PART 1 – JETAA Toronto Membership and Responsibilities

1. JETAA Toronto members must be past participants of the JET Programme and be resident and domiciled in Toronto, the Greater Toronto Area and South-Western Ontario.

2. JETAA Toronto is responsible for providing its members with:
   1. Support for pre-departure orientation and training for the JET Programme for departees;
   2. Post-JET Programme re-orientation and training for returnees;
   3. Further opportunities for cultural exchange and understanding within the territories covered by the CN2 Chapter, including but not limited to Japan-Canada relations.

3. These obligations are subject to the funding limitations set out by the Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (CLAIR); however, when establishing the annual budget, the Executive shall take reasonable steps to ensure that the responsibilities set out in section 2 are met.

PART 2 – JETAA Toronto Executive Council

4. JETAA Toronto is a democratic organisation run by volunteer elected representatives.

5. The Executive is composed of Tier I, Tier II and Tier III positions.
   1. Tier I positions are the Chair, Vice-Chair and Treasurer positions.
   2. Tier II positions are the various coordinator positions.
   3. Tier III positions are the various support positions.

It is recommended that Tier I positions are filled by JETAA members who have at least one year experience on the JETAA Toronto Executive Committee.

6. All positions can be merged or divided at any time subject to the number of interested candidates with the exception of the Chair and Treasurer positions which shall not be held by the same individual.

7. An individual who has been in any Tier I or Tier II position for a period of greater than two (2) years may assume the title of Director or Senior Coordinator or another appropriate title for all new Tier I or Tier II positions that they are elected or appointed to, subject to the approval of the executive committee. The title shall not grant them any special privilege, but is intended to reflect their level of experience and dedication.

8. Any member of the JETAA Toronto Executive Committee may simultaneously hold the role of JETAA Canada Representative.

9. No one will be barred from running for a position, except when there is a legitimate objection from any member present at the AGM. If the reason is accepted by at least one member of a Tier I position that would not directly benefit from said person being barred from running, the matter will go to a vote. At this point the decision to bar the person from running for a position will be carried out as per Part 6 (sections 61 – 67). Only members of the current executive committee may vote in this special circumstance.

PART 3 – Annual General Meeting, General Election Rules of Procedure

 Annual General Meeting

10. The JETAA Toronto Annual General Meeting is held once a year in the winter.

11. A “Year in Review” and a financial summary must be presented at the Annual General Meeting (AGM).

General Election Rules of Procedure

12. With the exception of Tier I and the Website Coordinator positions, the incumbent Executive is dissolved and General Elections are held to elect the new Executive each year at the AGM.

13. Tier I and the Website Coordinator positions are dissolved every two (2) years.

14. A written notification of the upcoming elections must be sent to all JETAA Toronto members no later than fourteen (14) days before the determined date of the AGM.

15. The Executive has no obligation to ensure voting by all members but is required to take reasonable steps to ensure that each member, especially those residing outside the Greater Toronto Area, has the opportunity to participate.

16. All members have the right to vote but should they choose not to exercise this right, they are bound by the fair and democratic decisions taken by Executive and the members who participated in the election process.

17. At the appropriate time on the agenda, the current or outgoing Chair shall outline the roles and responsibilities for each Executive Committee position.

18. The Chair shall also select a vote counter from among the members present at the AGM but not running for a position.

19. Interested candidates shall identify, in writing, a first choice and if desired, an alternative choice at a lower tier should they be unsuccessful, up to a maximum of two (2) positions.

20. In order to be eligible to run for a position, the candidate must be present at the AGM.

21. Candidates cannot submit their platform via proxy.

22. Every interested candidate shall prepare a platform for each position they intend to run for.

23. Candidates must present their platforms, orally, live, at the pre-determined time on the AGM agenda.

24. The vote shall proceed by tier, one tier at a time, with contested positions voted on first.

25. The voting will proceed by secret ballot and the vote counter shall tally the votes.

26. The vote counter shall announce the candidate with the most votes and declare them successful.

27. In the event that only one candidate has submitted a platform for any given position, that candidate shall be acclaimed into that position.

