1. The Pagan Assembly of Nova Scotia (PANS) is an official structure for a Neo-Pagan organization based on the beliefs and practices of Neo-Paganism, adapted to the needs and sensibilities of modern people. PANS is a non-profit religious, scientific, educational, and artistic organization formed to practice the full spectrum of legal activities practised by any religious organization.
2. PANS defines Neo-Paganism as an inclusive and diverse path oriented toward science, holism, and ecological stewardship principles. PANS is dedicated to preserving Mother Earth, achieving human potential, reliving ancient relationships with Deity in a modern context, and creating a world of peace, love, freedom, health, and prosperity.
3. PANS advocates and practices spirituality, sciences, arts, and disciplines, both mainstream and alternative, within a non-dogmatic, pluralistic context to effect change in ourselves, each other, and the world around us.
4. One of the primary goals of PANS is to provide a full spectrum of spiritual, educational and religious practices to the public. Therefore, PANS supports and assists in coordinating spiritual events according to members’ schedules to provide religious ceremonies as needed within any community, such as marriages, blessings, hospital respite care, and funeral rites. These events shall be open and inclusive to the best of their ability and presented in an ethical, honest and respectful manner.
5. In keeping with our reverence for and worship of Mother Earth, PANS practices ecological and environmental research, education, and activism as an integral part of our faith.

Article 1: Purpose

1. The purpose of these bylaws is to provide a clear and comprehensive framework for the governance, management, and operational procedures of PANS, ensuring transparency, accountability, and alignment with its mission to serve the community by enabling the practice and promotion of inclusive spirituality, holistic sciences, and ecological stewardship. These bylaws aim to guide the Executive team, Officers, and all members in their respective roles and responsibilities, fostering effective decision-making and fulfilling the PANS ideals and principles outlined in the preamble, in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. All future amendments shall be similarly intended.

Article 2: Offices

1. The principal office of PANS shall be located in the City of Halifax, in the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada, with a fixed address to be the current Chairperson of PANS.

Article 3: Governing Documents

1. PANS’ Constitution is the supreme governing document.
2. These bylaws must support the mission and goals of the Constitution.
3. Duly recognized subgroups shall establish their governing documents and policies within the guidelines established by PANS. Subgroups must operate by the bylaws and any other policy documents established by PANS. In a contradiction between a subgroup policy and a PANS-established policy, the PANS-established policy takes precedence, as outlined above.
4. In the event of policy conflicts not resolved by the above guidelines, the Executive team will make the final determination of PANS policy.

Article 4: Calendar

1. As referenced in these bylaws, the spiritual care and ceremonial calendar will be established according to the needs and requests of the individual groups and/or individuals that make up PANS membership.
2. Organizational Calendar
- 1. Ceremonial Calendar
- 2. Spiritual Care Calendar
- 3. Financial Calendar
3. For fiscal reporting and budgeting purposes, PANS’ financial year will begin on the first day of January and end on the thirty-first day of December in each year. Changes to this financial schedule will require the approval of three-quarters of all Directors.

