INNOVATION May-June 2015

as soc ia t ion notes

Government Relations Update Government Networking Receptions – Building BC’s Future

British Columbians better prepare for an earthquake. APEGBC was consulted as a stakeholder, and the recommenda- tions we made related to post-earth- quake evaluation protocols were cap- tured within one of the report’s overall recommendations, which referred to a need for “enhanced hazard risk and vulnerability analysis, and for increas- ing the availability of emergency management risk data.” APEGBC looks forward to working with government to help implement the recommenda- tions. To download the report, go to embc.gov.bc.ca/em/hazard_prepared- ness/earthquake/prep-consult-report/ pdf/prep-consultation-report.pdf. For more information, see page 27. Professional Practice Guidelines Respond to Mount Polley Recommendations Following the release of the Report on Mount Polley Tailings Storage Facility Breach on January 30, APEGBC initi- ated work on a key recommendation in the report to develop professional practice guidelines for dam site charac- terization assessments. The guidelines will outline the standard of care and professional obligations professional engineers and geoscientists must uphold when conducting these assess- ments, and will define the roles and responsibilities of the various partici- pants and stakeholders involved in this process. The guidelines are scheduled to be released in March 2016, and will complement existing practice stan- dards APEGBC has defined for profes- sional engineers and geoscientists involved in dam-related work, includ- ing APEGBC’s Guidelines for Legislated Dam Safety Reviews in BC . For more information, see page 27. Engineers and geoscientists play a key role in the public safety and well- being, and APEGBC is committed to working constructively with govern- ments at all levels to assist in carry- ing out this responsibility. For more information on APEGBC’s govern- ment relations activities, contact Janet Sinclair, Chief Operating Officer, at jsinclair@apeg.bc.ca.

On April 20 and 21, APEGBC hosted government networking receptions with the BC Liberal Caucus and the BC NDP Official Opposition Caucus in Victoria. The purpose was to provide an informal forum where Council and senior staff could interact with ministers and MLAs to share the ways that APEGBC works on behalf of the people of BC and to hear concerns and answer questions posed by officials. Hon. Andrew Wilkinson, Minister of Advanced Education, brought greet- ings on behalf of the BC Government at the evening reception, which was well attended with 21 caucus mem- bers present throughout the evening, including: Hon. Bill Bennett, Minister of Energy and Mines; Hon. Peter Fass- bender, Minister of Education; Hon. Steve Thomson, Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Opera- tions; Hon. Suzanne Anton, Minister of Justice and Attorney General; Hon. Coralee Oakes, Minister of Commu- nity, Sport and Cultural Development; Hon. Norm Letnick, Minister of Agri- culture; and Dr. Ralph Sultan, P.Eng., MLA for West Vancouver-Capilano. Bruce Ralston, MLA for Surrey-Whal- ley, brought greetings on behalf of the BC Official Opposition caucus at the breakfast reception. Legislative Amendments to the Engineers and Geoscientists Act APEGBC met with Hon. Andrew Wilkinson, Minister of Advanced Education, the ministry responsible for the Act , to discuss APEGBC’s requests to amend our legislation. APEGBC also met with a number of key ministers and officials to review our legislative requests, including Dr. Ralph Sultan, P.Eng., MLA for West Vancouver-Capilano. Earthquake Preparedness Report Released On March 26 the Ministry of Justice released the BC Earthquake Preparedness Consultation Report . The recommendations in the report are an important step in helping

From Top: Dr. Ralph Sultan, P.Eng., MLA West Vancouver- Capilano, and Colin Smith, P.Eng., FEC, APEGBC repre- sentative to the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region. Hon. Peter Fassbender, Minister of Education, and Tony Chong, P.Eng., Chief Regulatory Officer and Deputy Registrar. Hon. Bill Bennett, Minister of Energy and Mines; ‘Lyn Anglin, P.Geo., APEGBC Councillor; and Hon. Steve Thomson, Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations. Dr. John Clague, P.Geo., FGC, FEC (Hon.), President; Ann English, P.Eng., Chief Executive Officer and Registrar; and Hon. Andrew Wilkinson, Minister of Advanced Education.

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