INNOVATION November-December 2013

November/December 2013 Volume 17 Number 6

v iewpoint

One challenge of crafting an article for Viewpoint is to present features of interest to a wide body of members, and weave in some ideas to provoke thought and discussion. An initiative underway involving staff and Council is the redrafting of the strategic plan. This was due for review as the focus of some association activities has changed; new tasks have been added for staff, a three-year budget cycle has been approved, and relationships with some of our interest groups have shifted. However it remains that we must continue to attend to our responsibilities under the Engineers and Geoscientists Act . The new plan will continue to provide direction and it should guide Council and staff as the association positions itself to retain relevance, interest, and value in an increasingly complex world. The underlying challenge for Council is to capture an idea expressed by one of our senior staff members: “If we cannot agree on the value proposition, we have nothing to build on.” This was a profound observation. What is the value proposition ? Here it refers to the unique value the association delivers back to our members and other partners and stakeholders: industry, clients, government, and the public at large. We might regard the value of output (professional services per year in the province enabled through the right to practice) divided by the value of input (annual fees plus the value of volunteer services) as an indicator. This ratio is a factor of about 70 times. If this were your business for a day, what would you do to enhance the value added? How would you protect the opportunity to continue to provide this professional service? The truth is that this is your business, and Council and staff are working diligently, not to maintain, but to constantly improve the quality of our practices and the value proposition. APEGBC supports members in delivering quality engineering and geoscience services, with networks of specialists, guidelines, practice reviews, an organizational quality management program, and continuing professional development offerings. We also provide value in the interest of the public by exercising our role of professional regulator. The concept of relevance is tied to value. Howmight the integration of traditional and non-traditional disciplines appear in a decade? This of course will depend upon the mix of technologies that define our lives. One thing is clear, the Canadian demographic shift will continue with higher proportions of the population moving from rural to urban settings. One possible consequence of this might be that a large portion of Canadian cars will be powered by electricity. Our dependence on petroleum-derived products could be substantially reduced, not by carbon taxes or cap-and-trade limitations, but because an aging Canadian population, combined with a higher proportion of citizens living in urban settings, means a reduced travel requirement. We are not in the crystal ball business, but this serves as an example of how we must be aware of the drivers of change. If we strike the correct balance, APEGBC will continue to facilitate the practice of present and future members, including those in emerging disciplines. In order to remain relevant as an association, we must continue to consider social context as well as the application of current technologies and best practices for the benefit of our public and industry partners. We will deliver the value proposition through the quality of our work and professional opinions, offering tangible and practical solutions in a constantly changing physical and social world.

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 2013/2014 COUNCIL, APEGBC P resident M.B. Bapty, P.Eng., FEC V ice P resident John Clague, P.Geo., FGC P ast P resident M.D. Isaacson, P.Eng., PhD, FEC, FGC (Hon.) Councillors A.E. Badke, P.Eng.; S.M. Carlson, P.Eng. A. Fernandes, CIM, FCSI; D. Harvey, P.Eng., Struct.Eng., FEC

Providing Value to Our Members and Stakeholders

H. Hawson, P.Eng., FEC; D.M. Howes, P.Eng., FEC H.G. Kelly, P.Eng.; G.D. Kirkham, P.Geo., FGC K. Laloge, CA; A. Mill, P.Eng., Struct.Eng., FEC K.E. Savage, P.Eng., FEC; K. Tarnai-Lokhorst, P.Eng. M. Waberski, BCLS; S. Wynn, PhD

ASSOCIATION STAFF A.J. English, P.Eng. C hief E xecutive O fficer and R egistrar T.M.Y. C hong, 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 ervices M. Lau, A cting D irector , C ommunications and S takeholder E ngagement 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 E. Swartz, LLB A cting 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, P.Eng., LLB A ssociate D irector , P rofessional P ractice

Michael Bapty, P.Eng., FEC President

Michelle Grady, M anaging E ditor

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

president@ apeg.bc.ca

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