INNOVATION January-February 2013

l et ter s

Letters to the editor containing your views on topics of interest are encouraged. Opinions expressed in Letters to the Editor are not necessarily endorsed by APEGBC. Letters should be 300 words or less and can be e-mailed to mlau@apeg.bc.ca.

Making a Choice While There’s Still One to Make I read with interest the letter from Niall Parker, P.Eng., and he does proffer some valid questions. I’d like to offer a different perspective. I was on the council of APEGA (Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta) when the subject of “continuing competence” was brought forward by the Alberta Government. As most of the other professions in the province already had such a program, APEGA felt it had a choice to make—implement a program acceptable to the government, or the government would impose one. We wisely decided that the former was the better option. There was spirited discussion at Council meetings about how continuing competence could be assured with a program, whether voluntary or mandatory. Council came to the realization that Continuing Professional Development would ensure that members undertook activities in areas that at least held the pos- sibility of members continuing to learn throughout their careers. The assumption was made that all members demonstrated de facto continuing competence by virtue of remaining gainfully employed—the job market looked after that.

The program was implemented on a mandatory basis right from the start, but not without considerable resistance from members. At most of the consultation meetings the majority of members attending were opposed to it. That sentiment contin- ued for quite some time, and numerous members continued to express their displeasure until eventually they resigned them- selves to the fact that the program was not going to go away. To be fair, there were members who supported the initiative, but the overall sense was more negative than positive. To deal with those who refused to comply, APEGA subse- quently introduced cancellation of registration. Some 16 years later, there are only rare instances of someone complaining about the need to comply with the program. I would suggest that the membership of APEGBC should wholeheartedly embrace the program they designed and imple- mented, lest government decide they can do a better job of it. John Wood, P.Eng. New Westminster, BC

n ewsmaker s

Recent Appointments

Opus DaytonKnight is pleased to welcome to our team:

APEGBC Members Recognized by Mining Community

Timothy Phelan, P.Eng., P.E. Central Okanagan Manager

Five APEGBC members were honoured by the BC mining community at the 2012 Association for Mineral Exploration BC (AME BC) awards presented as a part of Mineral Exploration Roundup, January 28-31, 2013. Rob Carne, P.Geo., and Bill Wengzynowski, P.Eng., were recipients of the H.H. “Spud” Huestis Award for excellence in prospecting and mineral exploration. They were recog- nized particularly for their roles in the recent discovery and development of the Rackla Gold Belt in east central Yukon. The E.A. Scholz Award for excellence in mine develop- ment was awarded to David Fawcett, P.Eng., and Mark Fields, P.Geo., for their role in the rebirth of the coal mining indus- try in northeastern British Columbia through their efforts in establishing new coal mines in the coalfield. The recipient of the Gold Pan Award for Exceptional Meritorious Service to the Mineral Exploration Community through the Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia was Dr. Robert Stevens, P.Geo. Stevens has been a director of AME BC since 2001 and was the association chair in 2008 and 2009. In 2011, Stevens was the recipient of the C.J. Westerman Memorial Award, APEGBC’s highest honour for a professional geoscientist.

Timothy Phelan has joined our Kelowna office as the Central Okanagan Manager providing municipal engineering services to the greater Okanagan and Kootenay areas. Tim has over 20 years experience in water and wastewater consulting, specializing in water treatment and

disinfection technologies, process design, transmission, and project management. His experience in the western U.S. and B.C. include high profile projects for Metro Vancouver, City of Portland, and several major utilities in southern California.

Stephen Burns, P.Eng., PMP, C.Eng., MICE Central Alberta Manager

Stephen Burns has undertaken the role of Central Alberta Manager, with a mandate to expand our capabilities throughout Alberta. He will oversee offices in Calgary and Red Deer. Stephen has over 20 years of broad-based civil engineering experience in water and wastewater, and has worked in both the private and public sectors in the UK, Ireland and Canada.

www.opusdaytonknight.com

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