Council Briefs

The following items were on the agenda or were discussed during the Feb. 3 APEGGA Council meeting in Calgary.

Code of Ethics

Acting on the recommendations of the Practice Standards Committee’s Code of Ethics Subcommittee, chaired by Charlie Weir, P.Eng., Council approved a revised Code of Ethics based on five rules of conduct. The new Code will be presented to the Association’s Annual General Meeting in April for ratification.

The subcommittee also submitted a draft Manual of Professional Practice Under the Code of Ethics. Council agreed that the manual may be subject to further adjustments and amendment if and when the revised Code of Ethics is approved.

Please check page 6 X of this edition of The PEGG for the proposed wording of the revised Code being presented to the AGM. Further documentation relating to the proposed changes to the Code of Ethics is posted on the APEGGA website (www.apegga.org --- see http://www.apegga.org/publications/guidelines/manual_revised/index.htm for the revised draft Manual of Professional Practice Under the Code of Ethics.)

CPD Compliance Procedures

Council has approved recommendations by the Professional Development Committee on review procedures to ensure compliance with APEGGA’s Continuing Professional Development program. The measures specify the steps to be followed when members fail to submit their CPD Report Form, and also deal with the review process for both practicing and non-practicing members.

Under the process approved by Council, failure to submit the CPD report, after three letters have been sent, will trigger further follow-up by the Practice Review Board which may determine that failure to provide the CPD report constitutes unprofessional conduct. It would then be passed on as a complaint to APEGGA’s Investigative Committee for possible disciplinary action. After two letters, 94 per cent of members have submitted the form.

Random reviews will be done of non-practicing members to ensure that they have chosen the non-practicing status appropriately. Random reviews also will be conducted on practicing members to ensure that they adhere to the full program requirements, vis-à-vis program planning and recording.

Finally, members who cannot meet the numerical and diversity requirements of the program will also be subject to a review. This represents less than 0.1 per cent of the membership.

Presidential Honorarium Committee

Council has established a six-member Committee of Council, Chaired by Past President Dan Motyka, P.Eng., and consisting of Coun. Bonnie Stowkowy, P.Eng.; Coun. Gordon Stewart, P.Eng.; Coun. Bill Roggensack, P.Eng., PhD; Coun. Ron Tenove, P.Eng., and Public Member of Council Stan Souch, PhD, to investigate the matter of an honorarium for the president of the Association. The committee will examine the role of the president to determine whether an honorarium is appropriate and, if so, how the honorarium would be determined and administered. The committee has been requested to provide its terms of reference and proposed action plan to ensure appropriate stakeholder communication and input to the next Council meeting in April.

Branch Manual

Council has approved a new branch manual consisting of terms of reference for APEGGA branches.

The new manual is the result of work over several years by branch representatives and APEGGA staff. The aim of the newly approved document is to provide a more definitive direction of the branches' role, their activities and from whom they should take direction.

RPT (Eng.) Certificates/Stamp/Seals

Council has endorsed the format of the seals, stamps and certificates that will be issued to Registered Professional Technologists (Engineering). The implemented changes to the EGGP Act permitting RPT (Eng.)’s to engage in the practice of engineering within a specified scope of practice provide for the stamps, seals and certificates to be issued to RPT (Eng.)s approved by the Board of Examiners.

Statutory Boards and Committees

APEGGA’s 2000 Annual General Meeting will be asked to approve changes to the EGGP Act, regulations and bylaws that would eliminate existing requirements that some members of Council sit on APEGGA’s statutory committees and boards. Discontinuing Council members sitting on the five committees and boards (the Board of Examiners, the Discipline Committee, the Appeal Board, the Investigative Committee and the Practice Review Board) was approved in principle at the November meeting. If approved by the AGM, the measures will be forwarded to the Minister responsible for the EGGP Act for further action by the Alberta government and the Legislature. (see also page 6).

Membership Roster To Go on website

Council has approved publication of the APEGGA Membership Register on the Association’s website. Traditionally, the Association has published a print version of the register and only more recently the register has been available in CD-ROM format. The Association is required under its Act to maintain and make a register available to the public. The information posted will be limited in nature and there will be a tacit understanding that members are prepared to be listed, unless they specifically ask to be excluded. APEGGA’s counterpart in British Columbia already provides a membership registry accessible though the Internet.

Bylaw Change Intended to Speed Responses

Council has approved an amendment to existing bylaws to expedite responses from members asked to supply information. Specifically, the proposed bylaw 32.1 states – "Professional members, licensees, permit holders, life members, registered professional technologists, members-in-training, joint firms or certificate holders shall respond promptly to any duly served communication of a regulatory nature received from the association that contemplates a reply.

Bylaw 32 relates to provision of current mailing address to APEGGA. In requesting the bylaw amendment, the ERC noted the intention for it to be used with discretion and good judgement, and it is not intended to have broad application such as in members surveys."

Teaching Awards

An APEGGA Excellence in Mathematics/Science Award will be presented as part of the recognition given through the Excellence in Teaching Awards Foundation. The first such APEGGA award will be presented in 2001. The Teaching Awards Foundation receives approximately 400 nominations annually and of these 20 receive the Excellence in Teaching Award. One teacher receives the Innovative Use of Technology Award and the new APEGGA award will be considered equivalent recognition.

Meanwhile, APEGGA will continue to recognize exceptional elementary, junior high and senior high teachers through the APEGGA Teacher Awards which each year go to 14 teachers throughout Alberta. Under that program, $500 to $1,000 are given to each of the teachers for use within their schools.

Sponsorship of the APEGGA Excellence in Mathematics/Science Award will cost $5,000 per year.

Board of Examiners Names

The names of members of the Board of Examiners will now be published, revising the earlier policy whereby board members were anonymous.

The Board of Examiners is responsible for ensuring that those seeking membership in APEGGA meet the Association’s educational and experience requirements.

CCPE News

CCPE Alberta Director Fred Otto, P.Eng., PhD, reported that a newly formed Canadian Engineering International Board, set up to coordinate CCPE international activities, held a meeting Jan. 7-8 to set up its terms of reference, policy and work plan.

Noel Cleland, P.Eng., Alberta CCPE Director and member of the CCPE Executive Committee, noted that plans are under way for a second national CCPE-sponsored conference on professional development. The first such event was held last year and the follow-up conference is expected to take place in September or October of this year. The conference is expected to emphasize the role employers can play in supporting CPD.

In another development, it was reported that Dan Levert, P.Eng., President of CCPE, will terminate his contract effective May 31, 2000.

CCPG Report

APEGGA 2nd-Vice President Gordon Williams, P.Geol., PhD, reported that Ontario is expected to pass legislation this spring to register professional geoscientists in an association separate from Professional Engineers Ontario. The new licensing body is expected to be operating by the end of the year.

Work is also progressing in a mobility agreement for professional geoscientists, patterned on the accord signed last summer by provincial engineering associations.

Relevancy Task Force

Councilor Linda Van Gastel, P.Eng., chair of Council’s Relevancy Task Force, reported that a series of meetings now are under way with various stakeholders, including Permit holders. The task force efforts are focused on three general areas:

• Ensuring effective or improved regulation of the professions;
• Differentiation of the professions where that has value to stakeholders; and
• Communication to ensure stakeholders understand and appreciate the value of the professions.

CCHREI Update

Environmental Committee Chair Albert van Roodselaar, P.Eng., PhD, provided Council with an update on the activities of the Canadian Council for Human Resources in the Environment Industry (CCHREI), which currently is developing national occupational standards for certifying environmental professionals. APEGGA will continue to stay apprised of developments relating to CCHREI activities.