This document outlines the constitution and bylaws of the Ottawa Chapter of the Ohara School of Ikebana. It establishes the chapter's affiliation with the school in Japan, defines membership and officer roles, and outlines procedures for meetings, elections, committees and amendments. Key aspects include establishing a board to conduct chapter business, defining roles of the president, vice president, secretary and treasurer, and requiring an annual general meeting and financial audit. Amendments require a two-thirds board approval and member vote.

1. OHARA SCHOOL OF IKEBANA
OTTAWA CHAPTER
CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS
WHEREAS the Headmaster of the Ohara School of Ikebana, Tokyo, Japan has authorized
the establishment of the Ottawa Chapter of the Ohara School of Ikebana,
NOW THEREFORE the following is the constitution and bylaws of the Ohara School of Ikebana,
Ottawa Chapter (herein referred to as “the Chapter”).
ARTICLE 1 DEFINITIONS
1.1 Fiscal Year: The fiscal year shall be from January 1 to December 31 of the same year.
1.2 Instructors: People who have received certification from the Headquarters of the Ohara
School of Ikebana and are qualified to the Instructor Level and above.
1.3 The Board: All elected and appointed members, as outlined in Article 5 and 6.
1.4 Executive: The Honorary Advisor, President, Past President, Vice President, Secretary and
Treasurer.
1.5 Signing Officers Any two of the President, Vice President or Treasurer.
1.6 Electronic Voting Will only be used for a board meeting and will involve only one item where that
item is explained fully in an email to all board members and the vote is taken by
email with a 48 hour turnaround. If a board member does not have email, a
phone call will be used.
ARTICLE 2 NAME, AFFILIATION AND ADDRESS
2.1 The name of this non-profit organization shall be The Ohara School of Ikebana, Ottawa Chapter.
2.2 The Ohara School of Ikebana, Ottawa Chapter is an affiliate of the Ohara School of Japan.
2.3 The Chapter administration office shall be at the address of the incumbent President.
ARTICLE 3 OBJECTIVES
3.1 To provide a local organization where teachers and students of the Ohara School may exchange
cultural ideas and keep informed of new techniques and style trends introduced by Ohara
Headquarters in Japan.
3.2 To sponsor workshops, study and research sessions and fellowship meetings.
3.3 To provide the organizational structure for the teaching of the Ohara School of Ikebana.
3.4 To introduce and recommend new books and literature on the latest trends in the Ohara School
of Ikebana.
3.5 To further the public knowledge of the Ohara School of Ikebana in the Ottawa area and, to this
end, to hold a minimum of one exhibition per year in a location accessible to the general public.
ARTICLE 4 MEMBERSHIP
4.1 Membership shall be open to all Ohara teachers, students and former students of the Ohara
School.

2. 4.2 The membership dues for the fiscal year are payable in January of each year. Any new member
who joins from September to December of any year is a member for the following fiscal year.
Members who have not renewed by March 31st of the present year will no longer be members.
4.3 The dues are not refundable. The annual membership dues are to be approved by a vote of the
members of the Executive Board.
4.4 Members shall be entitled to:
a) vote in the election of the elected officers (secretary and treasurer);
b) participate in the general activities of the Chapter;
c) enter the Annual Exhibition sponsored by the Chapter, if they are active students;
d) receive the newsletter issued by the Chapter; and
e) attend workshops and study sessions sponsored by the Chapter.
ARTICLE 5 THE EXECUTIVE: SELECTION AND RESPONSIBILITIES
5.1 The Executive shall consist of:
a) the Honorary Advisor, who shall be appointed by the Headmaster on the
recommendation of the Executive;
b) the President, who shall be appointed by the Headmaster, on the recommendation of the
Executive;
c) the Vice-President, who shall be appointed by the Headmaster on the recommendation of
the Executive;
d) the Secretary, who shall be elected by a majority vote of the membership from a slate of
officers presented by a Nominating Committee;
e) the Treasurer, who shall be elected by a majority vote of the membership from a slate of
officers presented by a Nominating Committee;
f) the Immediate Past President, who shall automatically become a voting member of the
Executive.
5.2 The Board shall conduct all business of the Chapter on behalf of the membership.
5.3 The Honorary Advisor shall be responsible for the interpretation of style and trend information
received from Headquarters in Japan.
