I agree that there is an issue with not holding regular properly convened meetings but…
Re newsletters stopping, who has been writing/editing these newsletters in the past? This is often a committee member or other owner volunteering their time So if this person no longer has the time or inclination to do this then fair enough. If owners are aggrieved with this suggest to the committee that you would be happy to assist with this.
Regarding the by-law, it sounds to me that the developers of your strata scheme opted not to adopt model by-laws but to register their own set of by-laws. This is common and should ensure you have a set of by-laws appropriate for your specific strata scheme.
Why is this by-law so bad anyway? Doesn’t it make it more transparent if all communications are in writing (especially since email is an acceptable form of written communication)? Won’t all documents and correspondence sent to the strata manager become records of the owners corporation and available to any owner wishing to inspect the records?