28. Once all contested and acclaimed positions in one Tier have been voted, the Chair shall proceed to the next Tier.

29. In the event that no candidate has submitted a platform for an open position, the special election rules of procedure set out in sections 33 – 41 below shall apply.

30. In the event that no candidate presents himself, either before, on or after the day of the General Elections, the position shall remain vacant until a candidate is found or until the position is merged with another.

31. The procedure set forth in the preceding sections takes precedence; however, subject to the number of interested candidates, it may be changed by a simple majority of members present at the AGM.

Changes made on the day of the AGM apply only to that day and do not modify the election rules of procedure set out in the present bylaws.

32. Once the new Executive has been elected, the current or outgoing Chair shall submit the names and titles of the new Executive Committee members to the JETAA Canada Representative within seven (7) days and shall ensure that all information available to the public is updated within a reasonable timeframe.

Special Election Rules of Procedure, Part 1

33. In the event that a position remains vacant after the voting has been completed, a second written notification shall be issued to the general JETAA Toronto membership within seven (7) days of the AGM.

34. The writing notification shall clearly indicate the date of the next regular meeting of the Executive Committee.

35. Interested candidates must indicate their intent to run to the current Chair at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to the date of the next regular meeting of the Executive.

36. Interested candidates can only run for one position.

37. Interested candidates must present their platforms, live, orally, at the meeting.

38. Any JETAA Toronto members at the meeting are eligible to vote.

39. The vote shall proceed by tier, one tier at a time, with contested positions voted on first.

40. The voting will proceed by secret ballot and the vote counter shall tally the votes.

41. The vote counter shall announce the candidate with the most votes and declare them successful.

 Special Election Rules of Procedure, Part 2

42. Notwithstanding the General Election Rules of Procedure and subject to the discretion of the Executive Committee, a member may be appointed to a position that is not available for general competition at the Annual General Meeting, subject to the normal procedure for Decisions by the Executive as outlined in sections 58 to 64. In principle, the individual appointed will have been a long-serving member of the Executive Committee and will have served in a Tier I or Tier II position for a period of at least two (2) years. The position this individual is appointed to shall not replace any of the positions available for open competition, and the scope of responsibilities will be determined to further JETAA Toronto’s stated mission and vision under the guidance of a long-serving Executive Committee member.

PART 4 – Roles and Responsibilities of the Executive

43. The following provisions apply to all members of the Executive, including the Chair.

44. Executive members are members of equal standing in JETAA Toronto. They are elected representatives and are subject to the same rights and privileges accorded to all other members of JETAA Toronto.

45. There shall be no special privileges for Executive members or for any of their family, friends or personal or professional acquaintances.

46. Executive positions are volunteer positions and Executives shall not accept any salary or monetary compensation of any kind for their services on the JETAA Toronto Executive Committee.

47. The Executive shall always strive to represent JETAA Toronto to the best of their abilities at international, national and local forums.

48. Each position on the Executive shall be held by that member for one year with the exception of Tier I or the Website Coordinator position which are held for two (2) years.

49. Subject to the results of the annual elections, there is no limit on the number of consecutive terms that one member may serve as an Executive member.

50. In the event that a member of the Executive is unable or unwilling to continue his duties before the expiry of the term, the sitting Executive Committee can recommend a replacement or the position may be merged with another for the remainder of the term. Replacement and/or merger shall expire when the Executive is dissolved at the AGM.

51. The decision to recommend a replacement or merge a position with another can be made by a simple majority vote.

PART 5 – Meetings

52. Executive Meetings should be held once a month, whenever possible.

53. The Chair shall prepare an agenda for the meeting and distribute it to the other Executive members at least six (6) hours prior to the meeting, where possible. If a topic is not added to the agenda by the time of the meeting, the Chair may use his discretion to add it during the meeting.

54. The Chair presides the meeting following the set agenda and shall act as a moderator while ensuring that the meeting runs smoothly.

55. Quorum is set at fifty percent (50%) of the sitting committee plus one.

56. All members of the Executive are expected to attend Meetings. Should an Executive be unable to attend a Meeting, that Executive member shall advise the other Executives in writing at least six (6) hours in advance, where possible.

57. The Chair is expected to be at all meetings. If it is impossible for him to attend, he shall advise the remaining Executive members at least twenty-four (24) hours in advance, where possible.

