Innovation September-October 2013

l et ter s most beneficial to provincial (and federal) taxpayers that the Province administered over the nearly 30 years that it existed. It was a sad day, I believe, for the taxpayers of BC when the Province downloaded this program to local governments. As the Innovation article mentions, many local governments are simply not funded nor staffed to take on this work, and the political and social pressures to allow unwise floodplain development are often more potent when the local bureaucrat saying no to a development

proposal happens to live next door to the proponent. Worse than that, perhaps, is now there is currently little to no hope of getting inclusive flood damage reduction plans in place that assess the potential negative impacts of flood reduction measures at one location on other communities that may be upstream, cross- stream or downstream of a community that undertakes flood reduction measures in isolation of its neighbours. Paul Doyle, P.Eng., Oliver, BC

n ewsmaker s

The Lieutenant Governor in Council of the Government of British Columbia recently appointed Ken Laloge, CA, to serve on APEGBC Council for a two-year term effective September 23, 2013. Mr. Laloge replaces outgoing appointee to Council, Joe Martignago, who has completed three terms with the association. Mr. Laloge is a tax and consulting partner at MacKay LLP, with a focus on tax and corporate finance issues. He is an active member of the Kelowna community through his involvement in the Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club. Mr. Laloge has served in voluntary positions with Kelowna Minor Lacrosse, Football, Soccer, and Baseball, as well as Scouts Canada and Okanagan Junior Football. A chartered accountant, Mr. Laloge received his Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Alberta.

New Government Representative Appointed to APEGBC Council

Ken Laloge, CA Joe Martignago

During his six years with APEGBC, Mr. Joe Martignago has served on the Audit Committee and Governance Committee and has brought his expertise on municipal government and human resources management to the Council table. APEGBC thanks Mr. Martignago for his service and valuable insight. APEGBC’s Council comprises 13 elected councillors and four government appointees. The role of government appointees is to act in the public interest, support governance best practices and to add value to Council through their diverse experiences and professional backgrounds.

CEO’s Letter in Prince George Citizen Urges Expanded Training Opportunities in the North In a letter published August 19, 2013, in the Prince George Citizen , APEGBC CEO, Ann English P.Eng., applauded the announcement of BC government funding to the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) to develop new masters programs in wood engineering and design. These two programs will be offered at the new Wood Innovation and Design Centre in Prince George. English acknowledged the importance of additional skills training opportunities in northern BC, where industry is largely resource based. As engineers play a key role in the economy of the North, she encouraged the expansion of UNBC programs to include civil and mechanical engineering undergraduate programs. “These undergraduate programs would

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