The current Constitution of the Ottawa Service Battalion Association was adopted by the members present at its founding and is effective as of October 30th, 2009. It was amended October 18, 2011 to include a Regular Life Member option (details of which are outlined below).
A portable document format (PDF) version of the constitution may be downloaded here (en français)
****************************
October 18, 2011 Constitution Amendment
The constitution amendment proposed by Association Membership Chair, Sharron Daigle, was voted in at the October 18, 2011 Annual General Meeting. The purpose of the amendment was to introduce a new membership type called Regular Life Member to provide for an option to make a convenient one-time lump-sum payment of membership dues. Details of the amendment are as follows.
5.5 Distinguished Life Member: A Distinguished Life membership may be awarded to a Regular Member of the Bn Association who is considered to be entitled to such a distinction by reason of long and distinguished service to the Bn Association. Such a Member shall retain the same privileges and obligations as a Regular Member.
5.6 Regular Life Member: All members, existing or new, may opt to become Regular Life members at any time by payment of the optional lifetime membership fee as outlined in paragraphs 6.2 or 6.3.
5.65.7 Ex-Officio Members
The Battalion Honourary Colonel, Honourary Lieutenant Colonel, Commanding Officer, Regimental Sergeant-Major and the immediate past President shall be “Ex-Officio” members of the Bn Association during the tenure of their appointments. These ex-officio members while not elected shall have full voting rights and privileges during their tenure of office, however shall not be eligible to hold a position on the Executive Committee.
6.0 Membership Fees
6.1 The membership fees shall be established annually by the Executive Committee. Membership Fees shall become payable yearly in advance on the 1st of January in each calendar year and must be paid no later than sixty (60) calendar days from this said date. The Secretary shall remind each member of annual dues, no later than 31 October of the prior year. There shall be no annual fees levied against current Life, Honourary, Ex-Officio Members and serving members of the Battalion.
6.2 Optional Life Membership Fee: As of January 2012, a new Regular Life membership fee option will be available to Bn Association members. A Regular Life membership requires the lump sum payment equivalent to 10 years’ membership fees; to be calculated using the membership fees rate set for the year at the time the lifetime membership is paid. All members, existing or new, may opt to become Regular Life Members at any time. A Regular Life membership card will be issued to Regular Life Members. Regular Life Members will be exempt from paying yearly membership fees. Previously paid membership fees may NOT be applied to, or deducted from, the 10 years’ lump sum payment required to become a Regular Life Member; however, given that the life membership fee option was not available in 2010 and 2011, a one-time exception, to this rule is being made for 2012 only. This means that members in good standing in 2011 that opt to become Regular Life Members in 2012 may deduct any previously paid membership dues from the required 10 years’ life membership fees.
6.3 In recognition of the fact that serving members will at some point retire (and hopefully wish to become members of the Bn Association); and given that membership fees are likely to increase over the years; should they wish to do so, serving members may opt at any time to pay the optional life membership fee in order to benefit from life membership fee payment while it is most economical to do so. Further, given that the lump sum life membership fee option was not available in 2010 and that serving members were not required to pay membership fees in 2011, in 2012 only, serving members that opt to pay the life membership fee in 2012, who made a donation to the Association for Founding Member status in 2010, may deduct that Founding Member donation from the required 10 years’ membership fees.