Governance Manual

Council has adopted a revised Council Governance Manual that conforms with the new governance structure presented to and approved by Council last year. The new structure is based on the recommendations of the Roles and Responsibilities Task Force headed by Dan Motyka, P.Eng., who is now APEGGA 1st Vice-President.

The manual will serve as:

• a guide to Council governance style;
• a reference on APEGGA's organizational structure and relevant roles and responsibilities;
• a collection of governance policies and procedures developed by Council.

Included in the manual are policies covering such areas as Council governance, committees, Council-staff relations, membership, finance and ends.

Mr. Motyka stressed that the manual is "a living document", and added it is not "etched in stone" but "should only be changed if there is something that needs to be adjusted."

John R. Wood Leaves Council

This was the final meeting on Council for John R. Wood, P.Eng., who served 10 consecutive years. During that time, he spent two terms as Councillor, then went on to become 2nd Vice-President, 1st Vice-President, President and Past President. Speaking to Councillors and reflecting back on his decade on Council, Mr. Wood said: "I found it to be a most enjoyable experience and I'm going to miss it." He further noted that of the four new councillors who came aboard at the same time as himself in 1987, three ( Mr. Wood, Dave Devenny, P.Geol., P.Eng., PhD, and Tony Howard, P.Eng.) went on to serve as APEGGA presidents.

Continuing Professional
Development Guideline

Council has approved publication of the Continuing Professional Development: A Guideline for Professional Members which, when printed, will be mailed to all members of the Association. The document outlines the requirements and expectations placed upon members (including reporting and record-keeping) under the mandatory continuing professional development program adopted by Council. The green light for publication of the guideline follows more than two years of work by the Practice Review Board's Subcommittee on Continuing Competence. President Fred Otto, P.Eng., PhD, thanked the subcommittee for its efforts, calling the PRB subcommittee "one of the best and most dedicated committees APEGGA ever has had."

CEA Liaison

Dan Motyka, P.Eng., APEGGA's 1st Vice-President in the coming year, will be responsible for liaison between Council and the Consulting Engineers of Alberta. That responsibility had been handled by Don Ferrier, P.Eng, who has completed his term as APEGGA 2nd Vice-President.

Tech Societies Co-operation

Through Director, Communications, Trevor Maine, P.Eng., APEGGA will work with technical societies in the Edmonton-area to improve co-ordination among various societies of events and volunteer efforts. It is hoped that such co-ordinated efforts can reduce the number of conflicting meeting dates and better utilize volunteer contributions at a time when some groups are finding it difficult to attract support. It was suggested that a similar initiative be undertaken in Calgary, where APEGGA already provides administrative support for some technical societies. Mr. Maine said that past efforts in Calgary to increase co-ordination by societies had met with limited success. APEGGA President Fred Otto, P.Eng., PhD, noted that with the implementation of APEGGA's mandatory continuing professional development program, there will be added incentive for such co-operation.

Vice Presidential Elections

The Past Presidents' Advisory Board will be asked to examine the process used in the election of APEGGA Vice-Presidents. At present, the vice-presidential candidate receiving the greatest number of votes becomes 1st Vice-President while the runner-up is named 2nd Vice-President. The board will be asked to consider alternative approaches.

Parental/ Maternity
Leave Dues Abatement

Following on a Council decision, professional members on parental/maternity leave now may receive a dues abatement based on a request submitted to the Association office. Under the procedure, 25 per cent of dues are payable immediately, with the balance deferred to the next invoice period or to re-employment.

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