British Columbia Police Curling Association Constitution

(a) Annual General Meeting - means the Annual General Meeting of the Executive Committee of the Association held at the site of the British Columbia Police Curling Association Provincial Championship.

(b) Association - means the British Columbia Police Curling Association.

(d) Championship - means the annual British Columbia Police Curling Association Championship.

(e) Coordinator - means Coordinator of the Association.

(f) Director - means a Director of the Association.

(g) Executive Committee - means the Executive Committee of the Association, consisting of the Coordinator, Secretary Treasurer, Host Chair, and one Director from each designated zone.

(h) Host Chair - means the host person chairing the Championship for the current year.

(i) Member - means a member of the Association in good standing.

(j) Secretary/Treasurer - means Secretary/Treasurer of the Association.

(k) Sponsor - means any sponsor approved by the Association.

(l) Trophy - means the Trophy accepted by the Association as emblematic of the British Columbia Police Curling Championship.

(m) Zone - means a zone, or zone boundaries as designated by the Association.

Bylaw 2 Objective of the Association

The object of the Association, as a supporter of the Tourette Syndrome Foundation of Canada, is to promote the game of curling among Police Officers in British Columbia and, to organize and administer a British Columbia Police Curling Association championship playoff annually with the Provincial winner advancing to the Canadian Police Curling Championship.

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Bylaw 3 Eligibility

Membership in the Association shall consist of:

- Regular Members
- Superannuated Members
- Honourary Life Members
- 15 Year Police Service Members

Regular Member:

(a) Regular Members are defined as members of Police Forces in British Columbia who are;

(i) sworn Peace Officers in and for their Country, Province, or Municipality, and;
(ii) engaged in general law enforcement as their full time occupation in British Columbia, and;
(iii) members in good standing with the Association.

(b) For the purpose of this Bylaw, “Police Force” shall be limited to;

(i) Royal Canadian Mounted Police,
(ii) Municipal Police Forces,
(iii) Railway Police Forces,
(iv) Ports Canada Police,
(v) Canadian Armed Forces Military Police,
(vi) any Police Force which may in the future be designated as a Provincial Police Force in British Columbia.

(i) private and/or company protective agencies and/or Police Forces other than those defined in clause (b);
(ii) Federal and Provincial penal institutions, including Sheriff Services;
(iii) private detective agencies;
(iv) special investigation branches of the Federal or Provincial Governments;
(v) Security Service members who have not been superannuated by 1985.
(vi) Reserve/Auxiliary members

Superannuated Member:

(d) A Superannuated Member is defined as a person superannuated after twenty (20) years or more of service with a “Police Force” as defined in this Bylaw.

(e) A superannuated member is permitted to curl in the zone of their choice, and not necessarily in the zone from which they reside. The zone curled shall be their designated zone for the current championship year.

Honourary Life Member:

(f) Honourary life membership in the Association shall be restricted to those members, who, by their sincere and abiding interest in the welfare of the Association are deemed worthy of such membership. Honourary Life Members may be elected at the Annual General Meeting after being proposed by a Member of the Association and endorsed by the Executive Committee. The name(s) of proposed Honourary Life Members, accompanied by a written citation of worthiness, must be received by the Secretary /Treasurer prior to the Annual General Meeting.

(g) Honourary Life Members have, without the payment of membership fees, dues or subscriptions, all the rights and privileges of regular Association members.

(h) Certificates shall be presented to Honourary Life Members.

15 Year Police Service Member:

(i) Fifteen (15) Year Police Service Member is defined as a person who has served 15 years on a Police Force or Forces as defined in this Bylaw. A fifteen year member shall be restricted to curling in the zone of residence.

Powers of the Coordinator and Secretary/Treasurer:

(j) Any question(s) arising as to member eligibility that is not expressly covered in this bylaw shall be referred to the Coordinator and Secretary/Treasurer of the Association, with the Canadian Police Curling Association Constitution superseding.

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Bylaw 4 Rules of Play

(a) Unless otherwise provided for in this bylaw, rules of play shall conform to the rules of play as set down by the Canadian Curling Association and as modified or applied by the British Columbia Police Curling Association.

(b) The British Columbia Police Curling Championship shall be played and completed three (3) or more weeks prior to the Canadian Championship start date, at a site to be decided at the Annual General Meeting of the Association from the previous year.

(c) The dates of the British Columbia Police Curling Championship and Zone playoffs, shall not conflict with the playing of the Canadian Curling Association Provincial Championship or respective zone playoffs.

(d) Each zone participant shall pay an entry fee to the British Columbia Police Curling Association prior to entering the zone playoffs.

(e) The British Columbia Police Curling Association championship shall consist of twelve (12) teams allotted from competition in the four (4) designated zones.

(f) The allotment of zone position(s) for eligibility into the Championship, shall be as followed: Vancouver Island (2), Lower Mainland (4), Southeast (3) and North (3).

(g) If a zone is forced to default a qualifying position, the zone of default shall be held responsible for the designated fee. The defaulting position shall then be allocated to the Host zone unless otherwise designated at the Annual General Meeting from the previous year.

