Chartered Engineers Pacific

Constitution

Constitution of the of the Western Canada Group of Chartered Engineers (WCGCE) doing business as Chartered Engineers Pacific (CEP).

The constitution of the Western Canada Group of Chartered Engineers was originally drafted July 1987. The constitution is regularly reviewed and amended to recognize changes in the Group's operation.

1 Definitions

In this Constitution: "The Sponsoring Institutions" means The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), the Institution of Engineering & Technology (IET), the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) and the Chartered Institution of Building Service Engineers (CIBSE), all of the United Kingdom. "Councils" mean the Councils of the Sponsoring Institutions. "Group" means a Group of Engineers operating in accordance with this Constitution. "Committee" means the Committee of the Group.

2 Constitution

The Group shall be constituted, and its affairs shall be carried on in accordance with the Regulations of Groups of Professional Engineers' sponsored by the Institutions of Civil, Mechanical and Electrical Engineers as revised 1983, supplemented or modified by this Constitution.

3 Creation & Dissolution

The Group was established at an Inaugural Meeting held during September 1987, at which elections of the Committee took place. The Councils shall in consultation with the Committee have power to dissolve the Group at any time if it is considered that there is no longer sufficient local interest to support the Group activity.

4 Objects

The objects of the Group shall be:
(a) In the spirit of the Charters of the Sponsoring Institutions, to promote and encourage the acquisition of knowledge relevant to the engineering profession.
(b) To establish friendly exchange between members.
(c) To arrange meetings for the presentation and discussion of topics of interest to members of the Group.
(d)To organize visits of engineering interest.
(e)To stimulate among members interest in the work of the Sponsoring Institutions.
(f)To provide a focus for all engineers in the area of the Group in matters pertinent to the Sponsoring Institutions.
(g)To perform where appropriate, similar functions for any other societies which are represented within the Group, in accordance with their regulations and with the Group's constitution.
(h)To advise and encourage members of the Group to qualify for membership in the Local Professional Associations.

5 Area

The Area of the Group shall be:
Canada: British Columbia and Yukon Territory
States of the United States of America: Washington State and State of Alaska
The area of the group shall also include the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan and the Canadian Northwest Territory, whenever no similar Group of Chartered Engineers is constituted to serve those areas.

6 Membership

(a) Members of all classes of the Sponsoring Institutions, provided that they reside or practice their profession within the area of the Group, shall be eligible for membership of the Group;
(b) Engineers, who are not members of the Sponsoring Institutions who are members of such other Institutions as may be approved from time to time or whose professional attainments entitle them, in the opinion of the Committee, to election, may be recommended by the Committee to the Sponsoring Institutions for admission to membership of the Group.

7 Finance

(a) The Councils shall contribute an agreed amount to the expenses of the Group by making an allocation of funds. The Committee shall submit a budget for the activities it proposes for the forthcoming session, and at the end of each session shall submit a duly audited statement of accounts, upon which evidence the Councils shall assess the annual allocation of funds.
(b) Each member elected under Regulation 6(b) shall pay an annual subscription to be fixed by the Committee, to cover the cost to the member of the facilities offered by the Group.
(c) A banking account shall be opened in the name of the Group at such Bank as the Committee may decide, into which account all monies received shall be promptly deposited. Cheques or other payments drawn on such account shall be authorized by the Honorary Treasurer (if any), or the Honorary Secretary and one other member of the Committee to be designated by the Committee for the purpose.

(d) The Committee may approve an expenditure budget for events in advance, that nominated members are authorized to spend, but not exceed. The Committee should review and approve any increase in the budget. It is recommended for practical purposes that a reasonable contingency be included in any estimates, to minimize additional management effort.

8 Resignations

Any member elected under Regulation 6(b), wishing to resign from the Group shall give notice of his intention in writing to the Honorary Secretary of the Group before the commencement of the financial year, failing which the member shall be liable for the ensuing years subscription (if any).

9 Management

The affairs of the Group shall be managed by a Committee all of whom shall be members of the Group. Not less than three quarters of the Committee shall be members of one or more of the Sponsoring Institutions. The composition of the Committee shall reflect the interests of the members of the Group.

The Committee shall comprise:

A Chairperson
A Vice-Chairperson
An Honorary Secretary
An Honorary Treasurer
Not less than six nor more than twelve Ordinary Members of Committee
The most recent Past Chairperson available and willing to serve.
The local representative (if any) of each of the Institutions and Societies from which the membership of the Group is made up, provided that the number of such local representatives serving as such on the Committee does not exceed six.

