General Regulations

4. Active member

Any healthcare professional in Quebec (Medical Technologist or Nurse), whether or not they hold a permanent position, who works full-time or part-time in the role and responsabilities of a Transfusion Safety Officer in a health institution. The active member must :

• Accept to work voluntarily toward the goals of the Association.
• Agree to bring and provide their skills and knowledge.
• Be a good standing member (annual contribution paid).
• Satisfy any other condition that may be decreed by the Board of Directors, by regulation.

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5. Annual fee

• The annual contribution is the main funding source of the Association.
• If the amount of the contribution is modified by the members of the Board of Directors, the members will be notified when invited to the annual general meeting. Contribution is made in one single payment no later than the spring’s annual general assembly. A renewal notice will be attached to the annual general meeting announcement.
• Payment must be made by either check in the name of Association professionnelle des chargés de sécurité transfusionnelle du Québec, by cash, or bank transfer to the person holding the position of treasurer. An official receipt will be issued annually by the Association. Any new member joining from May 1st will have to pay the membersip fee according to the number of months remaining.
• Members in good standing have the right to demand the respect of the rules, as well as to claim all the benefits and services offered.
• In the event of an absence of more than one month due to a long-term leave (ex-cluding vacation), retirement, resignation, a change of position, or the end of a temporary replacement assignment, members may, during the fiscal year in which the absence ends, request a prorated refund of their membership dues based on the number of months remaining in the fiscal year. A refund for any other type of absence exceeding one month is at the discretion of the Board of Directors.

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6. Suspension or expulsion

• The Board of Directors may suspend or expel any member who fails to pay his annual membership dues, violates the rules or has a conduct contrary to the purposes of the Association.
• Before proceeding with the suspension or expulsion of a member, the Board of directors shall give the applicant the opportunity to be heard and advise him of when his case will be considered.

7. Assemblies

• The Board of Directors shall designate the time and place of the regular provincial assembly and the annual general meeting to be held in a virtual or in-person manner. The board of directors present shall direct meetings and determine the time allocated to each agenda item. Only members in good standing may attend the Transfusion Safety Officers assembly.
• If necessary, an extraordinary assembly may be called by the Board of Directors, who will be choosing the time, day and place. However, 10 active members can request the Board of Directors to call an extraordinary meeting. They need to justify their request. The secretary is then required to convene an assembly at the time, day and place agreed upon by the groupe of 10 members. They must allow a 10 days notice to the Board of Directors for this meeting. The Board of Directors will proceed by motion while the group of 10 members (or more) must produce a written request, signed by all 10 members (or more). The meeting notice must state the goal(s) of that assembly.

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8. Agenda

The agenda must be limited to the subjects mentioned in the notice of meeting. Any topic added at the beginning of the meeting will be voted on by the members of the assembly. The agenda of any annual general meeting shall contain at least the following items:

• Aproval of reports and minutes of the previous assembly.
• Approval of financial reports.
• Approval of the regulations (new and amended) adopted by the administrators since the last annual general assembly.
• Election or re-election of the Board of Directors members.

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9. Quorum

Quorum during assemblies is established at 50% plus one of active members in good standing.

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10. Vote

• At a meeting of members, active members present have one vote each. Proxy voting is prohibited. In the event of a tie, the president has a casting vote.
• Voting is made by show of hands, unless 3 present members request for a secret ballot.
• When the president of the meeting declares that a resolution has been adopted unanimously by a specified majority or rejected, and an entry to this effect is made in the minutes of the meeting, this is sufficient evidence of the adoption or rejection of that resolution without the need to establish the number or proportion of votes cast.
• In the event of vote by secret ballot, the president of the assembly must appoint 2 members among the active members present to distribute and collect the ballots, compile the result of the vote and finally communicate it to the president.
• Unless otherwise provided in the by-laws or in the present regulations, every proposition submitted to the assembly of members will be adopted by a majority of the votes cast (50% plus one active member).

11. Number of administrators

The Board of Directors has five members elected by the assembly members and confirmed at the Association’s annual general assembly.

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12. Eligibility

Every active member can be elected as part of the Board of Directors.

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13. Term of office

• The term of office of the members of the Board of Directors is two years. However, even after two years, they remain in office until they are replaced or officially re-elected. If an election occurs during the term of office, those previously elected remin in office until the end of their term of the vacant position.
• In the interests of continuity and to maintain a balance between the possible addition of new persons to the Board of Directors, the electoral process is carried out as follows :
  • Odd-numbered years, election of 2 directors
  • Even years, election of 3 directors.

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14. Election

• Every year, at the annual general assembly of members or at an extraordinary assembly, members of the Board of Directors are elected.
• The application of an active member for a position on the Board of Directors must have be proposed by an active member and seconded by another active member. An active member may offer himself if his candidacy is subsequently supported by two other members.
• If a vacancy occurs during a mandate, the other members of the Board of Directors may choose another administrator among the active members in good standing of the Association to fill this vacancy for the remainder of the term or until the next election.

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15. Nomination

At the meeting following its election, after the annual general meeting, the new council meets to elect the president, vice president, secretary, director and treasurer. If more than one administrator apply for the position of president, vice-president, secretary, director or treasurer, a simple secret vote shall be made. The elected President will inform the members of the Association of the appointments to the Board and their respective positions within 10 days.

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16. Administrator duties

The administrators are elected to administer all the affairs of the Association :

• They perform all acts necessary to achieve the goals and achievements pursued by the Association in accordance with its by-laws and regulations;
• They adopt new regulations or change them, if needed;
• They adopt the resolutions that are necessary to achieve the different goals of the Association;
• The also manage and take decisions regarding purchases, expenses, fees to be reimbursed to members appointed by the Association or members of the Board of Directors, contracts as well as obligations undertaken by the Association;
• They determine the member’s admission conditions;
• They ensure that the regulations are applied and the resolutions carried out;
• They produce the annual report of the Association and present it to the members’ assembly.

