INNOVATION May-June 2012

May/June 2012

Volume 16 Number 3

v iewpoint

Your Council has had considerable and ongoing discussion over the years on how to increase our membership engagement beyond the core 20% level. We have been concerned with reaching out to our membership particularly with respect to communicating the background and information to achieve the difficult two-thirds membership approval required for bylaw changes. With this in mind, Council adopted a new consultation policy at their December 2012 meeting. This policy structures member consultation into the bylaw development process. After a need for a bylaw revision is identified, Council will advise members of the proposed change and rationale, and will seek feedback from stakeholders to inform the process and to identify specific concerns that can be considered in the drafting of the bylaw. Creating opportunities for members to participate in discussion about proposed bylaw revisions is beneficial for APEGBC as it encourages members’ understanding of the regulatory process and governance issues, and assists APEGBC Council members in better understanding the multiple factors to be considered in bylaw development. The policy establishes that consultation must take place for all bylaws. It also provides guidelines for determining the scope of consultation based on the nature of the bylaw; essentially, the greater the impact on members or the professions, the greater the extent of the consultation. It’s important for members to be aware that Council decisions to propose the creation or revision of a bylaw are never done in a vacuum. Generally, bylaws are identified for revision based on advice from member committees. This new structured consultation process will give members an opportunity to inform Council of specific concerns that can be addressed in the drafting of the bylaw. Formerly, members would only have the choice to reject or approve a bylaw change without the opportunity to address issues, or debate or influence bylaw wording before a member ratification vote. The first instance of the consultation policy in action is the current consultation for the Alternative Complaint Resolution (ACR) Bylaw. In 2008, the Engineers and Geoscientists Act was amended to permit ACR of discipline cases as an alternative to the discipline inquiry process. The proposed bylaw will address common issues and considerations that are not fully covered by the Act itself. Background information on this bylaw has been made available to members online and through the Association’s digital and print publications. Members have been invited to provide their feedback through an online survey and by getting in touch with staff directly. Feedback and comments from stakeholders in the legal community regarding the proposed bylaw wording have also been sought. Based on the responses received so far, we have created an FAQ document to further respond to members’ queries and comments. The input received from all stakeholders will be reviewed by Council and the Discipline Committee for consideration in drafting the final bylaw before it goes out for member approval. It is our hope that this new consultation policy will increase member engagement and demonstrate transparency in APEGBC’s processes.

Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC Suite 200 - 4010 Regent Street, Burnaby, BC Canada V5C 6N2 Tel: (604) 430-8035 Fax: (604) 430-8085 E-mail: apeginfo@apeg.bc.ca Internet: www.apeg.bc.ca Toll free: 1-888-430-8035

2011/2012 COUNCIL, APEGBC P resident J H ( Jeff) Holm PEng FEC

V ice P resident M (Michael) Isaacson PEng PhD P ast P resident F W (F rank ) D enton PE ng FEC

Creating Opportunities to Participate

Councillors M H (Matt) Cameron PEng FEC; E A (Emily) Cheung PEng FEC; J J (John) Clague PGeo PhD; A (Ana) Fernandes Cim Fcsi; H (Herb) Hawson PEng FEC; D M (Donna) Howes PEng; H G (Harlan) Kelly PEng; J (Joe) Martignago; A J (Andy) Mill PEng StructEng FEC; M I (Mark) Porter PEng StructEng;

S R (Ross) Rettie PEng FEC; (Mike) Waberski Bcls; M C (Michael) Wrinch PEng PhD; S (Sheila) Wynn PhD

ASSOCIATION STAFF D V Doyle P Eng C hief E xecutive O fficer and R egistrar J Y Sinclair C hief O perating O fficer T M Y C hong PEng C hief R egulatory O fficer and D eputy R egistrar J Cho CGA D irector , F inance and A dministration P R Mitchell PEng D irector , P rofessional P ractice , S tandards and D evelopment G M Pichler PEng D irector , R egistration G A Thiele LLB D irector , L egislation , E thics and C ompliance M L Archibald A ssociate D irector , C ommunications and S takeholder E ngagement R M F ilipiak P Eng A ssociate D irector , A dmissions D Gamble A ssociate D irector , I nformation S ervices J J G Larocque PEng LLB A ssociate D irector , P rofessional P ractice D Olychick A ssociate D irector , M ember S ervices V Lai CGA A ssociate D irector , F inance and A dministration

Jeff Holm PEng FEC President

Melinda Lau M anaging E ditor

EDITORIAL BOARD S Chiu PEng; S E Cook PEng; R Gupta PEng P h D; C L Hall PGeo; S K Hayes PEng; K S Hirji PEng; M A Klippenstein PEng; I Kokan PEng; M E Leslie PEng; B Thomson PGeo FEC (Hon)

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Subscription rates per issue $4.50; six issues yearly $25.00. Annual subscriptions of Association members are apportioned from membership dues in the amount of $15 per member (rates do not include HST). Innovation is published six times a year by the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia. As the official publication of the Association, Innovation is circulated to members of the engineering and geoscience professions, architects, contractors and industrial executives. The views expressed in any article contained herein do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the Council or membership of this Association. Submission Guidelines: Innovation encourages unsolicited articles and photos. By submitting material to Innovation, you grant Innovation a royalty-free, worldwide license to publish the material in Innovation magazine; and you warrant that you have the authority to grant such rights and have obtained waivers of all associated moral rights. Innovation reserves the right to edit the material for length, clarity and conformity with our editorial guidelines (www. apeg.bc.ca/resource/innovation/editorial.html) and is under no obligation to publish any or all submissions or any portion thereof including credits. All material is copyright. Please contact the Managing Editor for reprint permission.

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