The Chairperson shall be a Chartered Member of one of the Sponsoring Institutions, preferably a Fellow. In selecting its nominations for the forthcoming year, preferably the selection of nominations for the Committee shall reflect the proportion of members from the Sponsoring Institutions comprising the Group. that The office of the Chairperson shall be, as far as practicable, rotated among the Sponsoring Institutions comprising the Group, and there should preferably be due representation of younger members.

Preferably there shall be a minimum of two members of Committee from each Sponsoring Institution, except where that Institutions members are less than 10% of the total membership, then one member shall represent that Institution.

The Local Representative (if any) of each Institution shall deal with all non-Group matters involving individual members and their contact with their own Institution.

10 Election of Committee

The Committee shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Group. Nothing under sections (a) through (d) that follow shall prevent a suitable nominated candidate from being elected to the Committee where no candidates that meet the stated requirements are prepared to stand for election.
(a) The Chairperson shall not hold office in that capacity for more than two years in succession, and shall not simultaneously hold any other Office in the Group.
(b) The Vice-Chairperson and Ordinary Members of Committee shall not hold Office in these respective capacities for more than three years in succession without re-election.
(c) The Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer shall retire annually, but each shall be eligible for immediate re-election. The Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer shall be members of one of the Sponsoring Institutions, and shall not normally hold office in that capacity for more than five years in succession, and so far as is practicable they shall be selected in turn from the members respectively of each of the Sponsoring Institutions.
(d) In order to secure a regular succession of vacancies each year among the Ordinary members of Committee, approximately one-third of the Ordinary Members of Committee shall terminate their service in this capacity annually.
(e) Except in special circumstances to be approved by the Councils, at no time shall the Committee include in its membership in any capacity such a number of the persons employed by or otherwise engaged with any one company, public service undertaking, firm or other organization, as to constitute a majority of the voting members of the Committee.
(f) Election of Officers and Committee shall be by ballot at the Annual General Meeting. The Committee shall elect a Nominating Sub-Committee, of one member from each sponsoring Institution, to prepare a list of nominations.
(g) The Committee shall have power to fill casual vacancies occurring on the Committee by appointing Officers or Ordinary Members of Committee to hold office for the unexpired portion of service of the vacating member. Members so appointed will be eligible for immediate election and any period of such appointed service shall not be taken into account in computing the period of office under the provisions of sub-paragraphs (a) and (c) above.
(h) Each member of the Committee shall have a single vote, and, in the event of there being an equality of votes, the Chairperson shall have a casting vote.
(i) The quorum of the Committee shall be six (6) persons.

11 Honorary Secretary

The Honorary Secretary appointed under Regulation 10 shall act under the direction of the Committee and shall:
(a) conduct the correspondence of the Group;
(b) take minutes of the proceeding of all meetings thereof;
(c) keep all records and act as Librarian.

12 Honorary Treasurer

The Honorary Treasurer appointed under Regulation 10 shall act under the direction of the Committee:
(a) Collect all sums due to the Group and pay the same into the Group's banking account.
(b) Pay all sums due by the Group when authorized so to do by the Committee.
(c) Keep an account of the income and expenditure in books which shall be open for inspection at every Committee Meeting.
(d) Present at the Annual General Meeting of the Group a Balance Sheet and Statement of the Income and Expenditure of the Group for the Financial Year ending the previous December 31st
(e) Prepare the budget showing the funds required and the objects on which they are intended to be spent, for submission to the Sponsoring Institutions, and,
(f) Maintain the mailing list of the members of the groups and update it with changes as obtained from the applicable institution or the member.

13 Auditors

Two auditors for the ensuing year should be appointed at the Annual General Meeting, as far as practical. The Auditors shall be confirmed by the Committee as suitably qualified and experienced to perform their duties. They shall not be members of the Committee. The auditors shall be members of the sponsoring institutions or a registered Professional Engineer, with affiliations rotated between the sponsoring institutions as far as practicable. The auditors shall audit and sign the Annual Statement prepared and presented by the Honorary Treasurer.

14 Institution & Society Matters

The Group shall not carry out any political activity, or express approval or disapproval of any law of any country, or become involved in any matter affecting the management or administration of any or all of the Sponsoring Institutions, or of Societies, whose members are members of the Group, but shall abide by the Objects as specified in these Regulations, unless sanctioned otherwise by the Councils.

15 Meetings

(a) Each Session of the Group shall last for a period of one year, from the date of the Annual General Meeting.
(b) Ordinary Meetings of the Group shall be held at such times and intervals as the affairs of the Group require, but the interval between meetings shall in no case exceed six months.
(c) The Annual General Meeting of the Group shall be held in late January/early February, when the Committee shall present their Report upon the work of the Session, and the Committee for the ensuing Session shall be elected.
(d) The quorum for the Annual General Meeting of the Group shall be ten members of the Group.

