May 2007 ISSUE
meet the president
Mobility, boom and aset deal
top of mind for 88th president
John McLeod, P.Eng., a veteran of the upstream oil-and-gas industry, is APEGGA’s newly minted President. The PEGG asked Mr. McLeod a series of questions to help give members a full picture of where the Association might head in the coming year.
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I would hate to see good talent wasted because it does not have access
to other jurisdictions.
Q. Why did you seek the presidency and what excites you about
the job?
A. I have served on APEGGA committees and for three years on Council.
After my Council term, I worked primarily overseas – projects demanding
extensive travel. As such, I had to curtail my APEGGA activities.
I enjoyed the work with the Association and I think I contributed, so, when asked to run for vice-president, I agreed.
The Association’s work is critical to the professions and I hope I can contribute again.
Q. Under the last presidency, ASET and APEGGA reached a memorandum
of understanding on the One Act, Two Associations regulatory model. Do you see
a major issue on the horizon for your year as President?
A. I
don’t see an issue ahead as large as the ASET/APEGGA
discussions, memorandum of understanding and Council approval. One of the major
efforts this year, however, will come after the revised Engineering, Geological
and Geophysical Professions Act is passed by the Alberta Legislature. That will
be the drafting of the revised bylaws and regulations under the act.
Implementation of the One Act, Two Associations model will follow and will involve
a lot of effort to establish and staff committees, develop procedures and make
the new system work.
The Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement with
B.C. provides opportunities to further cement ties with our West Coast confrères,
particularly in the geoscience area.
Q. What are the other key issues that APEGGA needs to address?
A. A second issue will be professional mobility, both within Canada and internationally.
We have virtual full mobility within Canada, but there are areas that can be
improved. Internationally – particularly with the United States – it
looks as if progress is being made and we need to follow up on the work done
by past presidents and our Executive Director & Registrar.
TILMA – the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement with B.C. – provides opportunities to further cement ties with our West Coast confrères, particularly in the geoscience area.
A background issue is the perception among some of our geoscientists that APEGGA is less relevant to them than it is to engineers. Efforts are required in this area.
Q. What personal and professional qualities and experience
do you bring to the table, and how do you see them serving Council and the membership?
A. Experience
on a range of APEGGA committees gives me a basic understanding of the Association.
I have a lot of years in engineering, operations, supervision and management
in the upstream oil-and-gas industry, both domestic and international, and in
particular working with geologists and geophysicists. To a certain extent, I
think I can understand the three professions.
Q. How would you define your leadership style?
A. If I had
to use one word to describe my leadership style it would be collegial. This Council
has a tremendous breadth and depth of knowledge and experience, and brings different
perspectives to the table. Consensus decisions by this Council should be good
decisions.
Q. What pressures and challenges face members these days,
as they carry out their tasks and assignments in a professional and ethical way?
Does the boom present special challenges?
A. The pressures on our professionals
in the province are incredible. The boom and the pace of growth are pushing us
to get more done, faster, and in many cases with fewer than ideal numbers of
staff. It is imperative that, as professionals, we do not compromise the integrity
of our work for the sake of expediency, and erode the safety of the public.
This Council has a tremendous breadth and depth of knowledge
and experience, and brings different perspectives to the table.
This requires constant vigilance and courage in the face of the daily pressures of the economic environment. APEGGA as an Association can help in this area with seminars, standards and guidelines, and other types of support.
Q. What can and should members do to support their professions and their Association?
A. Members of APEGGA should be informed and involved. We have the privilege of
right-to-title and self-governance. We must regulate ourselves effectively to
protect the public interest. Only in that way can the public have confidence
in the services our professions provide.
I encourage all members to be aware of the issues of our Association and to get
involved as a volunteer. This is something they will find interesting and incredibly
rewarding.
Q. Overall, how do think APEGGA is doing in meeting its regulatory obligations
and the needs of the professions?
A. Overall, APEGGA is fulfilling its mandate, but we cannot rest on our laurels.
There are areas that can be improved and the needs of the professions are constantly
changing. APEGGA must be prepared to adapt and be receptive to the changes this
environment demands, in order to continue meeting the needs of members.
The main purpose of this Association, though, is regulation of the professions to protect the interests of the public, and that must remain paramount.
Q. Is there anything we haven’t covered here that you’d
like to address?
A. We are in boom times right now and there is a tremendous
influx of professionals within the province. With a slowdown or downturn, this
migration could reverse. We have tremendous talent in this province, which can
be useful elsewhere.
It behoves us, while we are accepting arrivals from the
rest of Canada and elsewhere, to work on mobility for our own professionals,
so they can work in other provinces and internationally. I would hate to see
good talent wasted because it does not have access to other jurisdictions.
Progress has been made but there is more to be done.
It is imperative that, as
professionals, we do not
compromise the integrity
of our work for the sake
of expediency, and erode the
safety of the public. This requires
constant vigilance and courage
in the face of the daily pressures
of the economic environment.