(h) The maximum number of allotted positions for any zone shall be four teams.

(i) Zone Directors will rate the qualifying teams as “A”, “B”, or “C” qualifiers. Where four positions have been allotted, the final two qualifying positions shall both be rated as “C” qualifiers. The respective qualifying position(s) and team names shall be forwarded to the Host Chair.

(j) Teams qualifying to the Championship shall be imposed an entry fee as determined by the Executive Committee. Such entry fees shall be received by Host Chair prior to the commencement of the Championship. Should a team default, the entry fee shall remain the responsibility of the defaulting zone, unless otherwise approved by a panel comprised of Host Chair, Coordinator and Secretary/Treasurer.

(k) A round robin format of two (2) pools, each pool containing six teams, shall be utilized for the Championship. Two (2) teams shall advance from each pool to playoff in a page format to determine a Provincial Champion.

(l) Each pool of competition shall be organized such that the “A” finalist of a designated Zone shall not be in the same pool as the “B” finalist from that same Zone. The “A” and “B” finalists shall be alternated between pools. Any Zone allotted more than two positions shall have the remaining teams declared “C” finalists. The remaining pool positions shall be filled with “C” finalists in a method determined by the Host Chair.

(m) In all zone playoffs, the zone in which a Regular Member is employed, shall be the zone in which that Member must compete.

(n) Prior to the commencement of the Provincial Championship, in the event one or more members of a qualifying team, are unable to compete due to illness or unavoidable absence, their place may be substituted. The substitute may play at any position, must be a member of the Association in good standing, and, must have competed in the current year in the zone for which the substitution is being made. Substitutes, who are not from the same zone shall be disqualified from play.

(o) After commencement of the Provincial Championship, in the event a member of a qualifying team is unable to play due to illness or absence beyond their control, a substitute may be used. The substitute, if not from the same zone in compliance with subsection (n), shall come from a spare list established by the Host Committee. The spare list shall be comprised of members in good standing who had curled in the Host zone playoffs for the current year. Substitution(s) shall be approved by a panel comprised of Coordinator, Secretary/Treasurer and Host Chair.

(p) For the purpose of round robin play, last rock OR rock handle color shall be determined by a coin toss.

(q) After the first round robin game, each of the four team members shall compete in a Skill Based Team Ranking Process as defined in the CCA Special Rules of Competition. In the Skill Based Team Ranking Process, each team member shall deliver one draw shot to the tee with sweeping allowed. Each stone shall be measured to determine its distance from the tee. The team’s accumulated distance from the tee shall determine their ranking. The least accumulated distance shall receive the highest ranking and so on until ranking is completed.

(r) Playoffs

1. Following the conclusion of the round robin involving two pools of six teams, the top two teams from each pool shall participate in the playoffs.

2. In the first round, the second place team from Pool A shall play the second place team from Pool B with the winner advancing to the semi-final and the loser eliminated from further competition. In the second round, the first place team from Pool A shall play the first place team from Pool B with the winner advancing to the final and the loser advancing to the semi-final. The semi-final and final games shall be sudden death.

3. In playoff games, first end last rock advantage AND choice of rock handle color shall be awarded to the team with a better win/loss record during the round robin competition. If the teams had an equal win/loss record, the team ranked higher shall have their choice of first end last rock advantage, OR choice of rock handle color. If win/loss records cannot determine team ranking, it shall be then be determined by the Skill Based Team Ranking Process.

4. At the end of each playoff game, the above mentioned process shall be implemented again.

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Bylaw 5 Association Executive Committee

Election of Officers and Term

(a) The Officers of the Association shall consist of:

(i) Coordinator
(ii) Secretary/Treasurer
(iii) Host Chair
(iv) Directors (four (4), one designated from each zone)

(b) The election of Officers shall take place at the Annual General Meeting of the Association.

(c) The Coordinator and Secretary/Treasurer shall be elected for two year terms of office, the terms of which will be offset by one year. The Coordinator and Secretary/Treasurer may be re-elected for any number of terms.

(d) The Host Chair remains an Officer of the Association for the year the Championship is being hosted.

(e) One Director will be selected to represent each zone for the current year. The Director may be a competitor or another member in good standing from the zone being represented.

Duties of Officers

(f) The Coordinator is to act as liaison between the Association and the National Executive and to ensure that a continuous exchange of information is maintained. The Coordinator must actively promote police curling and the Association, and maintain good communication and liaison with Association sponsors.

(g) The Coordinator shall, subject to the direction of the British Columbia Police Curling Association, attend the Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Police Curling Association and vote on issues properly brought before the annual meeting. Should the Coordinator be unable to attend the National Annual General Meeting, it shall be the Coordinator’s direct responsibility to properly instruct a selected replacement on the issues to be decided at the Annual General Meeting.

(h) The Coordinator shall receive and properly distribute to Zone Directors, all relevant correspondence to all Police Forces as defined in the Constitution, Bylaw No. 3.