5.4 The President shall:
a) represent the Chapter in all its functions and assume the administrative duties of the
Chapter;
b) preside at all meetings of the Chapter and call special meetings as deemed necessary;
c) preside at all Board Meetings;
d) appoint all Committee Chairpersons and be an ex-officio member of all committees
except the Nominating Committee;
e) be the official contact of the Chapter with Ohara Headquarters on official matters;
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3. f) shall be a signing officer;
g) submit an Annual Report on Chapter Activities to the membership at the end of each
year;
h) submit a projected program for the upcoming year to the membership at the Annual
General Meeting and to Headquarters;
i) maintain contact with and relay any ideas, suggestions or information from other Ohara
Chapters to the general membership, as appropriate.
5.5 The Vice-President shall:
a) assist the President;
b) preside over meetings in the absence of the President;
c) ensure that the qualification records of the membership are maintained;
d) chair the Exhibition Committee and ensure any special projects agreed upon by the
Board are undertaken;
e) shall be a signing officer.
5.6 The Secretary shall:
a) keep the minutes of all Board Meetings and any special meetings called by the President;
b) be recording officer for the Annual General Meeting;
c) present the Minutes of the previous year’s meeting at the Annual General Meeting;
d) handle all correspondence at the direction of the President.
5.7 The Treasurer shall:
a) keep an account of and report at each Executive and/or Board Meeting on the finances of
the Chapter;
b) receive all monies paid to the organization;
c) make disbursements upon the direction of the Executive Board;
d) shall be a signing officer;
e) present a Year End Statement of the Chapter finances for the Annual General Meeting;
f) present annually an audited year end financial statement to the membership.
5.8 The Past President shall chair the Nominating Committee.
ARTICLE 6 COMMITTEES
6.1 The Nominating Committee shall:
a) consist of three (3) members, including the immediate Past President as the Chairperson,
one member appointed from the Board and one member appointed from the general
membership who is not on the Board;
b) be responsible for selecting a slate of nominees;
c) be responsible for presenting the slate of nominees to the Annual General Meeting,
biennially.
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4. 6.2 The following standing committees or positions may be appointed by the president:
Membership / Telephone
Demonstrations
Historian
Workshops
Publicity
Hospitality
Newsletter
Librarian
Ad Hoc—e.g. Program/Fundraising
Photographer
Field Trip;
6.3 Committee Chairpersons shall report to the Board upon request.
6.4 Committees shall provide a report on their respective activities for the Annual General Meeting.
6.5 All committees/positions are concurrent with the executive’s term.
ARTICLE 7 BUSINESS PROCEDURES
7.1 The business of the Chapter shall be governed by the rules of simple majority. Fifty per cent of
the Executive shall be considered a quorum, for Board meetings.
7.2 The term of office for the President and Vice-President shall be two years.
7.3 The election of officers shall be held every second year at the Annual General Meeting and
officers shall be installed at that meeting.
7.4 The Board, by majority vote, shall fill the vacancy of an unexpired term of an elected officer, a
name or names having been submitted by the Nominating Committee.
7.5 Board Meetings shall be held at the discretion of the President, with a minimum of three (3)
meetings per term.
7.6 When an immediate decision is required, an Electronic voting procedure may be used for a one-
item board meeting at the discretion of the president.
ARTICLE 8 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
8.1 The quorum of an Annual General Meeting of this Chapter shall consist of one-fourth of the paid
membership.
8.2 The purpose of the Annual General Meeting is:
a) to provide the membership with the various reports of the Board and any important
business pertaining to the Chapter;
b) to elect the slate of officers on a biennial basis.
8.3 The Annual General meeting shall be held regularly by May 31st of each year.
ARTICLE 9 CHAPTER FORMATION AND TERMINATION
9.1 Members may recommend the formation of a new Chapter on geographic grounds to the Board
which shall give due consideration to the recommendation and in time make its recommendation
for approval by Headquarters.
9.2 In the case of dissolution or termination of the Chapter:
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5. a) the disposition of assets shall be recommended to the membership by the Board;
b) the majority vote shall rule;
c) none of the Chapter earnings shall benefit any individual or member.
ARTICLE 10 AMENDMENTS
10.1 Proposals for amendment(s) to this Constitution and Bylaws may be made with the
recommendation of two or more members and a written submission to the Secretary of the Board.
10.2 These Bylaws may be amended at a Regular Meeting by two-thirds affirmative vote of those
present and voting, provided that the proposed amendments have been approved by the Chapter
Board and copies of same have been provided to members two weeks prior to the meeting.
10.3 This constitution shall be reviewed at least every 5 years under the direction of the Past
President.
Rev March 2001
Rev May 2010
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