58. With the exception of any Tier I position, an Executive member may miss a maximum of six (6) meetings and shall not miss more than four (4) consecutive meetings. Any Executive member found in contravention of this section may face censure and/or expulsion following the procedure set forth in sections 83 – 93.

59. The Chair may miss a maximum of three (3) meetings and shall not miss more than two (2) consecutive meetings. Should the Chair be found in violation of this section, he shall face censure and/or expulsion following the procedure set forth in sections 83 – 93.

60. All JETAA Toronto members may attend Meetings however only members of the Executive may vote in the decision making process, with the exception of special election situations as outlined in sections 33 – 41.

PART 6 – Decisions by the Executive

61. At Meetings, decisions by the Executive are to be made by consensus, whenever possible.

62. For a decision to be binding, the quorum set out in section 55 must be met.

63. Should there be any disagreement, a vote shall be held and decisions shall be made by simple majority unless the decisions concern situations mentioned in section 64.

64. A two-thirds majority will be required for any decisions involving changes to the present bylaws.

65. Voting on a decision shall be done by show of hands. However, should any member of the Executive request a secret ballot, a secret ballot shall be held.

66. All votes of Executive members are equal except as indicated in section 90.

67. In the event of a split vote, the Chair vote counts for two, except if the Executive is voting to censure or expel the Chair according to section 90.

PART 7 – Specific roles and responsibilities of the Treasurer

68. The Treasurer shall keep honest and accurate financial records of JETAA Toronto and shall demonstrate, on demand, JETAA Toronto financial records and status to the Executive, the other JETAA Toronto members, MOFA, CLAIR and to any other person or organisation authorised to audit financial records.

69. The Treasurer shall complete and send funding requests to funding organisations in a professional and timely manner and carry out any follow-up procedures required by the funding organisations throughout the fiscal year which runs from April 1^st to March 31^st.

70. The Treasurer, along with the Chair and Vice-Chair, approve and sign all official funding and refund requests for CLAIR and any changes to be made to the budget provided by CLAIR during the course of the fiscal year must also be approved and signed by the aforementioned Executive members.

71. For any communications pertaining to MOFA funding and refund requests, the Treasurer may act alone when liaising with a representative from the Consulate General of Japan in Toronto.

72. The Treasurer shall prepare a financial summary for the previous year to be presented at the April Executive meeting and at the AGM.

73. The Treasurer manages the bank account with the financial institution chosen by the Executive to hold the JETAA Toronto account.

74. The Treasurer shall perform monthly bank reconciliations and obtain Chair and Vice-Chair approval.

75. The Treasurer shall refund any Executive member who has incurred costs while in the performance of his duties, provided that:
    1. The cost is reasonable;
    2. Proof of expenses is made by means of a receipt; and
    3. The cost was incurred for a pre-approved activity or the cost was ratified by simple majority at the earliest possible meeting following the activity for which the expense was incurred.

Intentional misrepresentation of incurred expenses for personal gain by any Executive member to the detriment of JETAA Toronto, its members or its funding organisations, shall expose that member to a vote of censure and/or expulsion following the procedure set forth in sections 81 and following. That member shall also be personally responsible for any injury, financial or otherwise, resulting from the violation of the present section and may be required to provide restitution, in whole or in part, to any person or organisation who suffered damages as a result of the his actions.

76. Any withdrawals, fund transfers or cheques drawn must be signed by the Treasurer, with the approval of the Chair or Vice-Chair. Any other transactions may be made by the Treasurer acting alone.

77. No member of the Executive Committee may use JETAA Toronto funds for personal expenses or any other expenses not approved by the Executive. Violation of the present section shall expose that Member to a vote of censure and/or expulsion following the procedure set forth in sections 83 – 93. The Treasurer shall also be personally responsible for any injury, financial or otherwise, resulting from the violation of the present section and may be required to provide restitution, in whole or in part, to any person or organisation who suffered damages as a result of the Treasurer’s actions.

PART 8 – Participation in JET or JETAA-related events

78. Any Executive member is allowed to attend international, national and/or local forums or conferences subject to approved funding.

