Nomination Instructions: Valley First Region

Transcription

1 Nomination Instructions: Valley First Region Dear Candidate: Thank you for your interest in First West Credit Union s democratic process. Please complete the enclosed forms and return them by April 1, 2010 addressed to: Nominations Committee Attention: Muriel Kennedy 3rd Floor, 184 Main Street Penticton BC V2A 8G7 Please ensure your application includes the following completed documents: Candidate statement Director nomination form Applicable rules and regulations governing eligibility for directorship Nominee s acceptance and declaration Election campaign regulations Candidates are required to attend a candidate information session on March 25 at the Valley First Regional Office in Penticton. RSVPs are required for the candidate information session by March 20, Candidates will also be required to attend one-on-one interviews with the nominations committee. These one-on-one interviews will be held on April 7 in Penticton. Candidates will be contacted to schedule their sessions following the close of nominations. To RSVP for the candidate information session, or if you have questions about the nomination process, please contact: Muriel Kennedy Senior Executive Assistant to the Board of Directors governance@firstwestcu.ca

2 Candidate Statement Name Account number and branch Address City Postal code Home telephone Business telephone address Occupation Employer Please submit by (to or in a separate Word document, a candidate statement setting forth biographical information, occupation, credit union affiliation, experience and qualifications, and how you will contribute to the advancement and governance of the credit union (maximum 250 words). The candidate statement must be written in the first person. Submissions may be edited for clarity and length. Also, please submit a recent photograph in jpeg format. If you wish to submit a hard copy photograph, please mail or deliver it to: Muriel Kennedy 3rd Floor, 184 Main Street Penticton BC V2A 8G7 Candidates photographs and statement will be communicated to eligible voting members of the credit union (as per First West Credit Union rule 5.22(a)). 2

3 Director Nomination: Valley First Region Nominations Committee First West Credit Union nd Avenue Surrey BC V3S 0R7 Dear Committee Members: In accordance with the rules of First West Credit Union and guidelines established by the board of directors, the undersigned members of First West Credit Union Valley First* Region hereby nominate the following member for election as a director at the next annual general meeting. Name of nominee Account number Branch Member since Date The nominee s acceptance and declaration, duly completed, is attached. * The Valley First region refers to that part of British Columbia that encompasses, and is conveniently served by, the branches that were, prior to the formation of the credit union, branches of Valley First Credit Union and any branches that may be designated hereafter by the directors to form part of the Valley First Region. For purposes of the 2010 nomination and election process, the First West board of directors has decided members associated with the Envision Financial Vintage Hills branch in West Kelowna will be nominated and vote as part of the Valley First region. For more information, see the A Note About Envision Financial s Vintage Hills Branch document. Nominators 1. Name 2. Name 3. Name 4. Name 5. Name * Candidates for director must be nominated either by the nominations committee or by five members of the credit union in good standing, of the age of majority and from the region for which the candidate is being nominated. No member, other than as a member of the nominations committee, may nominate more than one candidate in respect of an election of directors and all nominations must be in writing. 3

4 Applicable Rules and Regulations Governing Eligibility for Directorship All candidates seeking election should note the following excerpts from First West Credit Unions rules: 5.5 Reduction of Board Size (Envision Region) If at the time of the appointment of the nominations committee in 2011, (a) there are more than nine (9) directors that represent the Envision Region; and no director that represents the Envision Region has resigned with effect on or prior to the date of the annual general meeting in 2011, the term of each director that represents the Envision Region shall expire at the annual general meeting in 2011 and nine (9) directors will be elected in 2011 to represent the Envision Region, three (3) to hold office for terms to expire at the annual general meeting in 2014, three (3) to hold office for terms to expire at the annual general meeting in 2013, and three (3) to hold office for terms to expire at the annual general meeting in Director Eligibility - A member in good standing, other than a person disqualified by Rule 5.10, shall be eligible for election as a director Director Disqualification - No person who: (a) is a person disqualified from becoming or acting as a director pursuant to the Company Act, the Financial Institutions Act or the Credit Union Incorporation Act; (c) (d) (e) (f) is or becomes (i) a paid employee of the credit union or an affiliate of the credit union; (ii) the parent, grandparent, step-parent, child, step-child, grandchild of a paid employee of the credit union or an affiliate of the credit union; or (iii) the spouse of any such individual; was an employee of a credit union or an affiliate of a credit union during the five (5) year period prior to the date that nominations for the office of director under these Rules closed; is an employee, officer, director, agent or representative of a bank, trust company, loan company, savings and loan association, deposit-taking institution, lending institution, another credit union (other than a director of a central credit union), or an employee, officer, director, agent or representative of any other firm or business enterprise, incorporated or unincorporated, engaged in or offering financial planning or investment services, automobile or equipment leasing, insurance products or services, or a subsidiary of any of such entity, except where that person has been requested or authorized in writing by the directors to serve as a director of such entity; has not been a member in good standing of the credit union or a predecessor of the credit union for the twelve (12) consecutive months prior to the date that nominations for the office of director under these Rules closed; is not ordinarily resident, or does not have his or her ordinary place of business, in the region where his or her home branch is located, is eligible to hold office as a director and, if holding office as a director, shall vacate office forthwith Declaration of Potential Candidates- Before the name of a person is placed in nomination as a candidate for election as a director, that person shall deliver to the nominations committee a declaration, in writing, stating that the member: (a) is eligible to hold office as a director and is not disqualified under Rule 5.10; (c) (d) (e) (f) is willing to stand for election, and if elected, to serve as a director for the position to which he or she has been proposed; if elected, will observe the provisions of the Credit Union Incorporation Act, the Financial Institutions Act and the Company Act, as applicable; if elected, will comply with the directors conflict of interest guidelines and other governance policies adopted by the directors, from time to time; and will observe the Rules of the credit union and procedures relating to the election and the conduct thereof; and meets the qualifications to serve as a director for the position to which he or she has been proposed as set out in the notice issued by the nominations committee under Rule I understand the criteria as outlined above. Name Signature Date 4

