INNOVATION March-April 2012

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Sober Second Thought In April all voting members of APEGBC will receive an electronic ballot regarding a motion to urge retention of a member’s right to vote on proposed bylaws. This is the result of a petition signed by 70 members including 19 past presidents, all of whom have been active in your association and hold protection of the public as paramount. Many feel that elimination of members’ voting rights is wrong on several counts. It: • Eliminates the “sober second thought” otherwise provided directly by the voting membership as well as the indirect pressure on Council and staff who know that their recommendations will be reviewed by the members. • Ignores the unique dual role of our association in regulating our professions in the public interest while at the same time being responsible for protecting the interests of its members and licensees. • Is professionally insulting, suggesting to the membership that Act became law 92 years ago. Apart from occasional reviews and amendments, the Act has not been brought into line with changing public policies since 1920. In 2009 I chaired APEGBC’s appointed Legislative Review Task Force to recommend legislative changes. Based on extensive work carried out by several APEGBC committees, our reviews covered existing practices of similar self-regulatory associations. Public trust is a guiding principle of the amendments. An open and transparent manner is vital to balance public interest and advance our profession. I am aware that some members are concerned with the proposal to change the current method of approving bylaws/regulations that govern public interest. The proposed amendments would preserve the membership’s right to vote on governance issues. At the same time, the they are not to be trusted–only Council has any true concern for Public Trust is a Guiding Principle I recommend that APEGBC members support the legislative amendments proposed by Council. The first Engineers and Geoscientists

Letters to the editor containing your views on topics of interest are encouraged. Opinions expressed in Letters to the Editor are not necessarily endorsed by APEGBC. Letters can be e-mailed to mlau@apeg.bc.ca.

public safety! No member votes against a proposed bylaw in hopes of enabling them to do shoddy, unprofessional work. Regulatory and practice bylaws are core APEGBC issues and letting members have a voice on core issues is not a unique model. The BC Society Act requires a special resolution passed by 75% of the members to change a bylaw. The BC Business Corporations Act suggests a two-thirds to three-quarters majority of the members to change a bylaw. The dual goals of APEGBC, its dependence on volunteers and the widely diverse disciplines involved require an even more open and participatory governance model than a publicly traded corporation. This issue has only been put on the back burner for now, future Councils need to know your opinion. Vote “Yes” in April to ensure you retain your right to responsibly participate in your profession. Dennis McJunkin PEng FEC Delta, BC elected council would have authority to introduce regulations on issues concerning public interest and professional practice. Granting such authority to Council would be timely and effective. APEGBC’s existing inflexible system, focused more on members’ interests than on the public interest, is ill-matched with current national professional regulation. The privilege of self-regulation and the public trust is harmed by APEGBC’s failure to address public interest issues in a timely manner. We should not risk isolation among national engineering and geosciences groups by continuing to support our inflexible structure. The proposed amendments, if adopted, will advance APEGBC’s mandate. Our processes will be brought into line with provincial policies that promote innovation as well as national and international professional mobility. Roy Wares PEng FEC Vancouver, BC

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