How We Govern
Anyone proposing a community like this should expect a fair bit of skepticism, usually some version of “how do I know this isn’t a cult or a vanity project?” or “how do I know this won’t fall apart, or turn into a catastrophe?” They’re excellent questions! Here’s how we’re building Bedrock structurally against these outcomes.
Member-governed, in the full legal sense
Bedrock is being organized as a society under the British Columbia Societies Act, which is the same legal framework that governs community associations and nonprofits across the province. That means, as a matter of law rather than sentiment:
The final say rests with the members
Members elect their directors, members can remove them, and what defines the society can only change by member vote. And no one owns it as private property to sell off or profit from: it can't be bought, and its assets can never be paid out to any individual.
The rules are filed with the BC Registrar
The constitution and bylaws are on public record, and can only be changed by special resolution — a two-thirds vote of the membership.
Directors owe legal duties
To the society and its members, including financial accountability.
Governance documents, open to every member
Bedrock’s governance will be written down and open for any member to read, rather than left to memory or board/founder discretion. Current draft documents draw on a close study of similar projects: the ones that fell apart and the ones that lasted (some of that research is in the notes to this well-cited rant). One principle we feel comfortable saying is settled: almost nothing that defines what Bedrock is can change without a substantial vote of the members.
Proposals included in draft documents
Here is a summary of some of the current proposals drafted. It’s expected that much of this will change and be rewritten or reshaped by the founding board.
Who counts as a member
- Joining starts with a short engagement period so people know the community is for them
- Leaving is free of judgement, and the door stays open for return
What's expected of members
- Everything asked of members lives in a one-page code of conduct
- The heart of it: be good and make an effort with each other, share the load, show up once a month
- An honest effort balanced against real life. No one polices anyone's conscience.
How directors are chosen and held accountable
- Directors are vetted and chosen by the community
- Nobody is paid to be a director
- Conflicts of interest are disclosed up front; the director steps out of both the discussion and the vote, and the minutes record it
- Members can remove any director
- The board is balanced between men and women (with any number of non-binary folks)
How decisions get made
- The board proposes; members enact. Directors can't change what defines the society.
- Substantive votes are anonymous ballots held after deliberation, not during it, so people vote with time to think in a judgement-free space
- A small share of members (5%) can put an item on the agenda without board approval.
How money is handled
- Donation-funded, with no dues by default — though members are expected to contribute to the cost of gatherings as they're able. How this works in the future will be up to membership.
- Annual statements go to the members, who can order an independent review or audit
- Significant funds and long-term commitments always go back to the membership
What records are kept, and what deliberately isn't
- The society records its own actions and decisions — never files on its people
- No record is kept of how any individual voted; only aggregate results
- Member information is never shared, sold, or used for anything outside community life
How children and vulnerable people are kept safe
- Protection through presence: open, visible spaces where children are known by many adults
- Around children, adults stay within sight of another member — exceptions are the parent's to grant
- This is a start, not an end: as our scope expands into activities that call for more, the safeguarding policies will be strengthened to match
How conflict gets worked through
- Directly between people where possible; beyond that, a proportionate response — counsel, mediation, investigation, with removal only where nothing less protects the community
- Raising a concern in good faith is never a breach, and retaliation always is
- The aim is repair and continued membership where possible
How the society takes a public position
- Only by member ballot at a supermajority threshold — the board can restate a position, never create one
- A position commits the organization's voice, never a member's conscience
- None in the first year while we build foundations
What powers exist in an emergency
- Designed ahead of time, with potential abuse taken as seriously as the crisis itself
- Protective action is narrow