79. Executive members wanting to attend must demonstrate, in no particular order of importance: experience and knowledge of JETAA Toronto, a relationship between their functions and the topics covered at the conference and a long-term commitment to the JETAA Toronto executive for at least six (6) months following the conference.

80. Participation must be approved by a simple majority.

81. Following the conference, the Executive member(s) who participated shall provide the rest of the Executive and other JETAA members with a post-conference report, orally or in writing.

82. The Chair or Vice-Chair, as the general representative of the membership shall be selected to participate unless:
83. he is unwilling or unable to attend;
84. he has already attended a conference;
85. no one else on the Executive has attended a conference; or
86. funding allows for more than one participant.

PART 9 – Abuse of Chair power, exclusions of liability, censure and expulsion

83. Abuse of Chair discretion or any other power conferred upon the Chair by the present bylaws or any behaviour contrary to the laws of Ontario or Canada may result in censure, expulsion, civil liability and/or criminal prosecution.

84. Any Executive member who engages in behaviour contrary to the present bylaws or the laws of Ontario or Canada shall be personally liable for any damage or injury caused by his actions and shall not incur the civil or criminal responsibility of the other Executive members.

85. Censure and/or expulsion of any Executive member shall be introduced by any other member of the Executive by way of a motion.

86. An Extraordinary Meeting shall be called for the purpose of voting on the motion referred to in section 85. The member who is to be censured or expulsed must be given written notice no less than fifteen (15) days prior to the Extraordinary Meeting. The notice must clearly indicate the date, time and location of the Extraordinary Meeting as well as the reasons for which he is being censured or expulsed.

87. The Executive member who is to be censured or expulsed is permitted to make his defence orally or in writing. If the member fails to present a defence before the vote and after timely notice has been given, that member forfeits his right to be heard unless it was impossible or unreasonable for him to do so.

88. The presence of the member mentioned in the motion is not required provided that a written defence was submitted before the Extraordinary Meeting or provided that the other Executive members have taken reasonable measures to ensure his presence.

89. Voting on the motion for censure or expulsion shall be done by secret ballot. Each Executive member has one vote.

90. The motion shall pass on simple majority. The Chair shall not vote twice if he is the person concerned in the motion to censure or expel. A split vote defeats the motion.

91. The decision to censure or expel is final and without appeal, except in the situations referred to in section 87.

92. Once the motion has passed, the Executive member mentioned in the motion must immediately resign from his position and replacement will be appointed by the other Executive members subject to section 51.

93. Censure and/or expulsion of an Executive member shall prevent that member from running for any Executive position in a General Election for no more than five (5) years.

Any Executive member who is censured and/or expulsed for a violation of sections 58 or 59 may run again the following year provided he undertakes, in writing, to respect the requirements in the future.

Any Executive member who is censured and/or expulsed for violation of sections 75 or 77 shall be considered persona non grata and shall lose membership status within JETAA Toronto

PART 10 – Subchapters

94. Considering the vast territory covered by JETAA Toronto, any resident outside of the Greater Toronto Area may create a subchapter and organise activities in their region consistent with the JETAA Toronto mission.

95. The creator of the subchapter becomes its representative until a successor is appointed or elected.

96. For the purposes of these bylaws, the subchapter representative is considered to be a member of the Executive with all the same rights and responsibilities.

97. The subchapter representative shall request any necessary funding from the Executive before May 1st of each year. Any and all funding requests are subject to the same limitations set out in section 3 of the present bylaws.

98. The subchapter representative shall be accountable to the Executive and shall provide an event report and receipts for incurred expenses no more than sixty (60) days following each activity for which funding was requested.

99. The present bylaws apply mutatis mutandis to CN2 subchapters with the exception of sections 52 – 60.

PART 11 – Final Provisions

100. To facilitate communications between the association and the funding organisations, JETAA Toronto headquarters shall be established in the same city as the General Consulate of Japan located in the City of Toronto. Executive meetings and the AGM shall be held within a thirty kilometre (30km) radius of the JETAA Toronto headquarters.

101. It is the duty of each and every JETAA Toronto Executive member to ensure that the present bylaws are respected by all members of the Executive and that reasonable steps are taken each year to ensure that the present bylaws are communicated to all JETAA Toronto members.

