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Editor's Note: Following is a report on the most recent APEGGA
Council meeting, the last of the 2002-2003 Council year, held
April 25 at the new Calgary Conference Centre. The first meeting
of the new Council will be held June 12 at 8:30 a.m. in the
Lindberg Conference Centre at the Edmonton APEGGA office.
High-Profile Doctor
Named to Council
 A
high-profile Albertan experienced in the world of professional
self-regulation is joining APEGGA Council for a three-year
term as a public member. Dr. Larry Ohlhauser, the former registrar
of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta, is the
latest provincial appointment to Council.
The Edmontonian joins two continuing public members - Dr.
Norman Wagner, a former president and vice-chancellor of the
University of Calgary, and Hugh Planche, a former Alberta
Government cabinet minister. Calgary communications consultant
Judy Williams has completed her term.
The three public members are key to APEGGA's self-regulation
and public protection function. It's their job to provide
an outside perspective, while observing and taking part in
self-government.
Several other boards and committees have public members for
similar reasons, and Council also received word of appointments
in those cases. In addition to Dr. Ohlhauser, the list of
appointments and reappointments announced by Alberta Minister
of Human Resources and Employment Clint Dunford includes:
- Dr. Reg Pridham of Edmonton, appointed as the public member
of the Discipline Committee. Norm Mattson of Edmonton leaves
the committee after a three-year term.
- Dr. John Railton of Calgary, reappointed as a public member
on the Board of Examiners. He continues on with Terry Gunderson
of Sherwood Park and Dr. Wayne Pettapiece, P.Ag., of Edmonton.
- Bryan Evans, R.P.T.(Eng.), of St. Albert and Michael Sheen,
R.E.T., of Lethbridge, both reappointed to the Board of
Examiners as representatives of the Alberta Society of Engineering
Technologists.
- Michael Day of Red Deer, reappointed as the public member
to the Practice Review Board.
- Phil Luman, P.Biol., of Calgary, reappointed as the public
member to the Investigative Committee.
U.S. Examinations
On Canadian Soil
The writing of U.S. engineering examinations on Canadian
soil continues to be an APEGGA strategy in the ongoing challenge
of simplifying licensure throughout North America - while
maintaining high standards. Council heard that a proctoring
agreement with the National Council of Examiners for Engineering
and Surveying is nearing approval, which will allow APEGGA
to screen and approve engineers here who want to write Fundamentals
of Engineering examinations without heading south.
APEGGA Deputy Registrar Al Schuld, P.Eng., and Dr. Milt Petruk,
P.Eng., APEGGA's manager of examinations, recently went to
the NCEES headquarters in South Carolina to take their training
as "chief proctors." While there, they also concluded
the necessary master agreement to make APEGGA a proctoring
site, and exchanged information.
The plan is that the FE examination will be offered in Edmonton
and Calgary in October 2003 and every six months after that,
under NCEES conditions. Results will go to APEGGA, and APEGGA
or NCEES will transmit them to any state licensing board where
a candidate applies.
Those won't be the first times U.S. exams have been written
here. As a result of an Economic Development Edmonton promotion
of the exporting of Alberta's engineering services, candidates
for Montana licensure wrote eight-hour NCEES examinations
in October 2002 and April 2003. More than 50 candidates wrote
the exams, under arrangements involving Economic Development
Edmonton, APEGGA, the University of Alberta and the Montana
State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors.
Also, for a number of years APEGGA has proctored U.S. state
board examinations when the demand was there and the individual
boards were willing to allow it. However, many boards have
stopped doing this because they're concerned about their liability
should the security of examinations be breached.
Provisional Licenses Investigated
APEGGA will investigate creating a new type of provisional
license for some foreign-trained engineers and geoscientists,
Council decided. Some associations have developed provisional
licenses for those whose only missing eligibility requirement
is one year of Canadian experience.
The Council motion means staff will work with the relevant
boards and committees to investigate the concept, then develop
proposed amendments to the Engineering, Geological and Geophysical
Professions Act and Regulations. Council would then further
consider the amendments.
'Workplace Safety
Needs Our Attention'
Workplace accidents cost Canadians billions of dollars a year
and deserve greater attention from the professions, said Dr.
Fred Otto, P.Eng., who is wrapping up his term as a Canadian
Council of Professional Engineers director. He said the statistics
on deaths, lost time and lost dollars are "quite staggering."
Said Dr. Otto: "There are questions I think we should
all ask. Are there enough licensed engineers responsible for
workplace safety? Are we doing all we can? And do we need
to give greater visibility and prominence to the responsibilities
that professional engineers and geoscientists have in workplace
safety? I think this is something we should be looking at
really seriously."
Dr. Otto was commenting on a report of the Canadian Academy
of Science, titled Protecting the Public and the Environment
- A Responsibility of Canadian Professional Engineers. Read
the report online by visiting www.acad-eng-gen.ca
and clicking on Publications.
Nominating Committee Named
Council named the persons to be invited to serve on the nominating
committee for the 2004/2005 Council election, which was then
approved with additions at the APEGGA Annual General Meeting
on April 26.
Returning from last year are Allan Davies, P.Eng., of EPCOR;
Anast Demitt, P.Eng., ADEM Engineering Consultants Ltd.; Leo
Flaman, P.Eng., Bantrel Inc.; Elaine Honsberger, P.Geoph.,
EnCana Corporation; Shawn McKeown, P.Eng., Golder Associates;
Don McLeod, P.Eng., SNC-Lavalin; Jay Ramotar, P.Eng., Alberta
Government Transportation; Kim Sturgess, P.Eng., KSI Management;
Chris Wade, P.Eng., City of Calgary.
New appointments are Dr. Robin Black, P.Eng., National Research
Council; John Hogg, P.Geol., EnCana Corporation; Mary Ann
Byrd, P.Eng., Systems and Engineering Consultants; Steve Wyton,
P.Eng., City of Calgary; Paul Ruffell, P.Eng., EBA Engineering;
Sue Evison, P.Eng., Klohn-Crippon; Ron Triffo, P.Eng., Stantec;
Tom Greenwood-Madson, P.Eng., ATCO; Nima Dorjee, P.Eng., University
of Calgary; Life Member John Wood, P.Eng.
Standard, Guideline
Near Publication
Council looked over the most recent drafts of a new practice
standard and a new practice guideline. Both documents - serving
two different areas of professional practice - will soon be
published for member use.
The Practice Standard for Evaluation of Oil and Gas Reserves
for Public Disclosure comes out of concerns from the Alberta
Securities Commission that evaluations sometimes prove to
be overly optimistic and could mislead investors. The standard,
however, details the professional expectations that - when
used in conjunction with the Canadian Oil and Gas Evaluation
Handbook - should improve the reliability of evaluations.
The Guideline for Relying on Work Prepared by Others
helps members identify work by others, evaluate the quality
and applicability of the work, and understand their due diligence
responsibilities and obligations when they use the work.
Council Helps CCPG
Make Up Shortfall
APEGGA Council upped the amount it pays to the Canadian Council
of Professional Geoscientists on behalf of geologist and geophysicist
members, to bring it in line with the assessment provided
to CCPE.
Council approved future funding of $11.05 for every geoscience
member in 2004, $13.45 in 2005 and $15.45 in 2006. The 2003
funding level is $8.65.
Identical increases were passed last year for the Canadian
Council of Professional Engineers, which faces a funding crunch
due to the loss of external revenues.
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