Nova Scotia Chapter

The objectives of the fmi*igf Nova Scotia Chapter shall be to:

1. Advocate and be a leader in Nova Scotia on sound financial management practices related to accountable, economical, efficient and effective management of public sector resources.
2. Promote members’ understanding of the best practices for management of resources in the public sector through various learning and networking events as determined by the Board of Directors.
3. Actively facilitate and encourage the integration of the financial function with the broader management function in its promotion of a more professional and progressive financial community.

Membership in the fmi*igf Nova Scotia Chapter is open to persons employed in or interested in public sector financial management practices.

There shall be two classes of membership:

1. Regular Member – individuals who attend at least one fmi*igf Nova Scotia Chapter or fmi*igf National event per year and have voting rights, and
2. Honorary Member – individuals who have been granted honorary status by the Board, are not required to pay fmi*igf Nova Scotia Chapter event fees and have voting privileges.

Further qualifications for each class of membership shall be defined, from time to time, by the Chapter Board of Directors.

The event fee structure shall be determined by the Board of Directors and fees will be paid in full to the Financial Management Institute, fmi*igf Nova Scotia Chapter.

The fmi*igf Nova Scotia Chapter fiscal year shall be July 1 to June 30.

The Board of Directors of the fmi*igf Nova Scotia Chapter shall consist of not less than four and not more than twelve members whom shall be elected at each Annual Meeting. The immediate Past President will automatically also be a member of the Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors shall co-ordinate all routine business of the fmi*igf Nova Scotia Chapter, fill vacancies, appoint committees (as required) and arrange guest speakers. The Board of Directors shall also determine the frequency and topics of general meetings.

The Board of Directors shall have the authority to approve and amend administrative policies and the annual budget for the Chapter. All policies will be maintained in a Policy Manual and will be available for viewing by any member of the Chapter.

The Board of Directors may include the following Officers:

1. President,
2. Vice-President,
3. Treasurer,
4. Secretary,
5. Membership and Liaison Coordinator,
6. Programs Coordinator,
7. Registrar,
8. Past President, and
9. Directors at Large (up to 4).

The President shall ensure that the Duties of the Executive are fulfilled by combining positions if necessary.

The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the fmi*igf Nova Scotia Chapter and shall preside at all meetings of the fmi*igf Nova Scotia Chapter. Other duties shall include general Chapter direction and liaison with fmi*igf National Office in Ottawa.

The Vice-President shall perform the duties of the President in their The Vice-President shall be responsible for helping coordinate Chapter affairs and maintaining contacts within government departments. The Vice-President shall also be responsible for the Annual Report of Chapter activities.

The Treasurer shall collect receipts, pay expenses, operate a bank account and maintain a set of accounting records for the fmi*igf Nova Scotia Chapter, in accordance with fmi*igf Chapter Guidelines. The Treasurer shall present a financial statement at all Chapter meetings and prepare/present the annual financial report including the coordination of any audits, assurances, or reviews deemed necessary by the Board.

The Secretary shall keep minutes of meetings of the fmi*igf Nova Scotia Chapter, coordinate Chapter correspondence through monitoring/responding/directing enquiries via the novascotia@fmi.ca email account, and generally carry out the instructions of the Chapter Board of Directors related to these duties. The Secretary shall also be responsible for the dissemination of fmi*igf information to contacts in other government departments, interested individuals and associations.

The Membership and Liaison Coordinator shall be responsible for attracting and increasing membership, the maintenance of Chapter email lists and member demographics in conjunction with fmi*igf National Office, and any membership surveys undertaken by the Chapter. This role will also coordinate the development and ongoing contact with partner organizations on a Chapter and/or fmi*igf National Office basis.

The Programs Coordinator, in conjunction with the Board and each Event Champion (see 10 below), shall coordinate the annual professional development program and any other special events hosted by the Chapter. Working with the Event Champion, this role will manage logistics arrangements (i.e. venues and event promotional content) for each of these events. The Program Coordinator shall also maintain the Chapter’s website information in conjunction with the Board and fmi*igf National Office.

The Registrar will receive, record and process the applications for all Chapter events as managed through the fmi*igf National registration The Registrar shall prepare and distribute event invoices and provide the Treasurer with a summary of session information including payments and any outstanding receivables. The Registrar shall coordinate a Board member reception desk at all Chapter events. The Registrar shall coordinate information of registration with the Membership and Liaison Coordinator to ensure the member contact information is current. The Registrar shall also maintain a listing of member attendance at events and communicate this information to the fmi*igf National Office, when required.

