Rules and Regulations
1. NAME
RULES & REGULATIONS
The club is called The Wine Academy and is the trade name for 8545570 Canada Inc.
2. CONSTITUTION
The Wine Academy is a private members club for people with an interest in wine. Founded in 2012, opened in 2016, it is constituted to encourage social interactions between its members and provide facilities for that purpose.
3. MEMBERSHIP
Membership is individual and non-transferable. Every member binds him/herself to abide by the membership agreement, rules and regulations, and by-laws of The Wine Academy upon acceptance as a member. Members must be 19 years of age or older, as this may change should the legal drinking age in the jurisdiction in which the facilities of The Wine Academy operates in change. All membership categories are annually based and are as follows:
3.1 Personal Membership: Membership will be offered to individuals on an annual basis which is payable upon signing of the membership agreement. Payment terms are due annually. All membership agreements will be binding for the full term of a year.
3.2 Dual Membership: Dual Membership will be offered to two individuals on an annual basis, payable upon signing of the membership agreement. Payment terms are due annually. All membership agreements will be binding for the full term of a year. Dual Membership allows for two individuals to share the benefits and privileges of membership.
3.3 Corporate Membership: Membership will be offered to corporations on an annual basis which is payable upon signing of the membership agreement. Payment terms will be due annually. All membership agreements will be binding for the full term of a year. Membership will be offered to corporations and organisations on a scalable structure that will include in its base package five individuals within that corporation and can be scaled up to a maximum of 15 members within that corporation. Any additional members beyond the initial five are subject to an annual fee, the amount of which will be communicated by the management.
4. MEMBERSHIP INTEGRITY
Corporate memberships are designed for collective participation and include a specified number of individuals. Members within a corporate and/or personal membership cannot actively recruit or coerce existing personal or corporate members to create separate memberships.
5. APPLICATION PROCEDURE
5.1 All applicants must fill out the required application and pre authorized payment form provided by The Wine Academy.
5.2 No reason shall be given for refusal of an application at any stage. It is the policy of The Wine Academy not to deny membership to any applicant because of their race, age (except for those under the legal drinking age), creed, colour, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability, marital status or on any basis that may be or construed to be discriminatory.
6. PAYMENT
In order to be considered, all application forms must be accompanied by payment information.
7. SUBSCRIPTION
Membership subscription is based on a yearly contract. The initiation fee and annual rates for all categories of membership shall be determined annually by The Wine Academy. Membership Fees and Cellar Rentals are subject to increase, and the management will review and revise the rates periodically. The management will communicate the revised rates prior to charging them. Failure to pay the annual subscription by the due date, and one month after being notified by The Wine Academy of that due date, will result in the member not being admitted to The Wine Academy. If after one month in which the member has not paid the subscription, the membership may be terminated. It is the responsibility of the member to keep The Wine Academy up to date with current mailing addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses.
8. RESIGNATION
Any member wishing to resign his/her membership must do so in writing or by email to the Membership Department of The Wine Academy. As all membership subscriptions are based on a yearly contract, any resignations mid-way through the contract period will not be refunded. Any quarterly instalments within the contract will need to be settled in full prior to the membership being cancelled.
9. MEMBERSHIP CARDS
Membership cards will be used to gain entry to The Wine Academy and should be carried by the member at all times. Membership cards are strictly non-transferable; use of a membership card by anyone other than the member will result in the card being confiscated, possible termination of Membership, possible prosecution and possible disciplinary action. There will be a charge for providing replacements for lost of stolen cards.
10. RECIPROCAL ARRANGEMENTS
The Wine Academy may enter into reciprocal arrangements with other clubs and bodies on such terms as it shall decide from time to time and any such arrangements may be terminated or modified by The Wine Academy.
11. GUESTS
11.1 Members may bring a maximum of five guests upon each visit except by prior arrangement. The concierge must be informed of the guests' names upon arrival and guests must be signed in. By prior arrangement members may book tables in the restaurant for more than five guests.
11.2 Members must request permission at least 24 hours in advance to bring more than five guests to the Club.
11.3 Guests may not access The Wine Academy without a member present and will not be permitted to stay beyond 30 minutes unless a member arrives to join them.
11.4 For private functions and extended guest lists members must give the concierge a guest list of those expected 48 hours in advance.
11.5 Members are responsible for the behaviour of, and will be personally and financially liable for their guests.
11.6 Members may not leave the premises without the non-member guests that they have signed in on that day.
11.7 No person under 19 years of age (or higher should the legal drinking age change) will be permitted in The Wine Academy, except in the dining room during lunch or dinner service, or when attending a private event.
11.8 Members may not abuse the guest policy by consistently bringing the same guest(s) to The Wine Academy. If the guest likes The Wine Academy that much, he or she should apply for membership.
12. BILL SETTLEMENT
All bills must be settled in full before leaving the premises. No credit will be extended unless the club account has been granted by The Wine Academy. It is the policy of The Wine Academy to accept payment only by cash, debit or credit card. Guests may settle bills. In case of unsettled bills, the outstanding amount will be the responsibility of the member and must be settled in 30 days or membership privileges will be suspended.
13. DRESS CODE
Members and guests should dress comfortably, in a manner that reflects their own personal style. While bad style is not a disciplinary offence (and in many cases is to be expected) the line must be drawn somewhere. Therefore, pirate costumes and scuba outfits are not permitted in the dining room.