Article 5: Governance Structure

1. Executive: The Executive team consists of the Chairperson, the Vice Chairperson, the Administrator, and the Treasurer. The Executive team is responsible for overseeing and managing various aspects critical to PANS operations and mission fulfillment, including:
- 1. Ensure financial sustainability and compliance with financial regulations.
- 2. Manage financial resources, including fundraising, grants, and donations.
- 3. Managing day-to-day operations and administrative functions.
- 4. Work closely with the board of directors and other officers to provide updates, recommendations, and support for board activities.
- 5. Ensure programs meet quality standards and are delivered effectively.
- 6. Act as spokespersons for the organization and represent it to stakeholders, donors, and the public.
- 7. Identify and mitigate risks related to operations, finance, and programs.
- 8. Ensure compliance with legal, ethical, and regulatory requirements.
2. Officers: All Officers listed in this Article form the Board of Directors of PANS. All requirements that follow shall be considered guidelines, not strict requirements.
- 1. The Chairperson is responsible for overseeing the overall governance, strategic direction, and operations of PANS. By fostering strong leadership, promoting accountability, and maintaining effective relationships with stakeholders, the chairperson helps ensure PANS successfully fulfills its mission and serves its community. The term of the Chairperson will be three (3) years (see Article 11).
- 2. The Vice Chairperson: shall be prepared to assume the duties of the Chairperson when necessary (see Article 11). The term of the Vice-Chairperson will be three (3) years.
- 3. The Treasurer: shall be responsible for overseeing PANS’ finances, shall be a signatory on PANS accounts, and shall approve in advance expenditures in any form, in conjunction with the vote of PANS’ Chairperson and other Directors. The Treasurer shall ensure that financial records are updated regularly, review and reconcile them, propose budgets, and provide regular financial reports to PANS. PANS shall appoint the Treasurer. The term of Treasurer will be three (3) years.
- 4. The Administrator: shall keep a record of all votes and minutes of the proceedings of all meetings of PANS and voting members; shall give notice as required in these bylaws of all meetings; shall send proxy statements as requested and email ballots to all voting members as described in these bylaws; shall organize all incoming correspondence for the reply; and may perform all those other duties that a corporate Secretary would otherwise perform. Candidates for the office of Administrator must take minutes, have word-processing skills, know all essential information regarding PANS’ history, policies, etc., and have access to a computer and email to perform their duties. The term of the Secretary shall be three (3) years.
- 5. The Fundraising Coordinator
- 6. The Land Committee Representative
- 7. Member at Large
3. Committees: Are responsible for distributing workload, leveraging expertise from board members and volunteers, and ensuring thorough oversight and management of key PANS’ functions. PANS’ Committees play a vital role in fostering collaboration, decision-making, and effectively achieving PANS’ mission and strategic objectives. PANS’ executive team and officers will support the creation of standing committees when the membership identifies a need and the necessary resources are available.
- 1. Current active committees with PANS’ support are the Land Committee (see Article 12), the spiritual care committee known as Circle of Spiritual Care and Sacred Support, Avalon East Pagan Gathering Organizing Committee, Maiden Mother Crone Festival Organizing Committee, and Fundraising Committee.
- 2. Every standing committee shall be headed by a Director, usually an officer with related duties.
- 3. The Directors may, at their discretion, create other committees, both standing and ad hoc.
4. Members: Consist of all individuals accepted as members by the Officers of PANS.
- 1. To become a member of PANS, children under 18 must have the written permission of a parent or guardian, signed in the presence of an executive team member. Voting members may institute membership categories, and shall define their characteristics as needed at designated times, such as bylaw amendment meetings
5. Elder Council: consists of honourably discharged members of the Executive who wish to act as advisors, when needed, for the serving Executive and Board of Directors.
- 1. The position of Elder has an unlimited tenure.
- 2. Members of the Elder Council have the right to attend all Board of Directors meetings

Article 6: Membership Rights and Responsibilities

1. PANS is ultimately accountable to its members.
2. Every member is entitled to attend any members’ meeting, including the Annual General Meeting (see Article 8) and Special Meetings & Referenda (see Article 9)
3. There shall be two categories of membership
- 1. Active: an Active Membership is open to persons dwelling in the province of Nova Scotia who are sincerely invested in PANS’ mission, values and covenant. Active members are voting members.
- 2. Affiliated Membership is open to persons dwelling outside of the province of Nova Scotia who are sincerely invested in PANS’ mission, values and covenant.
4. Application for membership: Application for Active and Affiliated Membership shall be forwarded to the Secretary or any other member of the Executive. Each application must be made in the prescribed form as found on the website.
5. Resignation of membership: Any member may resign from PANS by giving written notice to the Secretary, who shall table such letter at the next meeting of the Executive.

Article 7: Voting

1. Voting Members (Active Members)
- 1. Members shall each have one vote upon joining PANS.
- 2. Members may only vote if they are 18 years of age or older.
- 3. Members shall gain an additional vote for each full, continuous year of membership in which they are 18 years of age or older.
- 4. Members must maintain continuous membership to retain additional votes.
- 5. Members shall each have a maximum of ten votes.
2. Quorum
- 1. Except as noted elsewhere in these Bylaws, a quorum shall be 25 percent of the total available votes.
3. Applicability
- 1. All references to voting in these Bylaws shall assume this voting method unless otherwise noted.
- 2. Local congregations may determine their own voting methods.
- 3. Subgroups may determine their own voting methods as noted elsewhere in these Bylaws.

