INNOVATION March-April 2017

MARCH/APRIL 2017

VOLUME 21 NUMBER 2

v iewpoint

We have all experienced something like this at work, at school and even at home. Your boss, professor or even partner asks you about a project you’ve been working on. You share the requested information and your thoughts. Then, a few days later, those other individuals in positions of authority decide on a course of action, based on the information you provided, that affects the project’s direction and scope. The same applies at APEGBC. Under the Engineers and Geoscientists Act , the Province of BC delegates the privilege of self- regulation to us; however, the Province remains the final decision- maker on matters of our self-regulation and self-governance, and we must always answer to it. As Premier Christy Clark said last summer, professional self-regulation must be continually earned— it is “granted on behalf of the public by government to professions that say they can do the job and prove they can do the job.” She defined “the job” when she said “the point of self-regulation is to protect the public.” Every time we demonstrate we are doing “the job,” APEGBC and its engineers, geoscientists and licensees build trust with the public and the Province. As we saw with the real estate industry last year and with teachers and private colleges in 2012, if at any time the Province determines a profession has let the public down, it can pull the plug on self-regulation. The Province can also change the scope of self-regulation at will, by creating, amending and enacting legislation. Although APEGBC Council can advise, recommend and request changes to its governing legislation—just as any member of APEGBC or the public can—our influence on what the Province chooses to do remains only that: influence. The APEGBC Council’s role in this landscape of expectation and responsibility is to maintain APEGBC’s role as a trusted partner of the Province, the public and you, our professionals, in keeping the public safe and upholding its interest. Because our association regulates and governs the engineering and geoscience professions in BC, Council’s first duty is to protect the public. In so doing, we prove that the trust the public and Province place in our long-standing, honourable professions remains warranted. To this end, I, the other Council members and APEGBC’s leadership team have been sharing information at branch meetings across the province about BC’s regulatory climate, current challenges, and the association’s regulatory responsibilities. We’re looking to increase member awareness and active engagement in our public protection role, and seek your views and input to better guide the decisions we must make in the public interest through the coming months and years. Your input also helps us align those decisions with the realities and challenges you face and work with every day in these fast-moving, quickly changing times. By showing APEGBC always puts public interest first, we cultivate the Province’s and public’s trust. The more we demonstrate we do this at every level of our professions, the more trust our professions earn. In the end, by cultivating this trust, we increase our potential to influence our professions’ future.

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 APEGBC COUNCIL 2016/2017 P resident b ob s tewart , P.e nG . v iCe -P resident d r . e d C asas , P.e nG . i mmediate P ast P resident d r . m iChael w rinCh , P.e nG ., feC, fGC (h on .) COUNCILLORS C.J.A. Andrewes, P.Eng.; S. Cheema, CA, CPA R. Farbridge, P.Eng.; C. Hall, P.Eng./P.Geo. S. Hayes, P.Eng.; K. Laloge, CPA, CA, TEP; S. Martin, P.Eng. C. Moser, P.Eng.; R.B. Nanson, P.Eng. S.R. Rettie, P.Eng., FEC; L. Spence, P.Eng. K.Tarnai-Lokhorst, P.Eng., FEC; J. Turner, P.Ag. (ret); D. Wells, JD ASSOCIATION STAFF A.J. English, P.Eng. C hief e XeCutive o ffiCer and r eGistrar T.M.Y. Chong, P.Eng. C hief r eGulatory o ffiCer and d ePuty r eGistrar J.Y. Sinclair C hief o PeratinG o ffiCer M.L. Archibald d ireCtor , C ommuniCations and s takeholder e nGaGement J. Cho, CGA d ireCtor , f inanCe and a dministration D. Gamble d ireCtor , i nformation s ystems P.R. Mitchell, P.Eng. d ireCtor , P rofessional P raCtiCe , s tandards and d eveloPment D. Olychick d ireCtor , m ember s erviCes G.M. Pichler, P.Eng. d ireCtor , r eGistration

Self-Regulation and Maintaining Public Trust

Bob Stewart, P.Eng. President

E. Swartz, LLB d ireCtor , l eGislation , e thiCs and C omPlianCe V. Lai, CGA a ssoCiate d ireCtor , f inanCe and a dministration M.A. Rigolo P.Eng., a ssoCiate d ireCtor , e nGineerinG a dmissions m oniQue k eiran , m anaGinG e ditor

APEGBC EDITORIAL BOARD J. Bracho, P.Eng.; E.A. Brown, P.Eng.; K.C. Chan, P.Eng., CPA; S. Chiu, P.Eng.; T. George, P.Eng.; H. Ghalibafian, P.Eng. G. Grill, P.Eng.; R. Gupta, P.Eng.; M.A. Klippenstein, P.Eng.; R. Ord, P.Eng.; A.M. Westin, GIT; M.J. Zieleman, EIT

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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 APEGBC a royalty-free, worldwide licence to publish the material; 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 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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