INNOVATION January-February 2013

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to examine the issue further and develop the draft wording for an incidental practice agreement. The committee hopes to have completed its work by July 2013. Council approved motions to support APEGBC’s participation on the committee with the goals of negotiating the terms of a geoscience interprovincial incidental practice agreement for consideration by the committee’s respective councils. Council approved the revised Sustainability Guide- lines at their November meeting. The guidelines will undergo legal and editorial review before being published for use, and will be effective January 2014. The approval marks an important milestone for APEGBC, as the Sustainability Guidelines have not been updated since 1995. The guidelines will provide a framework to assist members to incorpo- rate sustainability into their professional practice, founded on the principle of holding the public’s interest paramount. In revising this document, the Sustainability Com- mittee undertook an extensive consultation period with APEGBC committees and divisions, and with members. Changes were made to the guidelines ac- cordingly to reflect this input. During the 12 months between approval and implementation, training and educational seminars on the revised Sustainability Guidelines will be presented throughout the province as continuing professional development opportunities. Each year at the annual general meeting, members have an opportunity to debate and vote on motions for Council’s consideration. At the 2012 AGM in October, five motions were put forward for debate by members, three of which were passed by the assembly. Council discussed these motions and recommended follow-up by staff to further examine the issues brought forward by members. To improve transparency and consistency in experi- ence assessment in the registration process for profes- sional engineers, and to allow applicants to self-assess their experience for registration, APEGBC estab- lished Competency-Based Assessment in June 2011. A key component of this framework is an online tool that allows applicants for professional engineer regis- tration to submit their experience online for valida- tion and assessment. Motions Submitted by Members at AGM Reviewed by Council Generic Indicators for Competency Assessment Approved Revised APEGBC Sustainability Guidelines Approved

APEGBC’s Council of elected members and government appointees meet throughout the year to conduct the business of association governance. The following are the highlights of the November 30, 2012 meeting of APEGBC Council.

NOVEMBER 30, 2012 Work Advances on Foreign Qualifications Recognition

In June 2012, the BC Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation commissioned a review of nine high-demand occupations’ assessment processes (including engineering) with the goal of attracting skilled immigrants to British Columbia. The objectives of the review were to identify barriers to foreign qualification recognition and to work collaboratively with regulatory bodies to improve qualification assessment outcomes. APEGBC collaborated with the ministry to review applications for professional engineer registration through the civil and mechanical disciplines. The review identified several high priority initiatives that could assist the integration of internationally trained professionals into the job market and the profession. In early November, the BC Government an- nounced $4.6 million to fund initiatives for these skilled permanent immigrants. Council provided approval in principle for APEGBC staff to advance proposals that would support additional work in this area, in collaboration, where appropriate, with Engineers Canada and ASTTBC. Recent amendments to the Engineers and Geoscien- tists Act included provisions authorizing “incidental practice” agreements with other Canadian engineering and geoscience regulators. When such agreements are formed between two jurisdictions, engineers or geo- scientists registered in one of the jurisdictions would be permitted to practice for a limited period of time in the other without having to be registered there. The temporary and spontaneous nature of many mineral exploration project evaluations, the large number of professional geoscientists based in BC, and the conflicts between securities legislation and professional licensing legislation make incidental practice a particularly important issue for APEG- BC’s geoscientist members. Representatives from several jurisdictions, including APEGBC, the As- sociation of Professional Engineers and Geoscien- tists of Alberta, and the Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario, have formed a committee Council Supports Advancing Geoscience Incidental Practice

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