Article 8: The Annual General Meeting (AGM)

1. The PANS Executive Council will determine the time and location of the Annual General Meeting of PANS’ voting members four months before the close of the fiscal year.
2. Elections for all Officer-ships open shall be held as described elsewhere in these bylaws.

Article 9: Special Meetings & Referenda

1. A special meeting or referendum may be called at the request of the majority of PANS’ active members or by a petition representing one-third of the membership. Such a special meeting shall be held 60 to 90 days after the Board meeting at which such request or petition is received, at a location to be selected by PANS. Notice of such a special meeting, stating its purpose, shall be emailed to the voting members.
2. PANS may decide to hold a referendum through email or electronic medium anytime. Should the topics under consideration lend themselves to such treatment, a referendum may be held instead of a special meeting. The referendum ballot shall be electronically distributed and include brief arguments presenting all sides. Thirty days after distribution, voting shall close

Article 10: Elections of Officers and Directors

1. Each year, elections shall be held for all open Board of Directors positions (see Article 5: Governance Structure).
2. Any Member may nominate candidates for open Director positions except for those positions with a specific nomination process defined elsewhere in these bylaws.
3. Any Active Member of PANS may run for election as an Officer or be selected as a Director as defined elsewhere in these bylaws. Each member may be elected for at most one Director position in each election. Any director whose current term extends past the date of the next annual election may only run for any other directorship in that election if they have resigned from their current elected position before the call for nominations, effective after the election. All candidates must have passed their 18th birthdays, have access to email and fulfill the requirements for office listed elsewhere in these bylaws.
4. The election timeline will follow: The Call for Nominations shall be emailed to the membership and posted through PANS electronic forums on or about September 1. Nominations may be sent to the PANS office by postal or electronic mail. All nominations must be received by October 31. The status of nominations will be periodically posted to the membership through PANS electronic forums. Biographical statements will be due to the PANS office by October 1. The Executive will verify the candidates’ membership status. Ballots, biographical statements and proxy statements will be mailed to the membership on or about November 7. Ballots are due at the PANS office one month before the Annual Meeting and no later than December 31. Persons elected to PANS offices shall take office after the Annual General Meeting.
5. Votes cast for a given Office shall be sufficient to elect an Officer.
6. All Directors, whether elected or selected, shall exercise equal powers and responsibilities, save as otherwise noted in these bylaws
7. Any Executive member of PANS may be removed for nonfeasance or malfeasance of office by a three-quarters vote of the Directors (not counting the subject of such action). All such removals may be made with written notice by email to the subject’s last known address, giving 30 days to respond. Failure to respond constitutes acceptance of the removal. In an emergency, the PANS’ Executive may suspend an Officer, subject to the approval of the PANS’ membership, at the next meeting. An elected PANS Chairperson may still be retained but may be recalled by the Executive, as detailed elsewhere in these bylaws.
8. In the case of the death, removal, expulsion, resignation, or permanent incapacitation of any Officer for which replacement procedures are not explicitly ascribed elsewhere in these bylaws, the remaining Directors may elect a qualified voting member to fill the vacated position until the next regular election.
9. All Officers elected or selected at the annual meeting, including an elected PANS’ Chairperson, shall take office on the day after the election results are announced.

Article 11: Chairperson

1. PANS’ Chairperson shall preside at all meetings of PANS and voting members; shall be a member, whether participating actively or not, of all committees organized by PANS; shall have standard executive control over the affairs of PANS; may perform all those other duties that a corporate President would otherwise perform; and shall be responsible for articulating the spiritual vision of PANS. They shall not be considered to be impeccable nor infallible on any topic.
2. Upon the recall, death, retirement, or permanent incapacitation of an elected PANS’ Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson (if existing) shall become the Acting PANS’ Chairperson and shall exercise all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of an elected PANS’ Chairperson until the day after the announcement of the election results at the next AGM.
3. At the AGM, a new PANS’ Chairperson shall be elected by a two-thirds majority of the available votes held by those members participating, with no quorum required. Should no single candidate win a two-thirds majority, the candidate with the lowest total shall be disqualified, and this process shall continue until only one candidate remains or a candidate has won two-thirds of the votes.
4. Any of the following shall be eligible to be a candidate for the office of PANS Chairperson:
- 1. The Acting PANS’ Chairperson;
- 2. A majority vote of PANS chooses one person, and
- 3. Any person or persons presenting a nomination petition to PANS signed by at least twenty-five percent of voting members of PANS may be a candidate. Thus, there may be 1 to 3 possible candidates. All candidates for the office of PANS’ Chairperson must be individual voting members of PANS in good standing, have access to email, and publicly announce their willingness to assume the responsibilities of the office.
5. The first PANS’ Chairperson elected in this manner shall take office on the day following that annual meeting and shall exercise all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of the Chairperson until the end of the pre-existing term. At that time, an election for the position shall be held.
6. The standard term of office for all elected PANS chairpersons is three (3) years.
7. An elected PANS’ Chairperson may be recalled by a three-quarters vote of all voting members of PANS at a special meeting or referendum called for that purpose.
8. An elected PANS’ Chairperson who relinquishes their duties to PANS’ Vice-Chairperson (if existing) for more than seven months in his or her term shall be deemed to have offered to retire from their role.
9. The PANS’ Chairperson shall be a signatory on all PANS accounts. All cheques or financial instruments shall require the signature of both the PANS’ Chairperson and the Treasurer.