5 Nominee s Acceptance and Declaration: Valley First Region Nominations Committee First West Credit Union nd Avenue Surrey BC V3S 0R7 In accordance with the rules of First West Credit Union, I hereby acknowledge and confirm that: 1. I am eligible under the rules of the credit union for election to the office of director of First West Credit Union Valley First* region. 2. I will comply with the election regulations established by the nominations committee, a copy of which I have received and reviewed. I understand that if I breach the election regulations I may be disqualified by the nominations committee, in which case I consent to my removal as a candidate. 3. If elected, I will comply with rule 5.19 of First West Credit Union, which requires the following: a. I will serve as a director for the position to which I have been proposed b. I will observe the provisions of the Credit Union Incorporation Act, the Financial Institutions Act and the Company Act, as applicable c. I will comply with the directors conflict of interest guidelines and other governance policies adopted by the directors from time to time d. I will observe the rules of the credit union and procedures relating to the election and the conduct thereof 4. I understand that, if elected in the Envision region in 2010, my term as a director may be limited to one year, and I may be required to seek election again in 2011, as per First West rule 5.5. I accept the nomination for election as a director Valley First region. Furthermore, I give my consent to First West Credit Union to use the information contained in this package to assess my candidacy as a director and as part of the nomination process. I certify that the information in my application is true and complete to the best of my knowledge. I also hereby consent to a check for records of criminal convictions to determine whether I have a conviction or outstanding charge for any relevant offences. I agree Name of candidate Signature Date Name of witness Signature Date * The Valley First region refers to that part of British Columbia that encompasses, and is conveniently served by, the branches that were, prior to the formation of the credit union, branches of Valley First Credit Union and any branches that may be designated hereafter by the directors to form part of the Valley First Region. For purposes of the 2010 nomination and election process, the First West board of directors has decided members associated with the Envision Financial Vintage Hills branch in West Kelowna will be nominated and vote as part of the Valley First region. For more information, see the A Note About Envision Financial s Vintage Hills Branch document. 5

