November 21, 2011
To the Board of Directors and the Membership:
Thank you for employing me this last past 17 months. My experience at the Canadian Japanese Cultural Centre has been rewarding: however circumstances have changed and I must take a different direction with my family. Please accept this letter of resignation effective immediately. My last day of employment will be Monday December 05 2011.
I will be staying on as a board of director.
Respectfully,
Fiona McAlpine
Secretary CJCC
This is a list of the proposed changes to the Constitution and By-Laws. These changes were voted on by the Board and unanimously accepted. We are presenting these changes for ratification at this years AGM. There will be NO changes or revisions made to our proposed presentation. Just a majority vote to accept or deny these changes.
Links to PDF versions of the Working Copy and revised Working Copy Constitution and By-Laws follow after the changes.
Compiled: August 24th, 2011
Change: Change the number of Directors on the Board from 9-10 to 9-12
5.2 The Board of Directors shall comprise of 9-10 members in total.
5.2 The Board of Directors shall comprise of 9-12 members in total.
Change: Of half of the Executive Board shall change each year, instead of one half of the entire Board of Directors.
5.2.2 One half of the Board of Director positions shall have their election year in even years with the remaining having theirs in the odd years.
5.2.2 One half of the Executive Board positions shall have their election year in even years with the remaining having theirs in the odd years.
Change: Removal of the word ‘next’ before Annual General Meeting in the first sentence.
Change: Removal of nominations for the Board of Directors from the floor at the Annual General Meeting.
5.4 Prospective Board of Director members should be nominated to the Board of Directors by August 31st for recommendation at the next Annual General Meeting. As well, nominations for Board of Director members can be made at the Annual General Meeting. In either situation, ratification is required by the voting of a quorum of the membership at the Annual General Meeting.
5.4 Prospective Board of Director members should be nominated to the Board of Directors by August 31st for recommendation at the next Annual General Meeting. Ratification is required by the voting of a quorum of the membership at the Annual General Meeting.
Change: Change term of office from one year to two years.
Change: Remove termination date for position.
5.5 The Board Executive shall comprise of:
1. The President;
2. The Vice-President;
3. The Executive Treasurer;
4. The Executive Secretary; and
5. The Past-President.The Board Executive terms shall be one year beginning on December 1st of the election year until November 30th of the year following.
The first four positions shall be filled by election from the Board of Directors as ratified under section 5.4 bi-annually.
Nominations for these positions are to be submitted to the Board Executive no later than August 31st of the election year.
The Past–President may but does not necessarily have to be a member of the Board of Directors.
5.5 The Board Executive shall comprise of:
1. The President;
2. The Vice-President;
3. The Executive Treasurer;
4. The Executive Secretary; and
5. The Past-President.The Board Executive terms shall be two years beginning on December 1st of the election year.
The first four positions shall be filled by election from the Board of Directors as ratified under section 5.4 bi-annually.
Nominations for these positions are to be submitted to the Board Executive no later than August 31st of the election year.
The Past–President may but does not necessarily have to be a member of the Board of Directors.
Change: Capitalize Constitution
Amendments to the constitution.
Amendments to the Constitution.
Change: Constitutional amendments are to submitted before August 31st instead of “to the general membership at the time of notification of the annual general meeting.”
10.1 Constitutional amendments shall be subject to notice of motion and majority consent of the Board of Directors. Proposed amendments to the Constitution are to be made in writing to the general membership at the time of notification of the annual general meeting.
10.1 Constitutional amendments shall be subject to notice of motion and majority consent of the Board of Directors. Proposed amendments to the Constitution are to be made in writing before August 31.
(Missing Period at end of sentence)
Change: Constitutional Amendments cannot be proposed from the floor at the Annual General Meeting.
10.3 Amendments to the Constitution may be proposed from the floor of the annual general meeting.
(Removed)
Change: If no Constitutional Amendments can be made from the floor, there is no majority vote requirement.
10.4 Amendments proposed by 10.3 shall require a Ninety Per Cent majority vote of the quorum of the membership voting at the annual general meeting.
(Removed)
Change: Past-President will have voting rights.
