INNOVATION January-February 2014

APEGBC Update on Government Relations Activities As a part of its regulatory role, APEGBC works with municipal, provincial, and fed- eral governments to enhance public protection and provide leadership in addressing issues relating to the practice of professional engineering and geoscience. The follow- ing describes some of the current activities in which APEGBC has been engaged. Since the summer, APEGBC has had meetings with Amrik Virk, Minister of Advanced Education; Peter Fassbender, Minister of Education; AndrewWilkinson, Minister of Technology, Innovation, and Citizens’ Services; Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism, and Skills Training and Ministry Responsible for Labour; and Dr. Ralph Sultan, P.Eng., MLA for West Vancouver – Capilano to discuss APEGBC’s partnership with the BC Government and priorities for the coming year. Sewerage Guidelines APEGBC partnered with the Ministry of Health and the Applied Science Technolo- gists and Technicians of BC (ASTTBC) to present a seminar on the APEGBC Profes- sional Practice Guidelines—Onsite Sewerage Systems in five locations across the province (Nanaimo, Nelson, Kamloops, Prince George, and Langley). Government Core Review APEGBC has expressed interest to government in being included as a stakeholder in its current core review process. A letter, co-signed with the Association of BC Forest Professionals, highlighted our support of professional reliance in the natural resource sector. We continue to pursue this issue with government staff. Environmental Operators Certification Project APEGBC continues its support of the Environmental Operators Certification Project (EOCP) Project. This work with the ministry and other stakeholders seeks to achieve consensus on how environmental operators should be classified and certified to sup- APEGBC, in partnership with ASTTBC and the BC Ministry of Jobs, Tourism, and Skills Training, has developed a new online self-assessment tool to assist internation- ally trained professionals entering the engineering and technology fields in British Columbia. The self-assessment tool for potential applicants is now available online (see page 6). Seismic Retrofit Guidelines APEGBC held a full-day training session on the Seismic Retrofit Guidelines 2 nd Edi- tion (SRG2) in collaboration with the BC Ministry of Education and the BC Ministry of Advanced Education. Over 100 professional engineers were in attendance. Legislated Dam Safety Review Guidelines In September, Council approved revisions to the Legislated Dam Safety Review Guidelines to include mining dams. The new version of the guideline is undergoing final editorial and legal review and will be posted on the APEGBC website shortly. In October, a presentation on the Guidelines (unrevised version) was given at the APEGBC Annual Conference and AGM. APEGBC staff, along with senior staff from the BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations presented the Guidelines at the Annual Conference of the Canadian Dam Association in Montreal. The revised guidelines will now address the standard of care to be followed by professional engineers and geoscientists who carry out dam safety reviews of dams regulated under the Mines Act . Engineers and geoscientists play a key role in public safety and well-being, and APEGBC is committed to working constructively with government at all levels to assist in carrying out this responsibility. For more information on APEGBC’s government rela- tions activities, contact Janet Sinclair, Chief Operating Officer, at jsinclair@apeg.bc.ca. port public safety. Labour Mobility

2014 APEGBC President’s Awards Call for Nominations The APEGBC President’s Awards are BC’s top honours for professional engineers, professional geoscientists, and limited licensees. The awards program was created to recognize the exemplary and outstanding professional, technical, and community contributions of APEGBC members. APEGBC asks members to identify deserving individuals within the engineering and geoscience community—professionals who serve as role models, excel at what they do, and inspire others. Nominations are now being accepted until Friday, April 11, 2014. There are seven categories of President’s Awards: meritorious achievement, community service, professional service, and teaching at the post-secondary level. The Young Professional Award recognizes an individual not older than 35 years of age who combines professional achievement, community service, and professional service early in their career. The R. A. McLachlan Memorial Award and the C. J. Westerman Memorial Award are APEGBC’s premier awards for engineering and geoscience respectively, and recognize those who have made a significant contribution to their profession throughout their careers. Nomination forms, along with information on the nomination process, are available online at apeg.bc.ca/awards. If you have questions about the awards program or how to nominate someone, contact Laurel Buss, Commu- nications Officer, at lbuss@apeg.bc.ca or 604.412.6052

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