This document repeats and expands upon the existing CDBC Disciplinary Policy in order to provide clarity and consistency of its application.

In accordance with paragraph 5.7.4 of the Constitution of the Charlottetown Duplicate Bridge Club (CDBC), “the Executive may pass rules governing the conduct of members and guests while participating at CDBC events and shall have the authority to enforce same by reprimand, suspension or exclusion of the offending party.”

In accordance with the CDBC Disciplinary Policy, “unacceptable behavioural issues fall within the club management’s purview. Unacceptable behaviour includes but is not necessarily limited to: (1) violation of ACBL Zero Tolerance Policy; (2) unethical practices; or (3) cheating. CDBC has therefore decided that the adoption of a consistent disciplinary process is essential and that all cases of unacceptable behaviour will be dealt with promptly by: the Director; or the CDBC Disciplinary Committee.”

Bridge Players

Any player exposed to unacceptable behaviour is encouraged to call the presiding Director to the bridge table at the time of the perceived offense. The Director may ask for clarification and may take the complaining player aside for more information. They will then handle the situation immediately or report the unacceptable behaviour to the CDBC Disciplinary Committee if it cannot be resolved then and there.

Any player may also bring to the attention of any member of the CDBC Executive when they have experienced or witnessed inappropriate behaviour of another player.  The member will, in turn, report it to the Chair of the Disciplinary Committee in order to avoid any potential conflicts of interest.  Such conflicts can occur where a Board member is a witness or a recipient of unacceptable behaviour or in the case of the President who would be responsible for chairing the CDBC Appeals Committee.

Upon receiving a signed written complaint with pertinent details (an email will suffice), the Chair of the Disciplinary Committee (the Vice President), will advise the President, the Past President, the Secretary and the Director Representative that a complaint has been received and whether or not a full investigation by the Committee will be pursued.      

The Director

In accordance with the CDBC Disciplinary Policy, “In most cases, the Director is first on the scene to handle any matters involving unacceptable behaviour.  They will resolve the situation as they see fit, based on their experience. No limits are put on the Director’s powers in this regard. If a Director believes that a suspension is warranted, they will refer the matter to the CDBC Disciplinary Committee.

There could be a case, however, of a Director determining that in order to maintain order and discipline, immediate action must be taken.  Under Law 91, the Director is empowered to immediately suspend a player for the remainder of the game.  A decision such as this is final and cannot be overruled by any appeal process.

The Director may at any time, for any reason, decide a situation involving unacceptable behaviour should be dealt with by the CDBC Disciplinary Committee.”

CDBC Disciplinary Committee

A Disciplinary Committee, consisting of the CDBC Vice President (Chair), Past President and Director Representative, will be established for the purpose of dealing with instances of unacceptable behaviour which have been reported to by either the Director or CDBC President. This Committee is not bound by the rules of formal law, evidence or procedure, and shall be liberal in receiving evidence. Members of the Committee cannot have been directly involved in the infraction being investigated.

Process Followed by the CDBC Disciplinary Committee

The CDBC Disciplinary Committee will normally convene within ten (10) days of first being notified of an incident involving unacceptable behaviour unless unavoidable circumstances cause a delay. In most cases, but not all, the following actions will be taken by the Committee:

1. Review the written complaint made by the Director and / or players;

2. Advise and interview the offending player of the complaint made against them and obtain their version of the events leading up to and including the complaint;

3. Interview separately the Director and / or players making the complaint in order to clearly understand the situation leading up to and including the complaint. They will be advised that no prior acts taken by the offending player that did not result in a formal complaint will be taken into consideration;

4. Interview separately the Director called to the table, the players at the table and nearby tables who witnessed the incident;

5. Assess the available evidence and come to a conclusion;

6. Advise the offending player of the CDBC Disciplinary Committee’s conclusion and actions to be taken by the CDBC (see below);

7. Record a concise summary of the key events and final decision in the CDBC Disciplinary Committee Log Book maintained by the Chair of the committee; and

8. If applicable, advise the offending player they are entitled to appeal the CDBC Disciplinary Committee’s conclusions and actions to be taken, their right to appeal and which appeal process to use.

Potential Actions Where Complaints are Founded

Potential actions to be taken against offending players where complaints are founded by the CDBC Disciplinary Committee are determined by the severity of the offence and the previous complaints founded by the Committee within the last two (2) years.  These can include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following:

1. Issue a verbal warning to the offending player (which may include a period of probation) including advising them to apologize to the affected player(s);

2. Issue a letter to the offending player warning them of their behaviour (which may include a period of probation) including requiring them to apologize to the affected player(s);

3. Issue a letter informing the offending player that they have been suspended from playing at the CDBC for a specified period of time including requiring them to apologise to the affected player(s); or

4. Issue a letter informing the offending player that they have been permanently expelled from playing at the CDBC.

In all cases, the offending player must be advised by the CDBC Disciplinary Committee of their right to appeal and the applicable appeal process.

Communications of Disciplinary Actions

Due to privacy considerations, investigation findings and disciplinary actions taken against CDBC players or visiting players will not be communicated to players reporting the incident, other CDBC members or other bridge clubs. The CDBC will not use player information received from another bridge club.

The CDBC Disciplinary Committee Chair will maintain the CDBC Disciplinary Committee Log Book for future reference if other infractions are incurred by the same offending player.  Current information (no more than two (2) years old) contained in the log book will be used at the discretion of the CDBC Disciplinary Committee in the determination of appropriate sanctions. Infractions that occurred more than two (2) ago, will be struck through and not used by the CDBC Disciplinary Committee in their current deliberations.

Communications of Suspensions

If a period of suspension is given to the offending player who is an ACBL member, they must be notified in writing and a copy of the notification must be forwarded to the ACBL Club Membership Department. The notification must include the player’s name and player number and the reasons for the suspension. The notification must also include the complete list of the types of games covered by the suspension.

CDBC Appeals Committee

In accordance with the CDBC Disciplinary Policy, “the CDBC Appeals Committee will be established for the purpose of listening to and deciding upon any appeal that has been brought forward by someone who disagrees with how they were dealt with by either the Director, or the CDBC Disciplinary Committee”.

An appeal made by the offending player must be brought to the attention of the CDBC Appeals Committee within thirty (30) days of the decision rendered by the CDBC Disciplinary Committee.

“The CDBC Appeals Committee, consisting of the CDBC President and two (2) members of the CDBC Executive appointed by the Chair, will be established for the purpose of listening to and deciding upon any appeal that has been brought forward to them.” Members of the CDBC Appeals Committee cannot have been directly involved in the infraction being investigated.

The CDBC Appeals Committee will review all the evidence presented to the CDBC Disciplinary Committee and make any decision they wish with respect to amending, or not, the original judgement and/or the original sanction awarded.  Their decision is final and cannot be further appealed within the Club.

Appeals that Must be Made to Committees Outside the CDBC Regarding Suspensions

If the action “awarded includes a suspension of an ACBL Member from any ACBL, unit or district sponsored games, the CDBC Appeals Committee cannot hear the appeal.  The appeal must be heard by the Unit Disciplinary Committee.”

The appeal must be made within thirty (30) days. The Offending Player’s suspension remains in effect until reinstated by the CDBC or a stay is granted by the Unit Disciplinary Chairperson. If an Offending Player is not an ACBL member, they may only appeal to the CDBC Appeals Committee.

If an ACBL member feels that they were awarded a suspension based upon race, creed, religion, political affiliation, sexual orientation, national origin, physical handicap or proficiency at bridge, the appeal can only be heard by the Unit Disciplinary Committee.”