INNOVATION July-August 2013

Submitting Motions for the 2013 Annual General Meeting Proposed motions for APEGBC’s 2013 annual general meeting should be submitted to the Governance Committee no later than Wednesday, October 16, 2013, in order to enable publication in advance of the meeting on October 26. Under the Engineers and Geoscientists Act , APEGBC holds an annual general Meeting (AGM) of its members. Reports are provided by the president and the CEO on the activities of the past year, and the financial report is presented. At the meeting, members are provided with the opportunity to ask questions and make motions for consideration by Council. Motions may be proposed by registered professional members (P.Eng., P.Geo.) or by limited licensees (Eng.L., Geo.L.). Proposed motions will be published on the APEGBC website, www.apeg. bc.ca. By reviewing the proposed motions in advance of the AGM, members and licensees will know what is going to be debated and can decide if they wish to attend the AGM based on that information. The Governance Committee will contact members submitting proposed motions to address any procedural issues with the proposed motion prior to its publication. Information on the correct format for motions and how to submit them for review and publication can be found online at www.apeg.bc.ca/ac2013/agm.html. Please note that a mover and a seconder for the motion will still need to be present at the AGM. The AGM will be held on Saturday, October 26, 2013, at the Whistler Conference Centre in Whistler, BC. Task Force Reports on Gender Imbalance in Engineering and Geoscience Professions APEGBC’s Women in Engineering and Geoscience Task Force recently presented its final report at the June 14, 2013, meeting of Council. The report makes a number of recommendations on how APEGBC can work to mitigate the gender imbalance in engineering and geoscience. In March 2013, Council established the Women in Engineering and Geoscience Task Force to identify the causes of gender imbalance in the engineering and geoscience professions, make recommendations as to how they could be addressed effectively by APEGBC, and indicate metrics that would evaluate success. The task force is composed of representatives from industry, academia, regulatory organizations and crown corporations. Task force findings have indicated that in comparison to other professions, engineering and geoscience recruit substantially fewer women, and that more women leave these two professions than others that require a similar level of education. In its report, the task force affirms that “APEGBC needs to act now to catch up with other associations and the federal government and provide leadership for its members.” Significant research on the issue of gender imbalance in the professions exists, the report notes, as does sufficient evidence in support of the actions proposed in the recommendations. The task force report identifies two key issues of recruitment and retention, and presents a strategy along with recommendations for how APEGBC can take action in these areas. These include creating partnerships with stakeholders in support of gender diversity and improving outreach. APEGBC’s career awareness and mentoring programs were also seen as two strategic areas of growth. The complete report of the Women in Engineering and Geoscience Task Force is available at www.apeg.bc.ca/about/wiegtf.html. For more information about the report or the Women in Engineering and Geoscience Task Force, contact Janet Sinclair at jsinclair@apeg.bc.ca.

New APEGBC Website Unveiled This Fall A new APEGBC website is set to launch in fall 2013. The site will feature improved navigation as well as a fresh look and feel that is more representative of its purpose and its intended users. The most important change to the site is that it will now be easier for users to search for and locate content. APEGBC’s website is a key communications asset, and is often the first point of contact for potential members as well as the public. It is the main source for information on engineering and geoscience in BC, such as practice standards and guidelines or the registration process. With the goal of improving the end-user experience, the redesign process involved input from key stakeholders who use the APEGBC website, such as members, applicants for registration, and university students. The new website has been much anticipated by members and staff alike who indicated that they found the current site at times difficult to navigate, or dated in look and feel. APEGBC’s use of social media has made it even more important to have a modern web presence, as the website is the main hub for social media to link back to. Over the next few months, APEGBC members can expect to see other changes related to web communications, reflective of the new site.

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