The Past President shall provide guidance and assistance to the Board of Directors when requested and chair the Nomination Committee as defined in section 10 below.

Directors at Large (up to four) shall assist other Board positions including temporary substitutions for assigned Board roles when required, acting as Event Champions as interested/available, and generally promoting the activities and mandate of the fmi*igf Nova Scotia Chapter.

An Event Champion is a Board member or other fmi*igf Nova Scotia Chapter volunteer who acts as the coordinator for any scheduled Chapter event. Working with the Program Coordinator and Registrar, the Event Champion will be responsible for all communications with event speakers including securing speaker topics, abstracts and bios. The Event Champion will also serve as Chapter host for the event and deliver speaker introductions.

The annual or other general meeting of the Chapter shall be held at such time and place as the Board of Directors may, from time to time, determine. An annual general meeting must be held in each calendar year, no more than fifteen (15) months after the last annual general meeting.

Only the business referred to in the notice of the annual meeting, or of a special meeting, shall be dealt with at the annual general meeting, or at the special However, with the consent of two-thirds (2/3) of the members present at any annual or special general meeting, any new or additional business, except for the matters referred to under the heading “Amendments to By-Laws,” may be introduced and may be dealt with at such meetings, even though notice of such business had not been given.

At each annual general meeting, the Board of Directors shall report to the members the pro forma financial statements, the most recent report of the financial statement review, and an annual operational/activity Directors shall be elected, and any other business may be transacted as may be properly brought before the meeting.

Notices in writing of annual or general meetings, setting out the purposes of such meetings, shall be sent to the most recent email address of all members of the fmi*igf Nova Scotia Chapter at least 15 calendar days prior to the date of each such meeting.

A quorum shall consist of ten Regular Members.

A decision of a majority of Regular Members present and constituting a quorum shall be a decision of the fmi*igf Nova Scotia.

No error or omission in notice for a Chapter meeting shall invalidate such meeting. Any Director may, at any time, waive notice of any such meeting and may ratify and approve of any or all proceedings taken or had threat.

The rules contained in “Robert’s Rules of Order” shall govern the conduct of all meetings of the fmi*igf Nova Scotia Chapter.

Meetings of the Chapter Board shall be held at the call of the President. A quorum shall consist of a majority of the elected Directors.

A decision of a majority of Directors present and constituting a quorum shall be a decision of the Board.

The Nominating Committee shall be chaired by the Past President and shall consist of the Chairperson and at least two other Regular Members of the Chapter selected by the Chairperson. The selection of the Nominating Committee members is subject to the approval by the Chapter Board.

If the immediate Past President is not able to chair the Nominating Committee, the Chapter Board shall appoint a chairperson.

The Nominating Committee shall provide to Chapter members at the Annual Meeting of the Chapter, their recommendations for members and officers of the Board of Directors.

The Board shall have no Standing Committees, however, Directors with specific responsibilities may enlist the assistance of Regular Members to assist them with the execution of their mandate.

Ad Hoc Committees may be formed by the Board of Directors to carry out specific tasks and will be dissolved at the completion of their mandate.

All members as defined in Section 3 shall have voting privileges.

Any two of the President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary will be authorized to sign on behalf of the Chapter.

The Board of Directors shall appoint another member of the Chapter to review the financial statements of the Chapter. The annual financial statements shall be submitted to fmi*igf National Office following approval at the annual meeting.

The annual financial statements shall be made available to members at the Annual Meeting or upon specific request by a member.

The By-laws of the Chapter may only be amended at the Annual Meeting and any proposed amendments must accompany the notice of meeting as per Section 8.4.

Approval of any amendments must be sanctioned by 2/3 of the Regular Members present at the meeting.

In the event of a dispute arising as to the intent or meaning of these By-laws, the interpretation of the Board of Directors shall be final.

No member of the Board of Directors, or a committee thereof, shall be personally liable for damages arising out of any actions, as a Director or Member of Chapter, other than actions arising from misconduct, default, malfeasance or acts contrary to the instructions of the Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors shall, from Chapter funds, indemnify all Directors and Members against any judgment issued for which, by Article 17.1, the Director or Member is not personally liable.