INNOVATION March-April 2019

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PROFESSIONAL GOVERNANCE ACT: SUMMARY OF ENGINEERS AND GEOSCIENTISTS BC’S RECOMMENDATIONS TO GOVERNMENT

five professions covered by the new legislation. Engineers and Geoscientists BC has spent several years, guided by an advisory task force and working closely with our membership, to develop a corporate regulation model that improves regulatory oversight, protects the public interest, and provides opportunities to organizations to improve their processes and reduce their risk. The government’s intentions paper recognizes the strength of the model we have developed, and we believe that this model should act as the basis for corporate regulation in BC. In addition, we support the use of this model for multidisciplinary firms so that these firms need only deal with one regulator and one set of processes. We are recommending to government that these regulations come into effect in 2021. 2. Competency Declarations and Conflict of Interest Declarations: Under the proposed Act , when a registered professional provides services that are within their scope of practice, they may be required to sign competency and conflict of interest declarations. Engineers and Geoscientists BC supports the principle of transparency and agrees that further disclosure regarding competence and conflict of interest is in the public interest.

On March 4, 2019, Engineers and Geoscientists BC submitted our formal response to the BC Government’s Regulations Intentions Paper Consequent to the Proposed Professional Governance Act . The Professional Governance Act (the Act ) changes the oversight of Engineers and Geoscientists BC and introduces a number of changes to the regulatory framework in BC. Some of the most significant changes were presented in the Intentions Paper. Working with Council and a focus group of professional members with senior experience in varied disciplines, Engineers and Geoscientists BC has developed policy positions for each of the regulation topics with the goal of offering collaborative advice and considered recommendations for moving BC forward. The first round of regulations addresses the regulation of firms, competency and conflict of interest declarations, and practice rights of professions. A brief overview of the government’s proposed approach for each regulation, along with a summary of Engineers and Geoscientists BC’s response, is outlined below 1. Regulation of Firms: Under the Professional Governance Act , the government is proposing the regulation of firms in BC for all

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— LEADERS FOR A COMPLEX WORLD. BCIT is pleased to announce that Steven Kuan Ph.D., P.Eng., FEC, has been appointed Associate Dean, Natural Resources and Engineering within the School of Construction and the Environment. Steven brings over 25 years of experience in academia, government, consulting, and research. His leadership goes beyond his role as a professional structural engineer and his contributions to the development of seismic design provisions in the BC Building Code. He has also served on many technical and professional committees, boards of directors, review panels, and has volunteered for Engineers and Geoscientists of BC and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

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