(i) The Coordinator shall distribute annually to Zone Directors, a copy of the Constitution and minutes of the last Annual General Meeting. This correspondence shall be distributed and made available for membership at Zone playoffs and Annual Zone Meetings.

(j) The Coordinator shall preside at all meetings of the Executive Committee and sign the minutes of such meetings, after they have been confirmed and adopted. The Coordinator shall have the deciding vote in the case of a tie, otherwise shall abstain from voting. The Coordinator is empowered to appoint committees and shall be an “ex-officio” member of all such committees.

(k) The Coordinator (or delegate) will be the spare (5th man) for the Championship team at the Canadian Police Curling Championships should the Provincial Championship team not have a designated spare.

(l) The Secretary/Treasurer shall, in the absence of the Coordinator, preside at all meetings of the Executive Committee, assume the duties, and exercise the powers of the Coordinator.

(m) The Secretary/Treasurer, subject to direction from the Executive Committee, shall:

(i) have supervision of financial affairs of the Association,
(ii) conduct correspondence,
(iii) countersign all cheques,
(iv) collect all dues and keep a correct accounting of all receipts and expenditures of the Association,
(v) keep a record of all meetings of the Executive Committee, and
(vi) such other duties as designated by the Executive Committee.

(n) The Secretary/Treasurer shall submit a financial statement to the annual Executive meeting.

Bylaw 6 Annual General Meeting

(a) The Annual General Meeting shall be held at the site of the Championship, for the election of Officers, to receive committee reports and for the transaction of any business that may properly be brought before the meeting.

(b) The Host Chair shall provide a steno to take minutes of the Annual General Meeting. The minutes will be typed and given to the Secretary/Treasurer prior to the completion of the event.

(d) A quorum for the Annual General Meeting shall be a majority of the eligible voting members.

(e) At the Annual General Meeting, only Officers of the Association shall be permitted to speak or present motions. Exceptions to this rule may be made with permission of the Executive Chair.

(f) Robert’s Rules of Order shall apply at the Annual General Meeting.

(g) A motion shall be considered carried when it receives the support of the majority of voting members.

(h) The following order of business shall be observed at the Annual General Meeting:

(i) Authentication of voting members,
(ii) Reading and adopting the minutes of the last Annual General Meeting,
(iii) Business arising out of the minutes,
(iv) Correspondence,
(v) Committee reports,
(vi) Location of next years Championship,
(vii) Election of Officers,
(viii) Appointment of Honourary Life Members,
(ix) Date and location of next Annual General Meeting,
(x) Adjournment.

(i) Articles (g)(vi) and (g)(vii) shall be voted on by all eligible members at a function to be determined by the Host Chair of the Championship.

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Bylaw 7 General

Constitution Superseded:

(a) Any bylaw in contravention, or not covered in this Constitution, will be superseded by the Constitution of the Canadian Police Curling Association.

Amendment of Bylaws:

(b) Notice in writing of any proposed Bylaw or an amendment to a Bylaw shall be submitted to the Secretary/Treasurer at least thirty (30) days prior to the Annual General Meeting at which proposed Bylaw or amendments will be voted on.

(c) The Secretary/Treasurer shall submit, to Officers of the Association, notice of proposed Bylaw or amendments, in writing, not later than two weeks prior to the Annual General Meeting. If a voting delegate has not been appointed by a zone, then the Director of that zone is to advise the regular members of the proposed changes.

(d) A two-thirds (2/3) majority of the eligible voters present at the Annual General Meeting is required to pass any motion in regards to the Constitution and/or Bylaw addition(s) or amendment(s).

Account Audits:

(e) The Executive Committee shall cause two accounts to be kept of;

(i) all transactions of the Association,
(ii) all sums of monies received and expended by the Association with full particulars of such receipts on expenditures,

(f) Such accounts shall be opened for the viewing of any member of the Association in good standing, upon request made to the Coordinator.

Payment of Dues:

(g) Dues shall be levied against regular, superannuated, and 15 year members in accordance with the schedule of dues adopted by Officers of the Association at the Annual General Meeting in the year prior to the Championship.

Expenses:

(h) The Association shall be responsible for payment of reasonable expenses incurred by the Coordinator and Secretary/Treasurer. Reasonable expenses shall be those expenses attributed to management and operation of the Association and as agreed upon by the Executive Committee.

(i) The Association shall pay reasonable travel expenses for the championship team (four competitors) and Coordinator (or designated replacement) to attend the Canadian Police Curling Championship. The Association shall further pay accommodation (two rooms for the competitors and one room for the Coordinator) at the National competition. The Association shall not be held responsible for expenses to a team with a fifth person.

(j) All monies accrued at the Championship shall be forwarded to the Secretary/Treasurer.

Zones:

(k) The four (4) zones of competition shall be designated:

(i) Vancouver Island
(ii) Lower Mainland
(iii) Southeast
(iv) North

(l) The boundaries of each zone shall be restricted to RCMP District areas.

Obligation of Members:

(m) Membership in the Association obligates each member to comply with, and be bound by all rules and decisions of the Association and its Officers, so long as such rules and decisions are not contrary to law.

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