Constitution
- OFMA
- Apr 29
- 5 min read
Date of Establishment: November 28, 1990.
1) Mission Statement:
To promote and encourage the growth of the professional facilities management
discipline within the context of all Ontario Municipal Governments through the
development of broad guidelines, the sharing of information, and the establishment of
a strong support network.
2) Purpose:
To provide a forum to meet and discuss current issues throughout the province and
create the opportunity for educational presentations for members, instead of or in
addition to other facilities management organizations. Membership is voluntary.
3) Name:
The name of the Association shall be the Ontario Facilities Management
Association, herein after referred to as “the Association”.
4) Definition:
For the purpose of this Constitution, a Municipal Government can be an “Upper Tier”,
“Lower Tier” or “Single Tier” incorporated Municipality or County.
5) Location:
The physical location of the Association shall be at the business address of the Chair
elect.
6) Information Management:
The Association may maintain a website on the Internet, a LinkedIN group for chat
and forum discussions, as well as a Google Drive for storing meeting presentations
and shared documentation. At the discretion of the Executive Committee, the
Association may utilize other technology or platforms.
7) Membership:
7.1 All members shall be employed within a Municipal government. Each Municipal
member shall have one designated voting member, and up to two members
who attend meetings. The hosting Municipality is exempt from the limit of
attendees. Member(s) may invite other staff or associates from their
Municipality to meetings, as space at the hosting agency permits and agenda
topics relate; however, only one vote per region is permitted when dealing with
Association business as indicated in 7.2.
7.2 Member voting is required for issues involving matters related to the
REVISION: JUNE 28, 2023
Regional Municipality of Niagara
1815 Sir Isaac Brock Way, Thorold
Tel: (905) 980-6000 x3424
OFMA
ONTARIO FACILITIES
MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
PROUDLY SERVING ITS MEMBERS SINCE 1990
constitution requirements, such as membership and officer elections and only
at meetings where quorum is reached. Voting by consensus on topics of
discussion may be dealt with by a majority show of hands at a meeting for
general topics not related to constitutional matters.
7.3 When voting is required, each Municipality shall select one member from their
organization to vote on their behalf.
7.4 Quorum for a meeting shall be defined as 40% representation of the active
membership list of Municipalities as established in 7.5. A meeting may still be
held in the absence of a quorum of representatives at the discretion of the
Chair if there is significant interest in holding a meeting. However, a vote on
constitution related matters cannot be taken if quorum is not established.
7.5 The membership list will be reviewed annually in January by the Secretary and
the names of any members which have been inactive for one year will be
forward to the next Association meeting for review. The names of inactive
members may be removed from the list by a majority vote of members at a
meeting.
7.6 An annual membership fee may be assessed against all Municipalities to be
used to offset costs associated with the operation and representation of the
Association. The amount of the annual membership fee and the decision to
charge will be determined by the Executive as appropriate..
7.7 Membership is defined as paid members when membership fees are
required. Inactive is defined as unpaid membership for one year. When fees
are not required, membership will be based on the membership list as agreed
by the majority vote as described in the 7.5.
8) Officers:
8.1 The officers of the Association shall be a Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and
Treasurer and may be referred to as the “Executive Committee” or the
“Executive”. The officers will be elected by the membership present at a
meeting called for this purpose.
8.2 The term of each officer shall be a minimum term of three years. No officer
shall hold the same position for more than two consecutive terms.
8.3 The immediate Past Chair will act as an Information Officer to the Chair for a
minimum term of one year. In the event the Past Chair is unable to fill this role
(due to retirement or leaving their Municipal position), the Past Vice-Chair will
fill this role. Similarly, should the Past Vice-Chair be unable to fill the role, this
role would fall to the Past Secretary or Past Treasurer. If no past Executive is
available, the membership may choose to elect an Information Officer to
REVISION: JUNE 28, 2023
Regional Municipality of Niagara
1815 Sir Isaac Brock Way, Thorold
Tel: (905) 980-6000 x3424
OFMA
ONTARIO FACILITIES
MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
PROUDLY SERVING ITS MEMBERS SINCE 1990
support the Executive Committee.
9) Meetings:
9.1 It is recommended that meetings be held on the Thursday of the selected
meeting month scheduled or at the discretion of the Chair. It is further
recommended that there be a minimum of three (3) meetings per annum
(Spring, Summer and Fall). Meetings will be conducted at a different location,
as hosted by Municipal members, on a rotating basis, usually at a member’s
Municipal property. Meeting dates will be pre-scheduled at the beginning of
each year on an annual basis.
9.2 Special meetings may be called by a majority vote at any regular meeting at
which a quorum is present or as called by the Chair.
9.3 Meetings may be conducted in a hybrid manner, allowing those members who
may not be able to attend in person to join virtually. This is dependent on
appropriate technology.
9.4 There may also be an Operations and Maintenance Forum by way of a
Facilities Working Group and Energy Working Group meeting during the
afternoon of the day before the official meeting. These meetings are meant to
be less formal and allow for more open discussion at an operational level.
Each member is responsible for their own notes or “minutes” for this meeting.
This meeting may be chaired by a member of the Executive, or any other
member that is agreed upon by the Executive.
10) Duties of Officers:
10.1 The Chair presides at meetings of the Association except where an active
member is appointed to take the chair. The Chair has general supervision of
the operation of the Association.
10.2 The Chair will ensure meeting minutes are distributed to the membership and
that the final copies of all documents are stored accordingly.
10.3 The Chair, in conjunction with the meeting host, shall be responsible for
notification of upcoming meetings and distribution of the meeting agenda.
10.4 The Chair shall be responsible for the continuation of the Association.
10.5 The Vice-Chair supports the Chair and shall assume the position of Chair in
the event that the Chair is unable to carry out their duties. The Vice-Chair will
prepare a “Year-End” report for members.
REVISION: JUNE 28, 2023
Regional Municipality of Niagara
1815 Sir Isaac Brock Way, Thorold
Tel: (905) 980-6000 x3424
OFMA
ONTARIO FACILITIES
MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
PROUDLY SERVING ITS MEMBERS SINCE 1990
10.6 The Association Secretary has custody of the Association’s records and
documents and is responsible for revising the membership list as changes
occur. The revised list will be forwarded for inclusion on the Association
website, if one is maintained. The Secretary will be the meeting Recording
Secretary. The Secretary will forward the completed draft minutes, along with
copies of presentations, to the Association Chair, who will ensure that the
minutes are distributed within one month to all members.
10.7 The Association Treasurer is responsible for collecting the annual membership
fee from each member region, maintaining an account of the Association's
finances, and be the liaison with the bank. This account may be audited by
request of the membership or as directed by the Chair. The Treasurer may
provide an allocation of funds to Municipalities for the purpose of covering
costs of hosting an Association meeting.
10.8 The Executive members shall represent the Association in a professional
manner in their duties and at all Association related functions.