INNOVATION November-December 2012

November/December 2012 Volume 16 Number 6

v iewpoint

For my initial contribution to Viewpoint, I thought I would provide my views on the outlook for our professions in British Columbia. In order to do so, there is a need to consider a number of factors that are relevant to making such an assessment. The first is our education environment. Starting with initial programs at UBC in 1915, we now have over 30 engineering and geoscience programs at six BC institutions, with over 1,000 graduates each year. These numbers are continually increasing and, as well, there is an ongoing evolution of our approaches to education. We have a rigorous accreditation system for engineering, and overall our engineering and geoscience programs are truly world class. We are also at the forefront of research and development. R&D expenditures in our disciplines—at BC universities alone—are over $100 million per year. Commercialization levels depend on supportive intellectual property policies, and this climate is gradually improving. But it is our professional practice that is truly remarkable. Starting with our contributions to BC’s development—with an early focus on transportation (railways, roads) and resources (mining, forestry)— our professional activities now relate to virtually all aspect of our lives: our homes, transport, energy production and consumption, health and well-being, communications, comfort and entertainment, and communities. Our engineers and geoscientists are engaged in thousands of projects in BC, across Canada and around the world, and across a wide range of sectors. We have a rigorous regulatory environment so as to recognize the public interest and assure the highest standards of public safety. And, we are providing solutions that are safe, cost effective, sustainable and socially acceptable. But, what of the future? There is a need to assess and respond to our changing environment, and to future challenges and opportunities. The former includes economic restructuring from goods and services to knowledge and information; globalization; the impact of information, communications and other technologies; an increased recognition of environmental, sustainability and climate change considerations; a greater focus on one-stop-shop packaged services; and mergers and acquisitions leading to multifunctional, multinational firms. Challenges and opportunities for our professions relate to such areas as global warming climate change, sea-level rise, poverty and population growth issues worldwide, resource development (including exploration, production, transmission and distribution), sustainability and environmental protection, natural hazards, and risk assessment and mitigation. A significant unknown is the future economic and business climate—these are key drivers of job growth, productivity increases and living standards. In these areas, BC and Canada are highly ranked worldwide, although further advances to Canada’s innovation agenda are needed. Another particular area that requires enhancement relates to the profile and stature of our professions, in part associated with levels of leadership, advocacy and image. Overall, our education system is second to none, and our R&D and commercialization levels are high, although the intellectual property climate needs continual improvement. Our professional practice activities are flourishing, and we are well positioned to respond to the changing environment and to future challenges and opportunities. While some areas need enhancement—such as fostering innovation and leadership development—most of the ingredients are in place so as to assure that, on balance, the outlook for our professions in BC is very bright.

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 E-mail: apeginfo@apeg.bc.ca Internet: www.apeg.bc.ca Toll free: 1-888-430-8035

2012/2013 COUNCIL, APEGBC P resident M D Isaacson PEng PhD V ice P resident M B Bapty PEng FEC P ast P resident J H Holm PEng FEC

The Outlook for Engineering and Geoscience in BC

Councillors A E Badke PEng; S M Carlson PEng J J Clague PGeo PhD; A Fernandes CIM FCSI H Hawson PEng FEC; D M Howes PEng H G Kelly PEng; G D Kirkham PGeo J Martignago; A J Mill PEng, StructEng FEC K E Savage PEng FEC; M Waberski BCLS M C Wrinch PEng PhD; S Wynn PhD

ASSOCIATION STAFF A J English PEng C hief E xecutive O fficer and R egistrar T M Y C hong PEng 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 ervices A Lim A/ D irector , M ember S ervices P R Mitchell PEng D irector , P rofessional P ractice , S tandards and D evelopment D Olychick D irector , M ember S ervices G M Pichler PEng D irector , R egistration G A Thiele LLB D irector , L egislation , E thics and C ompliance R M F ilipiak P Eng A ssociate D irector , A dmissions V Lai CGA A ssociate D irector , F inance and A dministration J J G Larocque PEng LLB A ssociate D irector , P rofessional P ractice

Dr Michael Isaacson PEng President

Melinda Lau M anaging E ditor

EDITORIAL BOARD S Chiu PEng; R Gupta PEng P h D; C L Hall PGeo; S K Hayes PEng; K S Hirji PEng; M A Klippenstein PEng; I Kokan PEng; M E Leslie PEng; B Thomson PGeo FEC (Hon)

president@ apeg.bc.ca

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Subscription rates per issue $4.50; six issues yearly $25.00. Annual subscriptions of Association members are apportioned from membership dues in the amount of $15 per member (rates do not include tax). 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 industrial 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 Innovation a royalty-free, worldwide license to publish the material in Innovation magazine; 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 the material for length, clarity and conformity with our editorial guidelines (www. apeg.bc.ca/resource/innovation/editorial.html) 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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