INNOVATION January-February 2016

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016 VOLUME 20 NUMBER 1

v iewpoint

As a designer of electrical systems, I am required to stay on top of the latest safety advances. The focus on safety pervades my work, as it does for all professional engineers and geoscientists. Given this, I was taken aback by an article recently published in MIT Technology Review , entitled “Why Self-Driving Cars Must Be Programmed to Kill.” The author explains that, before self-driving cars become widely accepted by the public, carmakers must address an impossible ethical dilemma. In other words, if a self-driving car is faced with an unavoidable accident with only two bad options—for example, either driving off a cliff or ploughing into a large group of people— it must be programmed to weigh options and choose the most appropriate action. Should it kill its passengers? Or collide with— and possibly injure or kill—a larger number of people? Quite aside from the article’s sensational title, the described scenario represents the tip of an iceberg. What if the car’s algorithm knew the passengers’ health status, for example, and weighed that information against known demographics of the other potential victims? How would such information affect the outcome? As an ethical dilemma, the answer comes down to balancing divergent values. I expect, through public engagement, automakers—and society—will eventually arrive at an appropriate balance. But no matter how appropriate, it will be imperfect. At any time, some values will supersede others, and some interests will be protected at the expense of others. A less extreme but equally challenging question of ethical and professional values faces APEGBC Council. As the group charged with governing the province’s regulatory body for engineers and geoscientists, we are required to make decisions that support APEGBC’s duty to protect the public interest. However, some such decisions may not always directly support the interests of individual members, Council and staff. Such problematic decisions may relate to membership entrance requirements and membership fees, practice reviews, disciplinary hearings, bylaw amendments, and even the current consideration of corporate regulation. Self-regulation occurs when a professional group enters into an agreement with government to formally regulate its members’ activities. Professional self-regulation enables government to control a profession’s practice and services without having to develop its own capacity and in-depth expertise that it would require if it regulated the professions directly. It is a common approach to professional regulation in British Columbia and in Canada. Self-regulation carries some benefits for professions, but the primary mandate—and guiding principle—is protection of public interest. To avoid conflict of interest, APEGBC Council relies on multiple sources of information and member engagement to attain the clarity needed to make good decisions. Although we are not currently struggling with the challenges faced by engineering professionals who are developing self- driving cars, Council is dealing with similar ethical dilemmas: how to weigh what is truly public interest, and how to best implement change that protects future generations.

Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC Suite 200 - 4010 Regent Street, Burnaby, BC Canada V5C 6N2 Tel: 604.430.8035 Fax: 604.430.8085 Email: apeginfo@apeg.bc.ca Internet: apeg.bc.ca Toll free: 1.888.430.8035

2015/2016 COUNCIL, APEGBC P resident D r . M.C. Wrinch, P.Eng., FEC V ice P resident R.P. Stewart, P.Eng. I mmediate P ast P resident Dr. J.J. Clague, P.Geo., FGC

Managing Our Regulatory Duty

COUNCILLORS C.J.A. Andrewes, P.Eng.; D r . C.D. ‘Lyn Anglin, P.Geo. D.E. Campbell, P.Eng.; R. Farbridge, P.Eng. A. Fernandes, CIM, FCSI; C. Hall, P.Eng./P.Geo. D.I. Harvey, P.Eng., Struct.Eng., FEC; K. Laloge, CPA, CA, TEP S. Martin, P.Eng.; T. Mitha, LLB C. Moser, P.Eng.; C.L. Park, P.Eng. K.V. Tarnai-Lokhorst, P.Eng.; J. Turner, P.Ag.

ASSOCIATION STAFF A.J. English, P.Eng. C hief E xecutive O fficer A nd R egistrar T.M.Y. Chong, P.Eng. C hief R egulatory O fficer A nd D eputy R egistrar J.Y. Sinclair C hief O perating O fficer M.L. Archibald D irector , C ommunications A nd S takeholder E ngagement J. Cho, CGA D irector , F inance A nd A dministration D. Gamble D irector , I nformation S ystems P.R. Mitchell, P.Eng. D irector , P rofessional P ractice , S tandards A nd D evelopment D. Olychick D irector , M ember S ervices G.M. Pichler, P.Eng. D irector , R egistration E. Swartz, LLB D irector , L egislation , E thics A nd C ompliance V. Lai, CGA A ssociate D irector , F inance A nd A dministration J.J.G. Larocque P.Eng., LLB, CD A ssociate D irector , P rofessional P ractice M.A. Rigolo P.Eng., A ssociate D irector , E ngineering A dmissions M onique K eiran , M anaging E ditor

Dr. Michael Wrinch, P.Eng., FEC President

EDITORIAL BOARD K.C. Chan, P.Eng., CPA; S. Chiu, P.Eng. D.E. Falkins, Eng.L.; T. George, P.Eng. R. Gupta, P.Eng. ; C.L. Hall, P.Eng./P.Geo. S.K. Hayes, P.Eng.; M.A. Klippenstein, P.Eng. I. Kokan, P.Eng.; B. Thomson, P.Geo., FEC (Hon.) M.J. Zieleman, EIT

president@ apeg.bc.ca

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Subscription rates per issue $4.50; six issues yearly $25.00. Annual subscriptions of Association members are apportioned from membership dues in the amount of $15 per member (rates do not include tax). Innovation is published six times a year by the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia. As the official publication of the association, Innovation is circulated to members of the engineering and geoscience professions, architects, contractors and industry executives. The views expressed in any article contained herein do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the Council or membership of this association. Submission Guidelines: Innovation encourages unsolicited articles and photos. By submitting material to Innovation , you grant Innovation a royalty-free, worldwide licence to publish the material in Innovation magazine; and you warrant that you have the authority to grant such rights and have obtained waivers of all associated moral rights. Innovation reserves the right to edit the material for length, clarity and conformity with our editorial guidelines (apeg.bc.ca/innovation-editorial) and is under no obligation to publish any or all submissions or any portion thereof, including credits. All material is copyright. Please contact the Managing Editor for reprint permission.

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