appoint one (1) Team Manager designated responsible for the lead for all team Fundraising activities.
• Fundraising activities must be pre-approved by the FRMHA's Board. Team Managers will submit a plan, detailing the type of fundraising, including the timeframe.
• Team fundraising activities must be discussed and approved by the majority at a team parent meeting.
• The Team Manager may be required to meet with and report to the Treasurer.
• The Team Manager is responsible to maintain a bank account under the name of the specific team (ex. French River Rapids U11)
• All funds and statements should be kept with the Team Manager and be made available to the FRMHA at the conclusion of the fundraiser and /or request.
• Fundraising activities may be revoked or suspended at any time at the discretion of the FRMHA. Soliciting businesses (monetary donation) is not permitted by individual teams and must be done as a FRMHA.
Volunteers
It is a requirement of every parent/guardian who has a child(ren) in the French River Minor Hockey Association to perform a minimum of two (2) hours volunteer work each year for each child they have in the French River Minor Hockey Association. The parent/guardian who completes all of their minimum hours of volunteer work will have their $100.00 Volunteer Fee from the initial registration fee reimbursed.
Selection of Coaches
When there is more than one applicant for coach of any team, the FRMHA's Board will have interviews to select the best applicant. The FRMHA's Board will decide who will conduct interviews, who will be interviewed, and what questions will be asked.
Reimbursement of Coaching Staff
Coaches, Trainers, or Team Managers who must complete courses to be used within the FRMHA will be reimbursed for all courses approved by the FRMHA Board, as per Hockey Canada requirements. Receipts and course completion acknowledgement must be provided by no later than December 31st of the given year.