Article 12: The Land Committee

1. Function: The Land Committee is a group of PANS members who have agreed to donate funds to purchase land for PANS’ use. The funds shall only be used to pay the mortgage on the land or other fees associated with land acquisition and development.
- 1. The function of the Land Committee is to advise the PANS’ Board of Directors, via the Land Committee chair, on matters concerning land use, development, rental, purchase, and sale.
- 2. The Land Committee may, at the PANS’ Board of Directors’ discretion, be dissolved once the mortgage is paid off by a simple majority of voting members at an AGM or if the Land Committee drops to three members or less.
2. Land Committee Contributions
- 1. PANS shall grant each Land Committee member one vote per year in return for a one-time donation to the Land Acquisition Fund on July 1st. Voting will be a weighted ballot for all decisions.
- 2. The minimum annual donation amount was initially set at $300, but may change if the Land Committee recommends it to a simple majority at an AGM.
- 3. The annual donation is due July 1st of each year until it is decided by the Land Committee that it is no longer required.
- 4. Each additional yearly donation will provide Land Committee Members with an extra vote in a weighted vote fashion. This will not negate the original vote purchased by donation.
3. Land Committee Constitution:
- 1. The Land Committee shall be limited to a maximum of sixty (60) members, but that number may be changed by a simple majority at an AGM.
- 2. The chair of the Land Committee, who must be a donor to the Land Acquisition Fund, shall be elected by the active members of the Land Committee.
4. Land Committee Membership:
- 1. A Land Committee voting member may remain on the committee until they relinquish their vote or until death.
- 2. A member’s seat on the committee and vote shall not be sold or bequeathed but may be purchased for one dollar ($1) by PANS, at which point the member ceases to be active on the Land Committee. Note that this relinquishment does not affect the person’s membership in PANS, only on the Land Committee.
- 3. PANS’ Board of Directors may, at its sole discretion, reopen membership on the Land Committee to new members should the need arise for additional funds or members.
- 4. Each individual vote of each Land Committee member, no matter when they joined the committee, shall be the same.
- 5. Proxy votes are always permitted and shall be held by the chair or vice-chair.

Article 13: Suspension, Expulsion and Resignation of Members

1. PANS may, by a two-thirds vote of the PANS’ board members, initiate an investigation into any member’s conduct, including Clergy (See Article 14), after either that member has confessed to or been found guilty of committing indictable offences as defined by civil or criminal law or having been presented with documented evidence of disruptive or abusive conduct which works directly against the aims, activities or welfare of PANS or its members. The member will immediately receive written notice by email to their last known address, informing them of the investigation, the accusations, the accusers, and any evidence related to the investigation. The member will be given 30 days to respond in their defence. After considering the member’s response, if any, PANS’ directorship may, by a two-thirds vote, suspend or expel the member.
2. “Disruptive or abusive conduct” does not include the temperate expression of disagreements, such as public or private written or verbal criticism of PANS or its Chairperson; vigorous debate over matters of scholarship, art, spirituality, or politics; the circulation of petitions to PANS; the organizing of other members into voting blocks, – disrespectful behaviour or disregard for PANS’ goals and values outlined in these bylaws.
3. Disruptive or abusive conduct includes spreading slander or libel against PANS or its Chairperson, Executive, or Board of Directors; bigoted communication or behaviour as described elsewhere in these bylaws; or active efforts to persuade members to quit or to dissuade non-members from joining.
4. Members may resign from membership at any time for personal reasons and will be eligible to rejoin PANS at a later date.
5. Suspended, expelled or resigned members may not hold office or act in any way as representatives of PANS.
6. Members who have been suspended or expelled may, at the discretion of the Executive, be banned permanently or temporarily from attending PANS’ activities, including public worship. Such bans shall be published immediately in PANS’ publications. They may be published elsewhere in the case of severe crimes.

