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Editor's Note: The following
is a report on the most recent APEGGA Council meeting. The
meeting, held June 12 at the D.A. Lindberg Conference Centre
in Edmonton, was the first one of the 2003-2004 Council year.
The next Council meeting will be held Sept. 11, 2003, at the
APEGGA Calgary Conference Centre, starting at 8:30 a.m.
Inclusivity Task Force Created
Inclusivity becomes an even more important issue for APEGGA,
in the follow-up to a strategic planning session in May. Council
passed a motion to create an additional category or categories
of membership for persons who may not qualify for full professional
licensure, primarily foreign-trained engineers and geoscientists.
Council also struck an Inclusivity Task Force to identify
who will be included in such a category and how it will be
implemented. The task force will be chaired by President-Elect
Linda Van Gastel, P.Eng., and also includes Past President
Ron Tenove, P.Eng., President Mike Smyth, P.Eng., and Executive
Director & Registrar Neil Windsor, P.Eng.
The Executive Committee has already created a basic road
map for implementing this category, and the task force is
striving to present a more detailed plan at the September
Council meeting.
The creation of a new category of registration will require
an amendment to the Engineering, Geological and Geophysical
Professions Act and its regulations.
Professional Practice Advancements
A new practice standard and a practice guideline have been
approved for publication for member use. They will be available
online at APEGGA's website, as well as in paper form through
the APEGGA offices.
The Practice Standard for Evaluation of Oil and Gas Reserves
for Public Disclosure outlines APEGGA's expectations of members
who issue reserve evaluation reports. Some investors have
questioned the quality of evaluation reports, and the Alberta
Securities Commission is attempting to bring more consistency
and accuracy to the reports.
The commission is very pleased APEGGA has created the guideline
and is anxious to see its implementation, Council heard.
Also approved for publication is the Guideline for Relying
on Work Prepared by Others. This guideline assists members
in identifying work by others, evaluating the quality and
applicability of the work, and understanding their due diligence
responsibilities and obligations when using work prepared
by others.
Two more guidelines were presented to Council for review
prior to publication - the Guideline for Professional Practice
Management Plans and the Guideline for Professional Member
as Witness.
The first one assists APEGGA permit holders in the preparation
of the new Professional Practice Management Plans, known as
PPMPs, in a way that satisfies regulatory requirements. The
guideline's primary purpose is to describe what kind of information
should be included in a PPMP and provide permit holders with
an outline.
The Guideline for Professional Member as Witness assists
professional members when they are called as witnesses by
quasi-judicial bodies or courts of law. It outlines what profession
members might encounter as a witness and how they should conduct
themselves.
Discipline Process
Review Completed
The Discipline Review Task Force has completed its review
of the APEGGA discipline process. The report, presented to
Council, concludes that the discipline process works well
in most respects, but in some cases needs to be more timely.
Council received a number of recommendations from the task
force. The recommendations will be referred to the Investigative
Committee, the Discipline Committee and the Appeal Board for
comments and action plans, which will be included in a report
to the November Council meeting.
CCPG Approves
New Member Category
The Canadian Council of Professional Geoscientists has approved
a bylaw amendment that allows the granting of membership as
an International Associate. The amendment was approved at
the CCPG Annual Meeting of Members on June 1 in Vancouver.
It allows the CCPG to, by a voted-upon resolution, grant or
withdraw the new type of membership for geoscientists from
other countries.
To be eligible for an International Associate membership,
a geoscientist must already be a member of a non-Canadian
national body with objectives similar or comparable to those
of the CCPG.
International Associates won't pay an annual per capita assessment
or membership fee when reciprocal agreements exist between
CCPG and the comparable home organization. They won't be eligible
to appoint directors, and although they may be represented
at public council meetings, they won't be allowed to vote
at meetings of council or council committees. International
Associates will be able to serve as members of council committees,
but they won't be able to chair them
This amendment paves the way for members of organizations
such as ASBOG, which is the National Association of State
Boards of Geology in the U.S., to apply for CCPG membership.
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