INNOVATION May-June 2012

as soc ia t ion notes

APEGBC Staff Appointments APEGBC is pleased to announce the following appointments:

Legislation to Amend the Engineers and Geoscientists Act introduced in the BC Legislature As the regulatory body responsible for the practice of professional engineering and geoscience, APEGBC’s core mandate is to uphold and protect the public interest through regulation and leadership of the professions. Brought into law in 1920, the Engineers and Geoscientists Act ( Act ) has never been rewritten in its entirety. There has been a long-standing need for a comprehensive rewrite of the Act, and for many years, APEGBC has struggled under this outdated legislation to fulfill its duties to the public and to its members. Through an extensive consultation process over the past several years with members, stakeholders and government, APEGBC has been requesting priority amendments that would seek to modernize the Act . Bill 41, the Miscellaneous Statutes Amendment Act (No 2), 2012, was introduced in the legislature on May 1, 2012 by Minister of Justice and Attorney General Shirley Bond. This bill includes the 11 amendments to the Engineers and Geoscientists Act requested by APEGBC. On May 9, 2012, the amendments to the Act passed the committee stage and as of the writing of this article the bill was awaiting third reading. The amendments provide APEGBC with broader options for managing investigation and discipline matters, and enable streamlining of the registration process. “This is a positive move that is in the interest of the public as well as the professions of engineering and geoscience,” said APEGBC President Jeff Holm PEng FEC, “We thank government for introducing the legislation we need in order to effectively carry out our regulatory duty.” A number of the amendments will require bylaws to frame how processes will be carried out. As required by the Act , these bylaws will be put before the membership for ratification. Questions regarding the new legislation can be directed to Geoff Thiele, Director, Legislation, Ethics, and Compliance at gthiele@apeg.bc.ca.

Responsible for facilitating and strengthening APEGBC’s collaborative relationships at the provincial and interprovincial levels, Tony Chong will oversee the

development of regulatory frameworks that enhance the

Tony Chong PEng Chief Regulatory Officer and Deputy Registrar

Association’s capacity to evaluate internationally educated applicants as well as understand the special needs of industry, construction, and natural resource development. Mr Chong has over 17 years of experience as Chief Administrative Officer with the City of Port Coquitlam. Prior to joining the City of Port Coquitlam, Mr Chong held senior executive level positions with the Northwest Territorial Government (NWT) as the Regional Superintendent of Public Works for the Western Arctic and Vice-President for the NWT Housing Corporation. Mr Chong holds a Bachelor of Engineering from the Royal Military College of Canada and a Master of Applied Science in Environmental Studies from the University of Toronto.

Members Respond to Petition on Act Amendments

On January 3, 2012, APEGBC received a petition from 70 members calling for a ballot regarding APEGBC Council’s request to the provincial government for modernizing amendments to the Engineers and Geoscientists Act. In accordance with section 12(7) of the Act , the Association is required to take a vote of the members by ballot upon the written request of 25 or more members. In total, 35 amendments were requested—12 of which were identified as priority. The petition referred to one requested amendment that proposes that APEGBC Council be given the ability to make bylaws in the public interest without the requirement for member ratification. The amendment in question was removed from the list of priority requests on December 20, 2011 to allow for additional consultation. Voting opened on April 18 and closed on May 17. During this four-week period, 5,850 members voted, representing 27.1% of eligible voters. The results of the vote were as follows:

As Associate Director, Finance and Administrative Services, Vincent Lai is extensively involved in the annual auditing, budgeting, billing, and monthly financial reporting processes as well as management of a variety of administrative responsibilities.  Mr Lai joined

Vincent Lai CGA Associate Director, Finance and Administration

Motion

In Favour Opposed Result

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

4,084 69.8%

1,766 30.2%

APEGBC in 2011 as Accounting Manager, Finance and Administrative Services, and possesses a wide breadth of experience in accounting and finance from his previous roles as Finance Manager at Teligence Group, and Controller at Intrawest ULC and Bailey Group.  A Certified General Accountant, Mr Lai holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of British Columbia.

Passed

APEGBC Council will be considering the results of this ballot in the coming months. For more information on APEGBC’s requests for legislative amendments, please visit www.apeg.bc.ca/ actmodernization/.

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