By H. Neil Windsor, P.Eng.
Executive Director & Registrar

APEGGA worked diligently with governments, other regulators and our own members through 2007. We did this to protect the public while striving to provide the best possible provisions for engineering and geoscience teams in Alberta, across Canada and even outside this great country.

One example of successful partnering is the One Act, Two Associations model, which outlines a way to bring self-regulation to a new group of technologists while preserving our high standards of practice. Both the Council of ASET, which represents many of Alberta’s technologists, and the Council of APEGGA agreed to the model in 2007.

With much help and support from the provincial government, our two organizations have devised a new approach to regulating technologists who practice within specified codes and standards. Actual regulatory changes, of course, will be necessary before this new system takes effect.

A second example of the power of partnering is the pioneering work APEGGA has done with five other professional self-regulatory associations to address remediation and reclamation work. The first stage in a new system of professional sign-off in this area took effect Jan. 1, 2008.

To find out more about these initiatives, check out the 2007 Annual Report, which is now available online at www.apegga.org.

More Record Growth
Our partners come from everywhere, and this is immediately apparent in the mosaic of our own register. In 2007 Alberta continued to be among the hottest destinations in the world for engineers and geoscientists looking to start or continue their careers.

Late in the year, we celebrated our 50,000th member, and by the end of the year we had easily topped the 51,000 mark. Our membership, in fact, grew by 4,202 members to 51,253 from 47,051 — an increase of almost nine per cent. That’s the biggest single-year growth in at least the last decade and perhaps ever.

Our Board of Examiners considered nearly 6,000 applications for APEGGA membership in 2007, an increase of 12 per cent. More than a third of these applications were filed by graduates of programs from outside of Canada.

The challenge for APEGGA, as always, is to meet the demand of this incredible volume of applications while practicing the due diligence our governing legislation requires of us. This is how we make sure the public continues to enjoy the high standards of practice expected in Alberta.
Engineers and geoscientists in Canada enjoy mobility through Inter-Association Mobility Agreements. We believe it is through these agreements that mobility and due diligence will continue to be ensured.

For information on the current Canadian mobility situation, see the President’s Notebook on page 5 of the April edition of The PEGG.

Click here for our 2007 growth statistics.

New Designation
Helps Immigrants
We’re helping those who come from overseas, too. In fact internationally educated graduates can now earn an official APEGGA designation, once they’re a final step away from earning professional status.

The Provisional Licensee designation is available to those applicants who have fulfilled all the necessary requirements for professional licensure except the one year of Canadian experience. A Provisional Licensee must work under the control and supervision of a professional member; however employers can now be confident that they’re hiring a person who is well on the way to professional status.

I’m proud to say that in 2007 we registered our first 27 Provisional Licensees. I’m sure many will follow.

Climate Change
We conducted research on members’ opinions on climate change last year, through a self-selected survey. The results of that survey suggest that about 45 per cent of our members believe climate change is being caused by both human and natural factors. Virtually all respondents said the climate is changing to some degree or another.

Compliance Work
Council has for several years now instructed staff to shoot for 100 per cent compliance in Alberta. That’s a lofty goal, and one that’s impossible to measure with complete certainty. Still, it does make our marching orders clear.

I’m pleased to point out that the addition of staff in our Compliance Department has made a real difference on this front.

Some of our compliance statistics are available here.

For my full report and more on all these many other subjects, please see the 2007 Annual Report, which is now available online at www.apegga.org.