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17. Meeting of the Board of Directors

• The Board of Directors must hold every meeting necessary to ensure the smooth running of the Association.
• The president, in consultation with the other members of the Board, sets the dates for meetings and the secretary convenes. If all the members of the Board are present, they may, if they agree,declare that there is an official meeting and notice of such a meeting is not necessary..
• If the president neglects that duty, the majority of the members of the Board may, through a written request to the secretary, order a meeting of the Board of Directors and set the date, time and place as well as establishing the agenda.

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18. Agenda

The agenda must to be limited to the subjects mentioned in the meeting’s notice. Every subject added at the beginning of the meeting will be submitted to a vote among all members of the Board of Directors.

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19. Quorum

There is a quorum if more than half of the members are present including at least the presence of either the president or the vice-president.

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20. Vacancy

There is a vacancy on the Board of Directors following:

• The death or illness of one of its members.
• The written resignation of one of its member.
• The expulsion of a Board member.
• Three unjustified absences.

In the event of a vacancy, the  administrators may exercise the functions of the vacant position as long as there is quorum.

21. President

The President of the Association chairs all meetings of the Board of Directors and Members’ Assemblies, and is a member of all study committees and services of the Association. He or she shall perform all the functions assigned to them by the Board of Directors. He or she signs, usually with the designated member of the Board of Directors, documents binding on the Association. They also deals with public relations. In the event of a prolonged absence of the president or Vice-president, the other members of the AC shall determine among themselves who will become the co-signatory at an extraordinary meeting of the AC until the usual co-signatory returns.

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22. Vice-president

The vice-president executes and assists the president in all the functions assigned by the Board of Directors. He or she will replace the president during his (or her) absence he or she then exercises all of the president’s prerogatives.

If applicable, the vice-president signs the Association’s contracts and commitment documents with the president. In case of prolonged absence of the president or the vice-president, members of the Board of Directors will decide between themselves who will be in charge of the signatures.

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23. Secretary

The secretary writes all minutes of member’s assembly and meetings of the Board of Directors. He, or she, is in control of the archives, minutes and the register of members and administrators. The secretary also drafts the required reports and all correspondence on behalf of the Association. Finally, the secretary fulfills all the other functions assigned by the Association’s regulations or the Board of Directors. He, or she, is also in charge of producing the annual report of the Association’s activities in collaboration with other administrators.

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24. Treasurer

The treasurer sees to the financial administration of the Association. He, or she, signs the checks and makes the required accounts payable payments on behalf of the Association. The treasurer takes care of collecting the annual membership fee payment. He, or she, makes all deposits on behalf of the Association and signs the financial statements. Finally, the treasurer performs all other functions assigned to him (or her) by the regulations or by the Board of Directors.

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25. Director

The director participates and ensures the smooth running of the Board of Directors. He, or she, ensures the proper execution of the decisions made by the Board of Directors. He or she performs all functions assigned to them by the Board of Directors. He, or she, has the right to review and make recommendations on any committee or services of the Association. Reports any anomalies to the annual general meeting of members.

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26. Compensation

Administrators are not paid for their services. However, if accommodation and transportation costs are incurred during activities in the course of their duties, they will be reimbursed according to departmental policies.

The Association can receive amounts of money from other companies without any obligation to promote the sale of a product or amounts from non-profit groups or organizations. Any amount coming outside of the annual membership fee will be subject to approval by the Board of Directors. For any income other than the annual membership fee, the Association will deduct 5% of any amount received less than $ 1,000 and 10% of any amount received equal orgreater than $ 1,000. These amounts will be incorporated into the Association’s operating budget.

27. Financial affairs

The Board of Directors of the Association determines the financial institution of the Association.

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28. Financial exercise

• The financial year of the Association begins on April 1st of each year and ends on March 31st of the following year.
• The Association’s financial statement will be updated as soon as possible after the end of the fiscal year. The financial statement can be consulted by any member in good standing who makes a written request to the treasurer.
• The financial statements of the Association are audited yearly by a member appointed for this purpose at the Association’s annual general meeting.

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29. Amendments to finance regulations

• The Board of Directors can revoke or modify any disposition of the current regulations.
  • Any revocation or amendment will take effect until the next annual general meeting of members, unless approved by an extraordinary assembly of members.
  • If a revocation or amendment is not approved by a majority vote at this annual general meeting, it will cease to be in force on that very day.
• The Board of Directors may, when it deems it appropriate, by resolution make loans  from the credit of the Association. The resolution will be submitted for approval by members at the next annual general meeting.
• At meetings, the Association will be responsible for lunch and coffee breaks expenses. Each member will be responsible for dinner. The Association shall issue a receipt per member in accordance with the MSSS framework and guidelines.

Logo’s description

The APCSTQ logo represents the transfusion of blood from one person to another. The transfusion is symbolized by one of the figures being filled with red which represents blood, through a heart-shaped tube. It reflects one of the fundamental priorities of Transfusion Safety Officers: ensuring that transfusion safety remains at the heart of everything we do. Furthermore, the two figures are simplified as much as possible not to weigh down the logo with unnecessary details. The chain at the base of the logo represents the transfusion chain, of which the APCSTQ is an essential link.

The Association’s abbreviated name, APCSTQ, appears beneath the figures. A drop of blood represents the essence of transfusion safety and provides a visual connection between the Association and the figures above.

Together, these elements reflect the Association’s commitment to maintaining the safety and integrity of the transfusion process from donor to recipient.