The PEGG

May, 2000

AGM Backs Legislative Changes
Including New Code of Ethics

APEGGA's Annual General Meeting on April 28 expeditiously approved several legislative provisions, as well as revisions to the Code of Ethics. Act, Regulations and Bylaws Committee Chair Gordon Stewart, P.Eng., in steering the amendments through the AGM, noted that the Code of Ethics approval, which was ratified without AGM debate, represented the culmination of several years of work by the Practice Standards Committee's Code of Ethics Subcommittee.

Relative to the former Code of Ethics, the new code contains a shorter preamble and five rules of conduct versus 11 in the old code. (Please check the March PEGG for the wording of the newly approved and the former Code of Ethics, and further details on other legislative changes.)

Under section 43 of the Engineering, Geological and Geophysical Professions Act, contravention of the code may constitute unprofessional conduct, which is subject to disciplinary action.

The Code of Ethics will not take effect until approved by an order-in-council. Also approved by the AGM were Act and Regulation changes to remove existing requirements that at least one APEGGA Councillor sit on the Practice Review Board and the Enforcement Review Committee.

In addition, Regulations were approved which provide a framework for registeringRegistered Professional Technologists (Geological) and Registered Professional Technologists (Geophysical). Provisions already exist to register Registered Professional Technologists (Engineering) under the EGGP Act. Act changes passed last year by the Alberta Legislature permit Council to make Regulations to register geoscience technologists as it now has done.

Act and Regulation changes approved by the AGM are subject to further ratification either by the Alberta Legislature (Act changes) or by order-in-council (Regulation changes). The AGM also approved a bylaw change requiring firms and individuals registered with APEGGA to respond "promptly" to any Association communication of a regulatory nature.

Noting the smooth passage of these measures by the AGM, President Darrel Danyluk, P.Eng., said it pointed to the strength of APEGGA’s volunteer system. "A lot of people worked to develop those changes and it is obvious that they did an excellent job."