Article 14: Provisions for Ordination and Dismissal of Clergy.

1. Ordination
- 1. As PANS represents several spiritual paths, provision for Ordination will be kept with the practices currently held by each path defined in the organization. Should an organization/solitary have no prescribed method of ordination, PANS shall make every effort to ensure persons have sufficient training and credibility within their organization or meet the training requirements as set by PANS as deemed to encompass the ethics and values of this organization and to ensure the safety to those they potentially serve, and act in a manner to be of credit to the organization.
2. Dismissal
- 1. As PANS represents several spiritual paths, provision for the Dismissal of Clergy will be in keeping with the practices currently held by each path defined in the organization and the rules of conduct mentioned in these bylaws. Article 13: Suspension, Expulsion and Resignation of Members also applies to the dismissal of Clergy.
- 2. Should the governing body of the spiritual path that the Clergy member represents, on its authority, choose to remove its support of a Clergy member, PANS will follow this decision and remove their clergy standing within this organization.

Article 15: Discrimination

1. Membership in PANS and attendance at public or semi-public PANS’ activities shall not be denied to anyone based on race, ancestry, colour, disability (except as mentioned elsewhere in this article), age, gender, or sexual orientation. Still, they may be denied to individuals practising creeds inimical to paganism.
2. Proven communication or behaviour in a virulently racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, or otherwise bigoted manner shall be grounds for expulsion from PANS, as described in Article 13.
3. All organizers of PANS activities shall make strenuous efforts to facilitate the participation of differently-abled individuals. Nonetheless, all aspirants to any given position must be able to meet all the relevant qualifications previously determined for said position.

Article 16: Open Financial Records

1. All members of PANS are entitled to see the accounting records.
2. The Treasurer shall make quarterly financial reports to PANS, accounting for all income and expenses. They shall make these reports available to local PANS members in a similar manner.
3. The treasurer shall complete an annual audit in an audit meeting with the Chairperson and at least one other Director. This annual audit shall be completed in time to be made available to the voting membership along with the AGM documents.

Article 17: Amendment and Replacement of Bylaws

1. Amendments to these bylaws may be made by a two-thirds vote of the entire voting membership at any annual or special meeting or referendum, as described elsewhere in these bylaws, or by a two-thirds vote of the Directors at any regular or special meeting.

Article 18: Non-Profit Nature of PANS

1. No part of the net earnings of PANS shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributed to its members, directors, executive, or other private persons except to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes outlined in the Preamble and Article 1 of these bylaws.
2. No substantial part of the activities of PANS shall be the carrying on of propaganda, and PANS shall not participate in or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.
3. Notwithstanding any other provisions of the Articles of Incorporation or these bylaws, PANS shall not, except to an insubstantial degree, engage in any activities or exercise any powers that are not in furtherance of the purposes of PANS.
4. Upon the dissolution of PANS, the executive shall dispose of all the remaining assets in a manner agreed upon by the majority of the Executive team after paying or making provision for the payment of all the liabilities of PANS.

Pagan Assembly of Nova Scotia

By-Laws

Preamble

Article 1: Purpose

Article 2: Offices

Article 3: Governing Documents

Article 4: Calendar

Article 5: Governance Structure

Article 6: Membership Rights and Responsibilities

Article 7: Voting

Article 8: The Annual General Meeting (AGM)

Article 9: Special Meetings & Referenda

Article 10: Elections of Officers and Directors

Article 11: Chairperson

Article 12: The Land Committee

Article 13: Suspension, Expulsion and Resignation of Members

Article 14: Provisions for Ordination and Dismissal of Clergy.

Article 15: Discrimination

Article 16: Open Financial Records

Article 17: Amendment and Replacement of Bylaws

Article 18: Non-Profit Nature of PANS