1.6 The Past President shall be an ex-officio member of the Board of Directors and have no voting rights.
1.6 The Past-President shall be an ex-officio member of the Board of Directors and have voting rights.
(Past-President missing hyphen)
Change: Board of Directors are expected to notify the Executive Secretary, not the Centre Secretary, of their intention to renew their term on the Board by August 31st, not July 31st.
1.14 Board of Director members are expected to attend at least 60% of the meetings and shall give their intentions to the Secretary to renewing their term on the Board by July 31st for the following year.
1.14 Board of Director members are expected to attend at least 60% of the meetings and shall give their intentions to the Executive Secretary to renewing their term on the Board by August 31st for the following year.
Change: Remove powers of the Board to grant honorary lifetime memberships.
The Board of Directors has the discretion to grant honorary lifetime membership upon petition by the Special Events Committee.
(Removed)
Change: Quorum of the membership of the Centre changed from 20 to 25.
8.1.2 The quorum of the membership of the Centre shall be constituted by having at least 20 members who have reached the age of majority and are present at the meeting.
8.1.2 The quorum of the membership of the Centre shall be constituted by having at least 25 members who have reached the age of majority and are present at the meeting.
End of list of changes.
Hamilton_CJCC_Constitution_2009_11_(WC).PDF
Hamilton_CJCC_Constitution_2009_11_WC_revised.PDF
Summer is almost over and school is back in.
It’s also time to sign up for the many programs at the Hamilton CJCC.
Don’t forget to come by for lunch!
Sunday September 11th, 2011 from 12 noon to 3 p.m.
Queen's Park meeting with Ambassador Ishikawa of Japan.
Filipino Community Centre Donation.
1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month.
1 – 3 p.m.
Kontact Kelly Kawamoto for more info
Saturday April 9th
11am-4pm
Fundraiser for Japan Earthquake/Tsunami
At the Canadian Japanese Cultural Centre
45 Hempstead Drive
(905) 383-5755
Japanese Udon Noodle Lunch
Baked Goods
Sushi
Raffle
Activities for Young and Old
Come and Enjoy
A fundraiser for the victims of the Earthquake and Tsunami
Who: All Anime fans over the age of 10. Films will be either G, PG or AA not ‘R’ rated
What: What better way to show our support for Japan than our love of Anime
Where: Canadian Japanese Cultural Centre
45 Hempstead Drive, Hamilton, ON
www.hamiltoncjcc.ca
HSR take the #22 Bus
When: Saturday April 9, 2011 Music @ 5:00 (music provided by Octopus Army DJ James Tennant) Films @ 7:00-11:00 p.m.
Why: We hope to raise money to help with relief efforts (All funds raised will go directly to the Red Cross designated to Japan Relief)
How: How Much? Technically it’s a “FREE” event (so there is no charge), however we encourage a donation at the door ($5-10 would be Awesome!) Remember, every cent raised goes direct to Japan!
For more info, check the site: http://www.animeforjapan.ca/ and the Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=101528399933132
Over the past week, many people have been asking the Canadian Japanese Cultural Centre (CJCC) about what they can do to help the victims of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Many of you want to donate money, but are unsure which organization would provide the best support.
This is also a question that the Canadian Japanese Cultural Centre has struggled with. However, after a series of consultations, including a broad discussion held at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre (JCCC) in Toronto, the CJCC Board is encouraging you to support organizations that are able to address the more immediate needs such as food and shelter.
As a result, the CJCC Board continues to recommend that people donate to the Canadian Red Cross. They, in turn, will send the funds raised to the Japanese Red Cross. The Japanese Red Cross is a highly experienced disaster relief organization with 2 million volunteers. The local volunteers are distributing relief items, making sure displaced people are offered hot meals, clearing debris, providing medical supplies and equipment, and deploying emergency personnel.
You can donate directly to the Red Cross or through the CJCC, which has been authorized to collect donations on its behalf. Cheques should be made out to “Canadian Red Cross” and also specify “Japan Earthquake/Asia-Pacific Tsunami” on the cheque.
