INNOVATION March-April 2012

Member Ballot to be taken on Act Amendment Requests In September 2011, APEGBC Council made a formal request to the provincial government for legislative amendments to modernize the Engineers and Geoscientists Act. The proposed amendments would address current regulatory challenges, reflect the best practices of regulators, and enable APEGBC to work more effectively in the public interest. In total, 35 amendments were requested—12 of which were identified as priority. On January 3, APEGBC received a petition from 70 members calling for a ballot regarding this request to government to amend the Act . Background The 35 proposed Act amendments submitted to the provincial

would not be subject to a member vote, but would still undergo a full consultation process before being submitted to the Minister of Advanced Education. All legislation must receive Royal Assent before it becomes law and must be approved by the Lieutenant Governor in Council (government). Petition for Special Ballot In early January, APEGBC received a petition calling for a member ballot regarding the request to government to amend the Engineers and Geoscientists Act . Signed by 70 members, the petition called for a member ballot to be held on the following motion:

government in September address current regulatory challenges, reflect the best practices of regulators, and enable APEGBC to work more effectively in the public interest. The amendments were identified, developed and reviewed by over 100 members and public appointees serving on several APEGBC task forces and committees—including the Professional Renewal Task Force, the Registration, Investigation, Discipline, Professional Practice, and Governance committees, the Registration Task Force, and the Legislative Review Task Force. Council also engaged in an extensive consultation process with members and other stakeholders to obtain input on the proposed changes including discussion with practice committees, member surveys, town hall meetings with branches throughout the province, AGM presentations, and many meetings with other associations and government. Further Developments Following the submission of the request to government in September, a motion was put forward at the 2011 Annual General Meeting in Kelowna asking Council to reconsider the amendment request that would enable Council to make bylaws related to the public interest without requiring member ratification. The motion was defeated by the members present at the meeting. Members of Council, branch representatives, and staff have continued to seek feedback on the requested legislative amendments. In late December, APEGBC’s Executive Committee made the decision to pursue additional consultation on the issue of Council setting public interest bylaws and withdrew this request from the list of priority amendments previously submitted to the government. Recently, Council adopted a policy that structures member consultation into the bylaw development process. After a need for a bylaw revision is identified, Council will advise members of the proposed change and rationale, and will seek member feedback to inform the process and to identify specific concerns that can be considered in the drafting of the bylaw. In the future, should government enable APEGBC Council to approve public interest bylaws without requiring member ratification, any bylaws approved by Council

“That Council re-consider the request to Government to enact amendments to the Engineers and Geoscientists Act, and withdraw the request for amendments that would allow Council to make changes to the Bylaws of the Association without the approval of 2/3 of the votes cast by ballot as required by the Act.”

In accordance with section 12(7) of the Engineers and Geoscientists Act, the Association is required to take a vote of the members by ballot upon the written request of 25 or more members. This vote will take place via electronic ballot and will cost approximately $15,000 to conduct. Voting will commence April 18 and close at noon on May 17, 2012 . Members will be notified via e-mail on April 18 that voting has opened, and will be provided with additional information at that time. A link will also be available on the home page of the APEGBC website at www. apeg.bc.ca. Paper ballots may be requested by phone at (604) 430-8035 or toll free 1-888-430-8035, by e-mail at apeginfo@apeg.bc.ca, or by mail at APEGBC, 200-4010 Regent Street, Burnaby, BC, V5C 6N2. For more information on APEGBC’s request for legislative amendments to the Act , visit www.apeg.bc.ca/actmodernization/.

NOTICE OF MEMBER BALLOT Voting opens: April 18, 2012 Voting closes: Noon, May 17, 2012 Ballot Question:

“That Council re-consider the request to Government to enact amendments to the Engineers and Geoscien- tists Act, and withdraw the request for amendments that would allow Council to make changes to the By- laws of the Association without the approval of 2/3 of the votes cast by ballot as required by the Act”

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