June 2024 Native Canadian Centre of Toronto (NCCT) Membership

Yearly Membership Rights & Responsibilities

Membership:  Becoming a Member opens the door to a wide range of events, programs, and workshops within the NCCT community. As a Member, you will enjoy exclusive voting rights at the AGM and gain priority access to classes, workshops, trips, and more. Join us to make the most of these exciting opportunities!

We look forward to developing a connection between the people who are so integral to positive community building and growth.  First Nation communities from across Canada, Métis, Inuit, World Indigenous peoples, as well as non-Indigenous peoples, are welcome to become Members. 

This guideline describes the rights, responsibilities, and procedures of a Membership, which are consistent with the current NCCT By-law #7. As per By-law #7, there shall be three classes of Membership in the Corporation, namely:  General Members, Associate Allies Members, and Lifetime Members.  

Rights & Responsibilities: 

Membership requires agreement with its mission and values.  Members hold the significant right to elect and remove board members and auditors.  Therefore, Members are expected to commit to the interests of the NCCT,  follow the values of the Seven Grandfather Teachings, and responsibly exercise their voting rights.

To be eligible for the membership, Members must live or work within the boundaries of the geographic area assigned to the NCCT.  The Board may also impose additional requirements for membership from time to time, which will be set out in the application form. 

There currently are three classes of membership in the Corporation: 

General Members, who shall be persons over the age of 18 years who identify themselves as Indigenous persons and who have passed a probationary period of twenty (20) days as a non-voting member of the Corporation. 

General Members in good standing are entitled to:
-Attend all special and general meetings of Members and to notices of such meetings;
-Be elected as a director and officer of the Corporation; and
-One (1) vote on each question arising at any special or general meeting of Members, unless that Member is an employee of the Corporation. 

Associate Members, who shall be persons over the age of 18 years who identify themselves as non-Indigenous persons and who have passed a six (6) month probationary period as a non-voting member of the Corporation.  

Associate Members in good standing are entitled to:
- First opportunity to register for events, programs, workshops, classes, trips, and more;
-Attend all special and general meetings of Members and to notices of such meetings;
-Be elected as a director and officer of the Corporation; and
-One (1) vote on each question arising at any special or general meeting of members, unless that member is an employee of the Corporation. 

Lifetime Members, who shall be persons in the Indigenous community of the Greater Toronto Area or persons associated with the community, who have made significant contributions to the Indigenous community as determined by a majority vote by the Board of Directors in consultation with a recognized Elder or Traditional Advisor. Members have a right to attend the AGM or any other meeting of Members called in the year of their valid membership. 

Lifetime Members in good standing are entitled:
- First opportunity to register for events, programs, workshops, classes, trips, and more;
- Attend all special and general meetings of members and to notice of such meetings;
- Be elected as a director and officer of the Corporation; and
- One (1) vote on each question arising at any special or general meeting of members, unless that member is an employee of the Corporation. 

Members have a right to attend the AGM or any other meeting of Members called in the year of their valid membership. 

If the Board determines that a Member should be expelled or suspended, the procedures outlined in the By-laws are to be followed.  Based on the By-laws of the NCCT, the Board may suspend or expel the membership of any Member for any one or more of the following grounds:
- Misrepresentation of the Member on the application for membership;
- Violating any provision of the articles, by-laws, or written membership policies of the NCCT;
- Carrying out any conduct that may be detrimental to the NCCT as determined by the Board in its sole discretion;
- For any other reason that the Board in its sole and absolute discretion considers to be reasonable, having regard to the mission, values, or purposes of the NCCT.

The NCCT will update Members on the current news of the organization through email, board minutes, and the Annual Report.  

PROCEDURES FOR ADMINISTRATION OF THE NCCT MEMBERSHIP: 

General, Associate, and Lifetime Members must apply for and be approved by the Board before the start of each membership year, which coincides with the NCCT's AGM, as follows:
- Members must complete an application form established by the Board or its delegate.
- The declaration of agreement with mission and values, and to the truthfulness of the application form must be signed.
- The application form will be reviewed for completeness by a delegate of the Board.
- The application forms will be made available in hard copy and on the NCCT website. 

The NCCT will communicate with Members by email in order to keep costs to a minimum, including sending invitations to the AGM and other meetings of Members. If it is not possible for a Member to receive electronic communications, a Member may direct the NCCT to use an alternate method. The NCCT will also work with Members and those who wish to apply for a membership to provide information in an accessible format as needed.   Members are responsible for keeping the NCCT informed of any change to their contact information. 

Membership is to be renewed on an annual basis upon the member completing a new application form, with the exception of current Lifetime Members, provided the member continues to be eligible for and meet the criteria for membership. NCCT may implement processes to facilitate the renewal of membership, but members must always take an active step in the process to indicate continued interest and agreement with the requirements of membership.