INNOVATION May-June 2017

MAY/JUNE 2017

VOLUME 21 NUMBER 3

v iewpoint

During the past six months, APEGBC Council and executive staff have traveled around BC to engage in discussions with branch executives. We have received tremendous feedback and, I hope, helped to clarify collective understanding of the association’s duty and responsibilities as the regulator of the engineering and geoscience professions in BC. We used input we received from members to help shape APEGBC priorities for the next few years. As reported in these pages (Page 10), the association’s strategic plan sets our association’s direction and priorities for the next three years. The Strategic Plan 2017–2020 includes greater focus on our regulatory responsibilities. We are fortunate in BC that the engineering and geoscience professions have self-regulating privileges. Self-regulation is the process whereby a profession monitors its members’ adherence to legal, ethical, or safety standards, rather than have an outside, independent agency monitor and enforce those standards. Professional self-regulation allows government to control a profession’s practice and service without having to develop its own capacity and in-depth expertise in the professions. Professions benefit, in that self-regulation allows them to actively participate in their own evolution and enables them to set standards and control quality of service. At APEGBC, we do this in many ways. We develop guidelines that set standards and expectations for professional practice. Volunteers, committees, and members of APEGBC have been working hard to produce a suite of new and revised guidelines dealing with a wide range of fields of practice. See Page 61 to read about two newly published professional practice guidelines. Our quality management guidelines set standards of practice that apply to all practicing members. Although the standards are widely applicable, APEGBC’s voluntary Organizational Quality Management (OQM) Program is extending their reach to engineering and geoscience firms across BC (Page 62). As you may know, APEGBC has also been exploring whether regulatory oversight should be extended to include organizations that provide engineering and geoscience services in BC. At the moment, BC and Quebec are the only provinces without regulatory authority over organizations. After reviewing this issue and consulting with members during the last year, the Advisory Task Force on Corporate Practice presented its recommendations to Council in April, and Council has directed the Task Force to move to Phase 2 of its investigation into this issue (Page 13). You—our members—are key to the development of these initiatives and standards, as well as their enforcement. APEGBC’s numerous committees, task forces, boards and groups are run by members. You are key to supporting APEGBC as we support you. Together, we maintain our professions’ reputation for excellence, ethics and progress, and work to further government and public confidence in the self- regulatory system administered by APEGBC.

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

Benefits and Responsibilities of Self-Regulation

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 L. S teele , P.G eo ., A ssociate D irector , P rofessional P ractice 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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