INNOVATION January-February 2015

counc i l repor t

“That Council consider providing an appropriate level of support to the APEG Foundation (to be determined in consultation with the Foundation) to achieve the Foundation’s long term strategic goals.” Council referred this motion to the Executive Committee so that additional support for the Foundation can be considered within the context of overall budget planning for the associa- tion. The Executive Committee will deliver a recommendation to Council as part of the 2015/2016 budget approval process. “That Council consider reintroducing a practice followed by Council of previous years – the practice being the publishing of the APEGBC budget for the coming year.” Council referred this motion to the Executive Committee. This committee has been delegated responsibility for financial oversight, including reviewing and recommending finance related policy recommendations. The Executive Committee will deliver a recommendation to Council for the June 19, 2015 meeting. Budget Guidelines Approved for Upcoming Year Council’s budget planning process aligns with the three year strategic plan. Now preparing for year two of the three-year cycle, Council approved budget guidelines for 2015/2016 that will also be used as the guidelines for the proforma 2016/2017 budget. Council approved general updates to the guideline, and also approved the recommendation that there be no member fee increase for 2015/2016.

APEGBC’s Council of elected members and government representatives meets throughout the year to conduct the business of association governance. The following are the highlights of the November 28, 2014 meeting.

Members to be Consulted on Proposed Bylaw and Legislative Amendments Council is seeking member feedback through two consultation processes now underway. Member input is being sought on a proposed bylaw for professional development, as well as on several proposed amendments to APEGBC’s governing legislation. For more information on these topics, see pages 13 and 14. Pilot for Canadian Environment Experience Alternatives Council approved APEGBC’s participation in a national pilot to assess proposed alternatives to the requirement for applicants to have one year of Canadian environment experience. Since March 2013, with funding support from the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training, APEGBC has been leading a national project to articulate the competencies and outcomes that must be met for safe engineering practice in Canada, and to identify potential routes to registration with alternative require- ments that will meet the intent of the current one-year Canadian environment experience requirement. This project, which has garnered national and international interest, aligns with the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Policy on removing the Canadian experience barrier (July 2013) that states in part: “…a strict requirement for ‘Canadian experience’ is prima facie discrimination (discrimination on its face) and can only be used in very limited circumstances.” In May 2014 a report on research and recommendations was submitted to the Ministry. The second phase of this project is looking at ways to implement the recommendations, and involves representatives from Engineers Canada and the provincial/ter- ritorial engineering regulatory bodies. This group has identified alternative methods of demonstrating the required competen- cies that currently can only be approved by gaining one year of experience in a Canadian environment under the supervision of a professional engineer. Consultation with the regulatory groups is underway prior to initiating a pilot of the proposed routes. The one-year pilot is expected to commence in March 2015 under the At the Annual General Meeting, APEGBC members and licensees have an opportunity to put forward motions for Council consideration. The following outlines the three motions passed by the assembly at the October 25 AGM, as well as Council’s actions on them. “That Council consider granting Honorary Professional Engineer status to Col. Chris Hadfield to recognize his outstanding contribu- tion as a Canadian-trained engineer.” Council referred this motion to the Standing Awards Committee. This committee has been delegated the responsibil- ity of recommending awards and special recognitions including honorary membership. A recommendation will be delivered to Council in February. project management of APEGBC. Follow Up on Motions Passed at AGM

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