102. Mindful of the goals of cultural exchange and understanding, discrimination against any JETAA Toronto member on the basis of gender, race, religion, language group, ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation or any other prohibited grounds of discrimination as described in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Canada Act 1982 [U.K.] c. 11, or in the Ontario Human Rights Code, R.S.O. 1990 c. H-19., shall not be tolerated.

Any member of JETAA Toronto who has or believes to have been victim of discrimination based on prohibited grounds, or any member who has witnessed said discrimination against a fellow JETAA Toronto member, is encouraged to come forward and make his complaint known to the JETAA Executive Committee (hereinafter the Executive) or any of its members or to any other body who has as a mission the protection against discrimination.

Determined to ensure that its members are free from any and all discrimination based on prohibited grounds, JETAA Toronto pledges to take every claim seriously, to investigate it to the full extent of its abilities and, if necessary, to seek appropriate redress

103. The masculine is used to lighten the text and is not meant to discriminate in any way.

104. The present bylaws enter into force on the thirtieth (30th) day following their adoption by the majority of the Executive.

Adopted in Toronto on this 28^th day of January, 2012

Amended in Toronto on this 6^th day of February, 2013

Amended in Toronto on this 31^st day of January, 2015

Appendix, Amendment History

Note: Sections represent the current section in the Bylaws

February 6^th, 2013 Amendments

Section 8, the addition of following statement:

• Any member of the JETAA Toronto Executive Committee may simultaneously hold the role of JETAA Canada Representative.

Section 9, the addition of the following statement:

• It is recommended that Tier I positions are filled by JETAA members who have at least one year experience on the JETAA Toronto Executive Committee. No one will be barred from running for a Tier I position, except when there is a legitimate objection from any member present at the AGM. If the reason is accepted by at least one member of a Tier I position that would not directly benefit from said person being barred from running, the matter will go to a vote. At this point the decision to bar the person from running for a Tier I position will be carried out as per Part 6 (57 – 63). Only members of the current executive committee may vote in this special circumstance.

Section 94, typographic correction to the following statement:

• Considering the vast territory covered by JETAA Toronto, any resident outside of the Greater Toronto Area may create a subchapter and organise activities in their region consistent with the JETAA Toronto mission.

January 31^st, 2015 Amendments

Section 7, the addition of the following statement:

• An individual who has been in any Tier I or Tier II position for a period of greater than two (2) years may assume the title of Director or Senior Coordinator or another appropriate title for all new Tier I or Tier II positions that they are elected or appointed to, subject to the approval of the executive committee. The title shall not grant them any special privilege, but is intended to reflect their level of experience and dedication.

Section 9, the underlined and italicized text was removed:

• No one will be barred from running for a Tier 1 position, except when there is a legitimate objection from any member present at the AGM. If the reason is accepted by at least one member of a Tier I position that would not directly benefit from said person being barred from running, the matter will go to a vote. At this point the decision to bar the person from running for a Tier 1 position will be carried out as per Part 6 (sections 61 – 67). Only members of the current executive committee may vote in this special circumstance.

Sections 12, 13 and 48, underlined and italicized text added:

• With the exception of Tier I and the Website Coordinator positions, the incumbent Executive is dissolved and General Elections are held to elect the new Executive each year at the Annual General Meeting (AGM).

• Tier I and the Website Coordinator positions are dissolved every two (2) years.

• Each position on the Executive shall be held by that member for one year with the exception of Tier I or the Website Coordinator position which are held for two (2) years.

Section 43, the addition of following statement:

• Notwithstanding the General Election Rules of Procedure and subject to the discretion of the Executive Committee, a member may be appointed to a position that is not available for general competition at the Annual General Meeting, subject to the normal procedure for Decisions by the Executive as outlined in sections 58 to 64. In principle, the individual appointed will have been a long-serving member of the Executive Committee and will have served in a Tier I or Tier II position for a period of at least two (2) years. The position this individual is appointed to shall not replace any of the positions available for open competition, and the scope of responsibilities will be determined to further JETAA Toronto’s stated mission and vision under the guidance of a long-serving Executive Committee member.