ARTICLE IV - MEMBERSHIP

4.1
There shall be the following classes of members:

(a) Regular Members
Regular members shall be those persons resident in Canada, who have paid the prescribed annual membership fee as established from time to time by the Board of Directors.
(b) Life Members
Life members shall be those individuals resident in Canada, who have paid the prescribed life membership fee as established from time to time by the Board of Directors. Upon acceptance of application and payment of the prescribed fee, a life member shall not be required to pay annual membership fees.
(c) Non-Resident Members
Non-resident members shall be those persons who are not residents of Canada and have paid the prescribed non-resident membership fee as established from time to time by the Board of Directors. Non-resident members shall have all the rights and privileges accorded to all members under the By-laws of the Association. Notwithstanding the foregoing, non-resident members shall not have the right to vote at any meeting, election or referendum and shall not have the right to stand for election as a Director.

4.2 MEMBER IN GOOD STANDING

(a) A member in good standing is a member who has complied with the By-laws hereinafter set forth and who is not in arrears of membership fees or any other financial obligation to the Association or is suspended or expelled.

4.3 MEMBERSHIP FEES

(a) Membership fees shall be established from time to time by the Board of Directors and shall be administered in accordance with policies and procedures as established from time to time by the Board of Directors.
(b) Annual membership fees shall be due and payable on January 1st of each year. Notification that membership fees are due and payable shall be provided to the members by mail or by publication in the official publication of the Association, prior to December 1st each year.
(c) No member shall be entitled to any of the rights and privileges of membership in the Association during any year until the annual fee for that year is paid.
(d) On January 31st of each year, all members who paid for the preceding year but who have not paid for the then current year shall be removed from the membership roll.
(e) Membership in the Association may be regained by the payment of the prescribed membership fee.

4.4 MEMBERSHIP YEAR

           The membership year of the Association shall correspond with the calendar year.

4.5 APPLICATIONS FOR MEMBERSHIP

(a) An application for membership in the Association shall be made in writing and in such form as the Board of Directors may from time to time prescribe. Any privileges accorded to an applicant for membership, pending consideration of such application, shall not obligate the Board of Directors to approve the application and any privileges so accorded may be revoked by the Board of Directors in the event that the application is not subsequently approved.
(b) Subject to the provisions of Section 6.6, if within sixty (60) days of the receipt of the application, no objections have been received and the membership fee has been confirmed as paid, the applicant will be deemed to have been approved for membership in the Association.
(c) Each applicant on becoming a member is bound by these By-laws and any amendments thereto, and all rules, regulations, procedures and policies of the Association.
(d) Applications for regular membership of partnerships or corporations shall specify the partner(s) or officer(s), resident of Canada, authorized to vote and sign for the partnership or company and hold office in the Association. Corporations shall file with the Association such documentary evidence of authority of the officer(s) as may be required.
(e) Applications for non-resident membership of partnerships or incorporated companies shall specify the partner or other, authorized to sign for the partnership or company. Corporations shall file with the Association such documentary evidence of authority of the officer(s) as may be required.
(f) Members shall provide the Association with their correct and proper mailing address and telephone number(s) at the time of application. Any subsequent change of address and telephone number(s) shall be provided to the Association within thirty (30) days of such change.

4.6 REFUSAL OF APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP

The Board of Directors may, without limitation and at its sole discretion, refuse or reject an application for membership in the Association if the applicant:

(a) is under suspension or expulsion from a Recognized Registry or any association incorporated under the Animal Pedigree Act;
(b) has been convicted of cruelty to animals;
(c) has acted or performed in a manner contrary to the principles and objects of the Association and it is determined that acceptance of the application would not be in the best interests of the Association and its members; or
(d) has failed to properly complete the application form.

4.7 RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES

(a) The privileges of the Association as they apply to all persons shall mean use of the services of the Recording Office as they concern the records of the Association.
(b) The privileges of the Association as they apply to members shall mean:
(i) those privileges set forth in Section 6.8, subject to the limitations imposed on non-resident members as set out in Section 6.1 (c);
(ii) any privileges extended to members by order of the Board of Directors.
(c) Persons availing themselves of the privileges of the Association as set forth in this Article VI shall be deemed to have agreed to the authority of the Association and its Board of Directors as conferred on the Association by these By-laws.
(d) Except as otherwise provided in the Animal Pedigree Act, no member who has been expelled from the Association, is suspended by the Association or is deprived of the privileges of the Association, shall be entitled to any of the rights and privileges set forth above unless reinstated.
(e) Notwithstanding any provision of these By-laws, no person shall be denied the right to have registered, or to transfer the ownership of any animal unless that person:
(i) is, at the time the right is denied, in arrears of any fees owing to the Association; or
(ii) has contravened,
A. a by-law of the Association relating to,
(1) the eligibility for registration or identification, as the case may be, of dogs by the Association;
(2) the individual identification of animals; or
(3) the keeping of private records;
B. any provision of the Animal Pedigree Act or the regulations thereunder; or
C. any provision of the Health of Animals Act or the regulations thereunder relating to the identification, within the meaning of that Act, or testing of animals.

4.8 VOTING PRIVILEGES:

(a) In order to vote at a general meeting or to elect Directors, a member must be:
(i) a member in good standing;
(ii) a resident of Canada;
(iii) within the first five years of existence of the Association, the owner of a dog which has been registered with the Association or a Recognized Registry within the preceding 5 years; and
(iv) after the Association has been in existence for more than 5 years, the owner of a dog which has been registered with the Association within the preceding 5 years;
(b) In order to hold office as a Director of the Association, a member must be:
(i) a member in good standing;
(ii) a resident of Canada;
(iii) over 18 years of age at the time of election;
(iv) within the first five years of existence of the Association, the owner of a dog which has been registered with the Association or a Recognized Registry within the preceding 5 years; and
(v) after the Association has been in existence for more than 5 years, the owner of a dog which has been registered with the Association within the preceding 5 years;
(c) A person not on the membership roll fifty (50) days prior to the Annual General Meeting or any other meeting of the members, and notwithstanding anything to the contrary in these By-laws, shall not have the right to vote on any matter brought before that meeting.
(d) A person not on the membership roll on the first day of September of an election year shall not be entitled to nominate or second a nomination for a member to be elected as a Director of the Association and shall not be entitled to cast a vote in the election of Directors for that election year.
(e) A member shall have but one vote.

4.9 FINANCIAL LIABILITY

The financial liability of a member to the Association shall be the amount due in respect of membership fees and any other fees for services provided to the member by the Association and includes the reasonable costs incurred as a result of an investigation pursuant to Section 5.6 of these By-laws.

4.10 RESIGNATION

Any member who wishes to resign from the Association must give written notice to the Association. Any member who shall cease to be a member of the Association, through resignation or otherwise, shall, from that date forward, not be entitled to any of the privileges normally accorded to the membership of the Association. No refund of membership fee shall be provided upon cessation of membership.

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