14. WIFI
There is complimentary WIFI access available throughout The Wine Academy for members and their guests. All users are asked to be mindful of upload and download bandwidth usage. The Wine Academy does not tolerate the viewing, uploading, downloading or sharing of pornographic or offensive material or tolerate any illegal file sharing or downloading of pirated software, films, television and the like. WIFI access is not guaranteed by The Wine Academy. The Wine Academy at all times and may periodically be unavailable during network maintenance or neighbourhood outages.
15. GENERAL BEHAVIOUR
While on the property of The Wine Academy, members shall act in a manner that is respectful and courteous to other members, guests, members of staff at The Wine Academy and third parties. Members shall not act in a manner that is harmful, abusive or offensive. Failure to act in a way that is respectful will result in eviction and exclusion from the property. Any member deemed to be infringing on the rules or engaging in misconduct will be required to furnish explanation to The Wine Academy management team. Complaints of misbehaviour should be made in writing to The Wine Academy. Misconduct includes breach of the drug policy, theft or damage to any The Wine Academy property, or any infringement of the rules.
16. EXCLUSION PROCEDURE
Any manager of The Wine Academy may exclude or evict any member or guest whose behaviour he/she considers in his/her discretion to amount to misconduct. Such exclusion may lead to further disciplinary action. The Wine Academy has the right to exclude any guest without stating a reason.
17. ILLEGAL SUBSTANCES / DRUG POLICY
No member shall use, ingest, possess or distribute illegal drugs, or use, posses or distribute any drugs in an illegal manner while on The Wine Academy’s premises. Any member found to be in violation of this policy will be asked to leave immediately and may have their membership revoked with no right of appeal. Members are responsible for their guests' behaviour and if guests are found to be in violation of this policy they will be asked to leave immediately. The member who signed them in will be subject to The Wine Academy's disciplinary procedures and his/her membership may be revoked.
18. CLUB PROPERTY
Any member who removes, damages or destroys any article or property belonging to the club or to its members or to guests on the premises shall be liable to expulsion. This includes, for example, ashtrays and crockery. Members are responsible for the behaviour of their guests.
19. CONFIDENTIALITY
It is understood that, unless agreed otherwise, matters raised in conversation between members and between members and guests are not to be used for commercial or journalistic purposes. The communication of information concerning The Wine Academy or its members to the media is not permitted and is a disciplinary offence.
20. DISCIPLINARY ACTION & EXPULSION
Should a member infringe the rules of The Wine Academy or make him or herself obnoxious to another member or be considered guilty of misconduct, he or she may be required to furnish an explanation to management and/or risk disciplinary action, including expulsion. Conduct that is prejudicial to the reputation and character of The Wine Academy may result in expulsion. Such conduct may include violent or abusive behaviour, the endangerment of the safety of others and the communication of information concerning the club, members or their guests' affairs to the media. Any decision related to expulsion shall be at the sole discretion of The Wine Academy's management. Any deliberations thereon shall be in the strictest confidence and no reasons will necessarily be issued for any decision. If the club determines to expel, cancel or suspend the membership of a member, a written notice will be sent to the member by email or to the current address on file. An expelled or cancelled member shall cease to be a member when management's decision is communicated. No refunds of membership fees will be given to an expelled member. He or she may not return to The Wine Academy as a guest.
21. COAT CHECK
While at the club, members and guests may check small items, such as coats and bags, with the Concierge Desk to be stored in the coat check area. Members must claim all checked items before leaving The Wine Academy’s premises.
22. LOST PROPERTY
If you have lost an item while at The Wine Academy, please immediately report the lost item to the Concierge Desk. When a lost item is found by The Wine Academy, it shall be kept in the lost and found for three months. If the owner can be identified, The Wine Academy will report it immediately. After the three- month period expires, The Wine Academy will dispose of the property. Please note that The Wine Academy will bear no responsibility over the loss of any property by members or guests including items checked at the Coat Check.
23. CAMERAS, RECORDING EQUIPMENT, MOBILE PHONES
Except by prior arrangement for a specific private function, no cameras or recording equipment may be switched on inside the club. Mobile phones may be used on The Wine Academy’s premises, but not in the dining room, reading room or screening room. When in The Wine Academy, phone ringers must be switched off or put on silent or vibrating mode. The Wine Academy reserves its right and each member agrees to The Wine Academy monitoring the premises and all of its facilities, members, staff, visitors and guests via a close circuit television security camera system.
24. ANIMALS
No animals will be allowed in The Wine Academy except licensed guide dogs.
25. BODYGUARDS
Bodyguards are not permitted inside The Wine Academy but may remain in the elevator foyer on the ground floor.
26. IDEAS AND FEEDBACK
Members' complaints shall be put in writing to a manager and will be fully considered. If a member has any suggestions of ways in which any aspect of The Wine Academy might be improved please tell a manager or put in writing. The management team will consider all feedback.
27. REVIEW OF THE RULES AND REGULATIONS
27.1 Members are responsible for staying informed about the current Rules and Regulations of The Wine Academy.
27.2 The Wine Academy reserves the right to change the Rules and Regulations at any time without prior notice.
27.3 An updated version of these rules is available on the club's website and can be accessed at any time.
27.4 It is the responsibility of each member to familiarise themselves with any updates or changes to the rules and regulations.
28. DISCLAIMER
Loss or injury to any member or to any guests or to any goods or property of theirs, on the premises of The Wine Academy, shall not give rise to any claim against The Wine Academy or any employee.
29. INTERPRETATION OF THE RULES
In the event of any dispute arising as to the meaning or interpretation of these rules, the matter shall be referred to The Wine Academy’s President, whose decision shall be final. The Wine Academy has the right to amend these rules from time to time as required by applicable law or The Wine Academy’s charter or by-laws and members shall be bound by the rules and regulations as amended.