INNOVATION January-February 2017

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Bowinn Ma, P.Eng. Expanding the Context of the Code of Ethics

movement, transportation patterns can be influenced by the cost of gas. It should come as no surprise to any of us then that governance creates similar influences on public behavior. From environmental regulations and building codes to the distribution of social funding and the issue of poverty, governances determine the fundamental framework within which companies operate and within which people live, work, suffer, or succeed. Does it not then follow that civic engagement, if not participation and advocacy, is a necessary part of our roles as engineers and geoscientists, and part of our commitment to society? A professional’s ability to safeguard the public, after all, is only as good as the strength of our democracy and political will, through which society roots its judgments of right and wrong. We cannot be content to leave politics to the politicians. The engineering and geoscience communities can and must apply our sense of duty to increasingly greater contexts for the betterment of humanity. Our duty begins with recognising the extent to which our lives are interconnected and being willing to understand varying perspectives on the issues that matter. It transitions into making political engagement a normal part of our lives and evolves into finding the courage to speak out against injustice. How this might manifest in each of us will vary. I have personally reached a tipping point that has led me to run directly for political office. Whatever the expansion of the APEGBC Code of Ethics means for you, at its core must be an understanding that we are collectively responsible for the world we leave behind to future generations. v Bowinn Ma, P.Eng., manages capital construction projects for the Vancouver Airport Authority. In her personal life, she is an advocate, organiser, and critic on policies related to issues of civil rights, civil liberties, social justice, wealth distribution, and the environment. Bowinn is a candidate for Member of the Legislative Assembly in the 2017 Provincial Election.

As is the case with almost every engineer, geoscientist and other professional in this country, my professional designation was granted to me on condition that I know and abide by a code of ethics. In BC, the APEGBC Code of Ethics governing professional engineers and geoscientists includes an obligation to the public, requiring that we “safeguard” and “hold paramount” human life, public welfare, and the environment. A simple concept, it would seem, and yet when you dig deeper, it begs further consideration. If I create a machine that is perfectly safe, but is then used to displace thousands of workers, leaving them unemployed and impoverished, did I hold paramount the welfare of the public? If I develop a new energy source that is then weaponised and used against innocent civilians, did I hold paramount human life? If we believe that professionals play roles in our world critical enough to warrant regulation and codes of ethics, then our collective obligation to the public does not, and should not, end with our fingertips upon a calculator. It is not possible to truly hold paramount the safety and welfare of the public without looking beyond the narrow scope of our immediate work. These are highly complex and political issues that do not disappear simply because we’ve applied the correct factor of safety to our designs. If I know the environmental regulation regarding the discharge of a certain chemical into a local lake is inadequate, but my company insists that I do the bare minimum required to keep the operation legal, have I met my ethical obligation? If I appropriately design my project, but do not advocate for the correction of that regulation, have I truly safeguarded the environment? Something being legal is not the same as something being ethical or moral—so just how far does my responsibility to society go? It can be difficult to see the forest for the trees. As engineers and geoscientists, we recognise the value of influencing human behavior through design and availability and cost of resources: the layout of a building can create predictable patterns of pedestrian

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