16 Papers & Communications

The Committee shall have authority for the acceptance or rejection of papers or communications to be read at the meetings arranged by the Group.

17 Records

Copies of the Annual Report and of papers published by the Committee and also the minutes of the Committee shall be forwarded to the Secretaries of the Sponsoring Institutions, for the information as necessary of their Councils.

18 Corresponding Institution

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) shall be the Corresponding Institution, until otherwise decided by the Councils.

19 Prizes & Premiums

The Committee shall make known to all members of the Group the prizes, premiums, etc. of each of the Sponsoring Institutions for which they may be eligible, and shall abide by the rules for the awards for the time being in force.
With the approval of the Sponsoring Institutions the Committee may also establish local prizes, particularly to encourage younger members to present papers.

Revision History

April 1990

a) Para 15.(c) Month was September (1988 A.G.M. Motion)
b) Title was "WESTERN CANADA JOINT GROUP OF CHARTERED ENGINEERS (1989 A.G.M. MOTION)

April 1992

c) Para 12.(d) was "Present at the Annual General Meeting of the Group a Balance Sheet and Statement of the Income and Expenditure of the Group; and"
d) Para 15.(a) was "Each Session of the Group shall last for a period of one year, from July 1 to June 30."
e) Para 15 (c) was "The Annual General Meeting of the Group shall be held in late April/early May prior to the June end of Session, when the Committee shall present their Report upon the work of the Session, and the Committee for the ensuing Session shall be elected."
Items c), d), and e), revised upon motion carried unanimously at the 1992 A.G.M.

January 1994

f) Paras 1, 3, 5, 9, 10(d) and 13 revised upon motion carried unanimously at the 1994 A.G.M., for the following purposes:-
(i) to incorporate IStructE and IChemE members;
(ii) to permit Prairie Group spinoff; and,
(iii) general revision of grammar, typos, etc.

January 1998

g) Para 1 revised upon motion, carried unanimously at the 1998 AGM to incorporate CIBSE members.

January 2000

h) Paras 5 and 9 revised and 12(f) added upon motion, carried unanimously at the 2000 AGM for the following purposes:-
(i) to permit under-representation on the Committee from less active membership bodies from the Sponsoring Institutions;
(ii) to assign responsibility for maintenance of the Group mailing list
(iii) general revision of grammar, typos, etc.

January 2003

i) Para 1 revised upon motion, carried unanimously at the 2003 AGM to incorporate RAeS members.

January 2007

j) Para 1 revised upon motion, carried unanimously at the 2007 AGM to remove RAeS members, as requested by the RAeS Institution.

January 2011

k) Para 1 revised upon motion, carried unanimously at the 2011 AGM to remove IChemE members, as requested by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE).

January 2014

l) Para 9 revised upon motion, carried unanimously at the 2014 AGM:
The Chairman shall be a Chartered Member of one of the Sponsoring Institutions, preferably a Fellow. In selecting its nominations for the forthcoming year preferably the selection of nominations for the Committee shall reflects the proportion of members from the Sponsoring Institutions comprising the Group. The office of the Chairman shall be, as far as practicable, rotated among the Sponsoring Institutions comprising the Group, and there should preferably be due representation of younger members.
Preferably there shall be a minimum of two members of Committee from each Sponsoring Institution, except where that Institution's members are less than 10% of the total membership, then one member shall represent that Institution.

m) Para 10 revised upon motion, carried unanimously at the 2014 AGM: nothing under sections (a) through (d) that follow shall prevent a suitable nominated candidate from being elected to the Committee where no candidates that meet the stated requirements are prepared to stand for election.

n) Para 13 revised upon motion, carried unanimously at the 2014 AGM: Two auditors for the ensuing year shall be appointed at the Annual General Meeting. They shall not be members of the Committee. The auditors shall be members of the sponsoring institutions, with affiliations rotated between the sponsoring institutions as far as practicable. Not more than one auditor shall represent each institution. The auditors shall audit and sign the Annual Statement prepared and presented by the Honorary Treasurer.

January 2016

o) revised upon motion, carried unanimously at the January 27, 2016 AGM, and so accepted by Sponsoring Institutions:
Identity and Title of the Group extended to: Western Canada Group of Chartered Engineers doing business as Chartered Engineers Pacific.

February 2024

p) removed legacy reference to the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE).

q) replaced gender-specific terms with gender-neutral language (e.g. "chairman" to "chairperson").

r) enhanced procedure for approving expenditure budgets for events; introduced requirement for nominated members to have spending authorization within approved limits, added provision for Committee review and approval of budget increases and recommended inclusion of reasonable contingency in estimates for practical purposes.

s) other minor amendments, as necessary.