VMSC Policies

VMSC Policies - May 7, 2024

This document is to be used in conjunction with the most current VMSC Bylaws and Constitution. All VMSC policies have been developed with consideration of the current Swim Canada, Swim BC and MSABC policies and may defer to those as our governing bodies.

Mission Statement

To provide members of all abilities an opportunity to swim for fitness, recreation, and competition in a safe, supportive, and social environment that includes structured, professional, and attentive coaching.

Board Roles
Review document VMSC Board Role Descriptions: May 4, 2024

Privacy

  1. VMSC is committed to maintaining the privacy of each individual member’s private and personal information while providing service that involves the collection, use, and disclosure of some personal information for registration and insurance purposes.
  2. VMSC will inform members of why and how we collect, use, and disclose their personal information, and will obtain their consent where required.
  3. Member’s private information will not be available publicly or for viewing by other members of the club with the exception of relevant board directors strictly for club operations such as registration.
  4. Personal information or photos of individuals will not be available on the public-facing club website unless consent is given from those members or coaches.
  5. Relevant medical conditions will be shared with the coaches at the start of the season.

Expenses

  1. Board members and coaches will be reimbursed for costs incurred that fall within the annual budget.
  2. Unplanned expenses that arise in a given year may be covered with board approval on a case by case basis.
  3. Receipts are required for reimbursement.

Inclusion

  1. VMSC follows the inclusion policies of Swimming Canada with the exception for masters swimmers being required to be 18 years or older. Members of VMSC also must be able to abide by the VMSC Code of Conduct.
  2. VMSC follows the MSABC Gender Policy

Hardship

VMSC does not offer reduced or waived fees as an option for membership within the club for financial hardship cases. However, the board may consider alternate accommodations such as fee payment schedules if approached by a member.

Registration/membership
Refers to bylaws 5.1, 5.2, 5.4, and 5.8

  1. Membership within the club allows access to the pool for regularly scheduled club training sessions and club sanctioned events unless otherwise specified.
  2. Club membership capacity and fees will be determined annually by the board of directors. Additionally, the Limited Access Membership capacity may be adjusted throughout the year at board discretion.
  3. At the start of each new season members from the previous season will be offered the opportunity to renew their membership for a short time period before remaining spaces are offered to new members.
  4. The amount of time previous members have to renew their membership will be set each season by the board of directors.
  5. If club registration reaches seasonal capacity the registrar will keep a waitlist of interested members and new spaces will be offered to them in date order.
  6. Memberships are entered for the entirety of the season and may not be put on hold for a ‘leave of absence’.
  7. Members may withdraw from the club and request a pro-rated refund up until March 31st. The refund will not include the annual MSABC fee. Members that withdraw from the club will not be offered the opportunity for priority re-registration in the next season.

Limited-access Pass Membership
Refers to bylaw 5.13(b)

  1. Limited-access Pass Memberships are an alternative registration option to the full or shared membership categories with VMSC. They are only issued to individuals who have been members of VMSC within the past 1 - 2 seasons. New members to the club are not eligible for this registration option.
  2. The number of Limited-access Pass Memberships issued for a given portion of the season will be determined by the board at the beginning of the season prior to registration. It is subject to change based on factors such as overall member attendance and pool space availability.
  3. The sessional fee for each Limited-access Pass Memberships will be determined by the board at the start of each season.

      Procedures

  1. Limited-access Pass Memberships may only attend weekend practices where there is increased pool space and may only attend on 1 day on any given weekend, either Saturday or Sunday.
  2. Limited-access Pass Memberships are issued for a portion of the season (3-4 months at a time) and expire at the end of that session regardless of the number of practices the member attended.

Visiting Swimmers
Refers to bylaw 5.2

As per bylaw 5.2, visiting swimmers may attend club practices, but must contact the board in advance and demonstrate proof of registration with a masters swim organization. The board retains the right to refuse visiting swimmers based on capacity. All guests of the club are expected to meet the club’s standards of swimming etiquette and behaviour. Our Code of Conduct and Ethics Policy applies to guest swimmers.

Test Swimmers
Refers to bylaw 5.2

As per bylaw 5.2, prospective members may be allowed to attend up to one scheduled practice as a guest swimmer with advance arrangements made in conjunction with the registrar.

Coach Requirements

  1. VMSC will register all coaches as required by Swim BC, and will pay all associated coaching registration fees that are required by Swim BC.
  2. Coaches may be allowed to swim occasionally (1-2 x monthly) as space allows and at the on-deck coach’s discretion, provided they have paid their MSABC swimmer registration fees.
  3. Coaches that intend to swim regularly will pay their own VMSC membership and MSABC swimmer registration fees.
  4. Coaches must adhere to and complete all courses and seminars that are required by Swim BC. 5. If there is a cost associated with Swim BC required training, the VMSC Board may consider covering the cost.

Coach Attendance and Compensation at Meets

1. VMSC attends various swim meets during each season, which may be hosted in Victoria or around the province. Coaches may attend in support of the members participating in meets and the club will provide payment as per the following structure:

          a. VMSC will cover coaching costs for meets where there are a minimum of 5 members participating and a second coach if there are a minimum of 10 members attending.
         b. After this, additional coaches may be paid to coach at a meet for every 10 additional members (e.g. 20 attendees)
         c. Coaches will be paid a flat rate of $150 per day at swim meets.
         d. Coaches attending meets will be repaid for any applicable ferry fares and for mileage as per the current Federal Government rate per Km.
         e. Hotel fees may be covered for coaches attending multi-day meets or meets with an early start time that precludes same day travel.
         f. Receipts must be provided for remuneration.
         g. If a coach is attending a meet as both a coach and a swimmer and they are being remunerated by VMSC they are expected to prioritize coaching the swimmers in attendance over their own races.
         h. Hotel/accommodation expenses incurred should remain within a reasonable range based on current market rates. If uncertain, coaches can check with the board in advance. Coaches are requested to attempt to minimize costs if possible by sharing travel.
         i. For extraordinary circumstances such as meets requiring flights to attend or more than 2 nights accommodation the board will decide on a case by case basis.

Discipline/harassment
Refer to bylaws 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, and 5.11.

VMSC adheres to the following MSABC policies, which can be found on the MSABC website:

  • 2.6 Disciplinary Policy
  • 2.7 Appeals Policy and Procedure
  • 2.8 Harassment Policy and Procedure

With the following exceptions:

  1. Where "MSABC" is written in the above-mentioned MSABC policies, "VMSC" will be assumed to replace "MSABC"; and,
  2. MSABC Harassment Policy and Procedures 2.8 refers to a Harassment Advisor and a Harassment Officer (point 3.6 and 3.7). Both of these positions require some training and expertise regarding dealing with harassment. VMSC does not necessarily have the expertise to appoint a Harassment Advisor or a Harassment Officer. If the complaint is deemed beyond the expertise of the club resources, the VMSC board may either contract externally or refer the complaint to MSABC. Preference will be given to contracting out before referring to MSABC.