Innovation-March_April 2013

as soc ia t ion notes

Renewed Agreements Support Internationally Trained Professionals APEGBC has renewed Memoranda of Agreement with several support organizations of internationally trained professionals, with the goal of working together in good faith to support each other’s goals and mandates. The Society of Internationally Trained Engineers of BC (SITEBC) is an independent non-profit society founded in 2004 to represent the interests of BC’s internationally trained engineering community. APEGBC Council renewed their MOA with SITEBC in September 2012 and received a presentation from this group at their March 2013 meeting, where APEGBC president Dr. Michael Isaacson, P.Eng., FEC, and SITEBC president Dr. Gary Lin, P.Eng., participated in a formal signing ceremony. APEGBC Council also renewed an agreement with the Iranian Engineers of BC Association (IEBCA) at the March meeting. IEBCA is a non-profit, non- religious, non-political, independent organization which serves engineers with an Iranian background working or residing in British Columbia. IEBCA was founded by a group of Iranian Engineers in October 2007 and first signed a Memorandum of Agreement with APEGBC in February 2009.

Consultation on Licensee-inclusive Bylaw Amendments APEGBC’s governing legislation, the Engineers and Geoscientists Act, received 11 modernizing amendments in June 2012. These included changes that enable limited licensees to participate in APEGBC’s key governance processes, including the ability to run for Council and vote in Council elections, petitions and bylaws; and to call and vote at meetings of the association. Council is now opening consultation with members on three related bylaws. The amendments to the Act in June resulted in a number of automatic changes to some of APEGBC’s bylaws to bring them into alignment; however Council has identified three additional bylaws for possible amendment that, while not in direct conflict with the Act changes, exclude limited licensees from related processes of governance and recognition. As it would be inconsistent to exclude limited licensees from these processes and recognition when they are now eligible to participate as members of Council, including president, APEGBC Council approved in principle amendments to support the inclusion of limited licensees in these processes: Bylaw 3 (a.1) Nominating Committee The Nominating Committee is responsible for nominating individuals for the offices of president, vice president and for elected members of Council. Currently, the wording of this bylaw states that only members (as defined in the Act, professional engineers and professional geoscientists) may participate on this committee. Proposed amendments would allow limited licensees to participate on the Nominating Committee. Bylaw 3 (j) Ballot This bylaw outlines the procedure for counting ballots for the Council election. It currently states that only members (as defined in the Act, professional engineers and professional geoscientists) may participate as ballot counters. Amendments will allow limited licensees to participate as ballot counters. Bylaw 10 (c.1 and c.2) Life Membership and Honorary Life Membership Bylaw 10 (c.1) permits Council to confer life membership in the association upon any member who meets certain criteria. Since this bylaw refers only to “membership,” limited licensees are currently excluded from this consideration. Bylaw 10 (c.2) permits Council to confer honorary life membership in the association to those who have served in the office of president, or to an individual Council deems has made outstanding contributions to the professions of engineering or geoscience. Currently, both of these honours are limited to members (as defined in the Act, professional engineers and professional geoscientists). Amendments to these bylaws will allow life and honorary life licensure to be bestowed on limited licensees. APEGBC is now beginning a period of member consultation on these proposed amendments through a process that was established recently as part of a Council initiative to increase the opportunities for members to provide feedback on potential bylaw changes. Members and limited licensees may provide their comments and feedback on these bylaw amendments until May 3, 2013 . Following review of this input, the proposed bylaws, with any further amendments or refinements, will be brought before Council at its June 2013 meeting for approval of the final wording. The approved bylaws would then be submitted to the membership for ratification in the fall of 2013. The full bylaw text, as well as background information on these amendments, is provided online at www.apeg.bc.ca/about/bylawconsultation.html. Comments may be submitted to bylaws@apeg.bc.ca until May 3, 2013.

APEGBC President Michael Isaacson, P.Eng., FEC, and SITEBC president Gary Lin, P.Eng., renew a Memorandum of Agreement on behalf of their organizations.

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