INNOVATION September-October 2015

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Letters to the editor containing your views on topics of interest are encouraged. Opinions expressed in Letters to the Editor are not necessarily endorsed by APEGBC. Letters should be 300 words or less and can be emailed to mkeiran@apeg.bc.ca.

Knowledge and Collaboration Needed In his editorial to the last edition of Innovation , the association’s president brings up important topics that will keep engineers busy for the coming decades. He rightly mentions that the world’s population is still increasing. It is, however, important to also mention that our population is anticipated to stabilize at around 11 billion by the end of this century, as is being shown in presentations of U.N. advisor Hans Rosling, for example. Without this qualifier, talk of population growth seems unnecessarily alarmist, even though it is clear that we also need to prepare for the increase if it pans out at some higher level. My other observation is that there is not enough talk in Canada about the circular economy. The editorial correctly identifies the careful exploration of less accessible mining resources but fails to call for “urban mining”; that is, the recovery of metals from electronics scrap currently being pursued by companies such as US Rare Earths Inc. Biomimicry should also be mentioned as a strategy for better designs that are more efficient and have increased longevity. The liveable and sustainable cities goal mentioned in the editorial seems of particular importance; engineers increasingly need to be informed about other fields of expertise, working with urbanists and architects to create the cities of the future (congratulations to the City of Vancouver on being a leader in this field). As engineers, we need to consider on-going professional education that helps us understand the issues of other

professions in order to enable us to think outside the box, forming teams that can master these challenges.

Martin Tampier, P.Eng. (Laval, QC) Vote “No” to Mandatory CPD

I’m writing this as a semi-retired practitioner unequivocally opposed to APEGBC’s proposed compulsory professional development (CPD) bylaw. By now, many members have already voted, and the October 2 voting deadline may already have passed. If this issue of Innovation reaches you before then, those of you who haven’t yet voted should vote the bylaw down. Here’s why: • As Item 6 on the back of the P.Eng./P.Geo. wallet card states, members already have a duty to “keep informed in order to maintain [their] competence.” CPD is therefore redundant. • CPD won’t significantly improve professional standards. Our profession’s self-policing and peer reviews already weed out incompetency and oversights. The profession’s impressive CPD-free track record to date speaks for itself. • CPD won’t improve our public recognition or status. Invisibility and anonymity are intrinsic to much of our work, but we’re already well respected. The general public couldn’t care less about our internal professional requirements. • Who really benefits from CPD? I submit it’s mostly the APEGBC’s bureaucracy and the folks who put on all those $$$ and mostly irrelevant CPD courses. It’s sure not our

clients or the public who won’t see any discernible cognitive improvements • CPD compliance will incur significant costs that members, clients and the general public will ultimately pay. Those costs will also reduce our profession’s competitiveness. • CPD discriminates against part- time practitioners. Many fellow superannuated members I know work part-time and are very much in demand. Part-time practice comes with part-time income however, and the cost of CPD compliance becomes disproportionately higher. Part timers can’t book 20 automatic CPD points simply by showing up at the office. Consider the foregoing and, if you can still vote on the bylaw, please dispassionately analyze whether or not CPD is really necessary, then vote accordingly. J.P. (Phil) Chubb, P. Eng. (North Vancouver, BC)

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