Another worthy charity that you may wish to consider is a special, dedicated disaster relief fund created by the Toronto Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre (JCCC) within their JCCC Foundation. Currently, on the advice of the Japanese Consulate, these funds are going to the Japanese Red Cross through the Canadian Red Cross. The CJCC Board notes that directly donating to the Canadian Red Cross may be a faster way to give money for the immediate crisis. For the longer-term needs, as the Toronto JCCC will continue to seek advice from the Japanese consulate, the JCCC Foundation should be considered. Donations can be made online thorough the JCCC website, or by mailing them a cheque made out to “JCCC Foundation” and indicating “Japan Earthquake Relief Fund” on the memo portion of your cheque.
The CJCC is also planning to hold special events to raise funds to support the earthquake and tsunami victims. This includes supplementing already planned fund-raising events (needed to address the CJCC deficit) so that a portion of funds raised will go towards earthquake and tsunami victims, as well as holding special events specifically for this cause. More details about these events will be announced shortly, once plans are finalized.
Frequently asked questions about Japan Earthquake/Tsunami donations
Why donate to the Canadian Red Cross? Wouldn’t it be better to donate directly to the Japanese Red Cross?
The Japanese Red Cross has requested that people donate funds through their local Red Cross. Although no specific reason has been provided, we expect that one benefit would be to reduce their administrative burden. Instead of having to deal with many thousand small international donations (in varying currencies), the Japanese Red Cross would receive funding transferred in large amounts.
Another benefit is that, if the donation goes to a registered Canadian Charity such as the Canadian Red Cross, it is eligible for Canadian tax credits. This would lessen the financial impact to the donor, which may encourage more generous contributions.
I’m concerned that too much of the donation will be going for overhead and not directly to the people in need. Wouldn’t it be better to send the money directly to Japan?
It is important that the funds to go to a legitimate organization that has the proven ability to see what’s truly needed and the infrastructure to provide it. In this instance, the Red Cross has indicated that less than 5% would be going towards administrative costs. This is well below the average rate for charitable organizations. Administrative costs include the cost to securely process donations, issue tax receipts and report activities to donors, government, the media and the public.
What happens if you don’t specify on your cheque that you want the funds to go specifically for the “Japan Earthquake/Asia-Pacific Tsunami”
Donations that are not explicitly targeted into the Red Cross’s general funds. These funds are also a worthy cause, as they allow the Red Cross to act promptly in any emergency instead of having to wait for funds to come in.
Should we be sending anything else besides money? For example, blankets, medicine, food or other goods?
The Japanese Red Cross Society has said very clearly that if people wish to help the survivors, the best way to do that is by donating money.
This is consistent with the experiences of other charitable organizations. There can be large transportation costs to ship goods, and there can be a fair bit of logistical work to make sure that the donated goods can go to the areas in need. Providing funding allows more local purchases of food and clothing, which are more culturally appropriate and effective.
If I want to make an online donation, how do I do this?
You will need to use a credit card. The link to the Canadian Red Cross Japan Earthquake/Tsunami fund is:
http://www.redcross.ca/article.asp?id=38380&tid=001
For the JCCC Foundation:
http://www.jccc.on.ca/japan_earthquake_relief_fund.htm
What is the CJCC doing to support the victims of the recent Japanese earthquake and tsunami ?
The CJCC has signed an agreement with the Canadian Red Cross that allows the CJCC to collect funds on the Red Cross’s behalf. Events that were already being planned to raise funds for the CJCC will also include raising funds for the victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. The Centre is also planning to have special targeted events to raise funds for the victims.
The news from Japan about the earthquake/tsunami in Sendai has been overwhelming and heart wrenching. Our thoughts and concerns go out to the people of Japan. I have met with the Hamilton Spectator, the Mountain News and CHCH news to voice our concerns. The Red Cross has been enlisted to collect monies on our behalf to send directly to Japan. A third party agreement was signed so that the CJCC can accept cheques, log the names in the office and direct the cheques to the Red Cross office. You will receive a tax deductible receipt from the Red Cross or alternately you may go to any Bank in the Hamilton area and donate in person.
Please make sure the cheques stipulate to help the earthquake/tsunami in Sendai Japan
In closing we did accept some donations at our very successful monthly dinner on Saturday March 12th, and those will be forwarded on to the Red Cross.
Respectfully Yours
Mitchell Kawasaki
Photos from the Awards dinner
