INNOVATION-May-June-2020

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REGISTRANTS PROVIDE FEEDBACK ON NEW CODE OF ETHICS OBLIGATIONS Under the Professional Governance Act , each regulator under this legislation— including Engineers and Geoscientists BC—must include a minimum of 12 • 12. Work Diligently and Follow Standards of Documentation (new)

the planned revision to the existing Guideline to the Code of Ethics, and other additional training resources. The updated Code of Ethics will now be formalized through Bylaw and reviewed by Council in June. Subject to Council’s passing of the proposed bylaw, along with ministerial approval through the Office of the Superintendent of Professional Governance, the new Code of Ethics will come into effect in November 2020. For more information on

Furthermore, survey respondents provided feedback on what tools, guidance, and resources Engineers and Geoscientists BC could develop to help registrants better understand their new obligations, including training and coaching, examples of practical application in professional practice, and additional communications. Engineers and Geoscientists BC will continue to ensure key questions raised through the survey are addressed through

standardized mandatory principles within their Code of Ethics for their registrants. Engineers and Geoscientists BC recently drafted an updated version of its Code of Ethics to align with these requirements, and reached out to registrants for feedback on how well they understood their obligations under this new Code. Overall, survey respondents indicated a strong understanding of the new Code of Ethics, with approximately 87 percent indicating they either “fully” or “mostly” understood their obligations. In terms of further information, registrants are seeking practical examples of how each principle is applied and clarification identified five new principles and one existing (but expanded) principle as requiring the most clarification: • 3. Follow the Law (new) • 4. Follow the Standards of Government and Engineers and Geoscientists BC (new) • 7. Distinguish Facts from Assumptions and Opinions (new) • 9. Duty to Report • 11. Each Professional is Responsible (new) on the scope of each principle. In particular, survey respondents

changes to the Code of Ethics, visit egbc.ca/Code-of-Ethics.

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