6 Election Campaign Regulations These Regulations, issued by the Board of Directors of First West Credit Union (the Credit Union ), set forth the method and manner in which candidates choosing to campaign for election as a Credit Union Director (the Election ) must campaign and require other persons campaigning on their behalf to campaign. 1. Purpose: These Regulations have been created and issued pursuant to the Credit Union Rules (the Rules )(Rule 5.32) as approved by the Credit Union Members (the Members ). The Board of Directors has developed these regulations to provide clarification of the permitted method and manner of campaigning and to promote fairness and equality among the candidates and their campaigns, for the benefit of all Members. 2. The Rules: In addition to complying with these Regulations, candidates must comply with all applicable Rules, including Rule 5 (Directors and Management). 3. Definitions: Unless otherwise indicated in these Regulations, all capitalized terms have the same meaning as provided in the Rules. 4. Candidate Statements: Except for personal mail (defined in section 5 below), the only communication that may be used by or on behalf of candidates in connection with the Election is a candidate statement (the Candidate Statement ), approved and distributed by the Credit Union as follows: (a) (c) (d) Submission: Each candidate may submit and forward to the Nominations Committee a proposed Candidate Statement. Content: The Candidate Statement shall include the candidate s biographical information, occupation, experience and qualifications as they relate to the Candidate Description published by the Credit Union, and any other information the potential candidate considers appropriate. The Candidate Statement must be written in the first person and accompanied by a photograph of the candidate. The Candidate Statement must not exceed 250 words in length. Review and Acceptance: The Nominations Committee, appointed by the Board of Directors, will review each Candidate Statement and determine in its discretion whether the Candidate Statement is acceptable. The Nominations Committee may reject a Candidate Statement if the Nominations Committee in its discretion considers the Candidate Statement to be inappropriate or offensive (including lacking in good taste, defamatory or injurious to the reputation of the Credit Union), contains inaccurate information or otherwise fails to comply with the Rules or these Regulations. The Nominations Committee may in its discretion require candidates to revise and resubmit Candidate Statements for further review and acceptance. Distribution: Candidate Statements accepted by the Nominations Committee will be included in the Notice of Annual General Meeting prepared and distributed by the Credit Union to Members and posted to the Credit Union s website. The Nominations Committee may also permit spoken, videotaped versions of Candidate Statements to be posted to the Credit Union s website and displayed during the Annual General Meeting.Except for the methods of distribution noted in this section (or distribution by personal mail in accordance with section 5), candidates may not directly or indirectly distribute Candidate Statements to members of the Credit Union or any other person. 5. Other Communications: Except for the distribution of a Candidate Statement by the Credit Union in accordance with section 4, candidates may campaign in the Election only by speaking directly with individual Members in person or by telephone or by personal mail sent directly by the candidate to individual Members. For the purposes of these Regulations, personal mail means a letter or other written statement delivered by postal mail, electronic mail or facsimile transmission that is sent by a candidate to a Member with whom the candidate has a direct, personal relationship. For greater certainty, personal mail does not include mail sent using bulk mailing or facsimile lists or other lists of Members or their contact information obtained from or created by any person other than the candidate. Please note that governing legislation prohibits distribution of membership lists to any person. 6

7 Election Campaign Regulations 6. No Media Interviews or Advertising: Candidates must not solicit or participate in interviews with the media in connection with the Election or place any advertisements or other statements regarding their candidacy in the Election in any newspaper, website, or other publication or media, or permit anyone to do so on the candidate s behalf. 7. Assistance of Others: Candidates may permit members of their immediate family or other individuals authorized by the candidates, to solicit the votes of Members in person or by telephone as provided in these Regulations. Candidates must not, however, seek, accept or allow the assistance of any employee, director or officer of the credit union or any subsidiary thereof, the returning officer or any person employed by the returning officer, in connection with the Election. 8. Credit Union Premises: Candidates must not campaign or solicit votes on the premises of any branch, office, or other premises including ABM vestibules of the Credit Union or any subsidiary, or permit anyone to do so on the candidate s behalf. Candidates must not interfere with any person entering or leaving any branch, office, or other premises of the Credit Union, or permit anyone to do so on the candidate s behalf. Candidates may only attend at a branch, office or other premises of the Credit Union or any subsidiary thereof for the purpose of conducting personal business or business of the Credit Union. 10. Regional Voting: Candidates may only campaign in the region for which they have been nominated to serve. 11. Non-interference: Candidates must not directly or indirectly interfere with the Election process (Rule 5.33). 12. No References: Except as permitted by sections 4 and 5, candidates must not make any written reference to their candidacy in the Election for any purpose whatsoever, including without limitation as a credential for the purpose of obtaining membership or employment. 13. Cease and Desist Order: The Nominations Committee may issue a cease and desist order to any candidate it feels is campaigning or permitting others to campaign on the candidate s behalf in contravention of these regulations or otherwise in any manner detrimental to the election process and the candidate shall forthwith cease such activity. 14. Disqualification for Noncompliance: Any candidate who campaigns or permits any person to campaign on the candidate s behalf by any method or in any manner which in the opinion of the Nominations Committee is contrary to the Rules or these Regulations may be disqualified as a candidate. 15. Candidate Forums: Candidate forum(s) may be held at the discretion of the Nominations Committee. All candidates are expected to attend candidate forums. 16. Further Information: Candidates having questions regarding the Rules or these Regulations should direct their inquiries to the Chair of the Nominations Committee. I hereby confirm that I have read, understood and agree to comply with these Campaign Regulations. Candidate Name Candidate Signature Date 7