INNOVATION July-August 2012

counc i l repor t

APEGBC’s Council of elected members and government appointees regularly meet throughout the year to conduct the business of the Association. The following are highlights of the June 15, 2012 meeting of APEGBC Council. Legislative Amendments and Discussion: Next Steps APEGBC reached an important milestone for modernizing its governing legislation when 11 requested priority amendments to the Engineers and Geoscientists Act were brought into law in June. This was the result of a comprehensive review of the Act that began in 2007 with extensive consultation with members, stakeholders, and government. In total, 35 amendments to the Act were recommended. Council considered a report outlining the steps required to implement the 11 Act amendments that were brought into law. Some amendments will be amended automatically by operation of law but will require new or adjusted procedures or policies to implement, while others cannot be implemented until bylaws and/or extensive policy and procedural development work is completed. Council directed staff to make the necessary changes to reflect any bylaws automatically amended. These include amendments that will permit limited licensees to run and vote for the positions of President, Vice President and Councillors; to call for and vote at a meeting of the association; and to vote on petitions and bylaws. Council approved any necessary amendments to policies relating to the enfranchisement of limited licensees and their participation in the Council election and AGM. For amendments that cannot be implemented until bylaws and/or extensive policy and procedural development work is completed, Council directed staff to identify any impacted bylaws and bring those to the September 2012 Council meeting for information and possible bylaw amendments. Council also approved in principle the establishment of a Legislative Implementation Task Force to oversee the research, development, consultation and bylaw formulation to implement the legislative amendments and other related matters. In addition, Council considered the results of the recent member petition ballot. This petition was submitted to the President by 70 members, and conducted between April 18 and May 17, 2012. The petition contained

the following motion, referring to a requested amendment that is part of the remaining 24 Act amendments to be submitted to Government in future: That Council reconsider the request to Government to enact amendments to the Engineers and Geoscientists Act, and withdraw the request for amendments that would allow Council to make changes to the Bylaws of the Association without the approval of 2/3 of the votes cast by ballot as required by the Act. In total, 5,850 eligible members voted. Of these, 69.8% were in favour of the motion and 30.2% were opposed, resulting in the motion passing. Due to the significant nature of this issue, Council accepted a recommendation of the Executive Committee that the remaining 24 amendments, including the amendment that was the subject of the ballot, be considered further by Council at their annual planning session in September in order to allow for a full and considered discussion. In 2008, Council approved a recommendation of the Professional Renewal Task Force that the Association “implement for members a mandatory compliance with guideline, mandatory reporting program for continuing professional development.” Members voted on a mandatory continuing professional development (CPD) bylaw in June 2009; the bylaw received 57.7% support, falling short of the two-thirds required to pass. Following this bylaw vote, the CPD Committee conducted a survey to determine what specific aspects of the proposed program members were most concerned about so that adjustments to requirements could be made. Based on the member feedback received, a new CPD guideline was introduced to the membership. The new guideline took effect January 2012, with its requirements amended to align with those of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA). Significant effort has been made to respond to member feedback, and increase awareness, compliance, and reporting. The CPD Committee recommended that Council proceed with a bylaw vote on mandatory CPD following a comprehensive consultation process with members and other stakeholders. Mandatory CPD Bylaw Expected in Fall 2013

Council directed staff to prepare a bylaw for Council approval to implement a mandatory Continuing Professional Development program for ratification by the membership in the Fall of 2013. Professional Practice Guidelines Enhance Members’ Practice Council approved four new professional practice guidelines at their June meeting and expanded the application of one guideline. The new guidelines provide guidance on building enclosure engineering services, professional services for onsite sewerage regulations, legislated flood assessments in a changing climate, and professional services related to the design, layout and approval of forest roads. These guidelines are currently undergoing legal and editorial review before being published. Council Examines Eight-Year Limit for Members In Training Currently, there is an eight-year limit for holding Member-in-Training status (EIT or GIT) with APEGBC as per Bylaw 11(c), unless satisfactory reasons for doing so are presented. Individuals who have exceeded this time limit and who have not requested an extension or applied for professional registration are removed from the member- in-training rolls. The Registration Committee has questioned the need for a time limit and feels that keeping these members-in-training engaged in the professions could be of greater value than imposing a time limit on their membership. Council approved in principle a proposed change to Bylaw 11(c) to remove the eight-year time limit on EIT/ GIT membership. The issue was referred to the Registration Committee to obtain stakeholder input on the proposed bylaw change in accordance with APEGBC’s policy on bylaw consultation. APEGBC Continues to Provide Input to the Canadian Framework for Licensure The CEO/Executive Director Group of Engineers Canada’s constituent members is leading the initiative to develop a Canadian Framework for Licensure (CFL) in order to create national consistency and enhance equity, consistency, fairness and timeliness of services.

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