Terri-Jane Yuzda












COUNCIL BRIEFS

 


Editor's Note: The following is a report on the most recent APEGGA Council meeting. The meeting, held June 12 at the D.A. Lindberg Conference Centre in Edmonton, was the first one of the 2003-2004 Council year. The next Council meeting will be held Sept. 11, 2003, at the APEGGA Calgary Conference Centre, starting at 8:30 a.m.


Inclusivity Task Force Created
Inclusivity becomes an even more important issue for APEGGA, in the follow-up to a strategic planning session in May. Council passed a motion to create an additional category or categories of membership for persons who may not qualify for full professional licensure, primarily foreign-trained engineers and geoscientists.

Council also struck an Inclusivity Task Force to identify who will be included in such a category and how it will be implemented. The task force will be chaired by President-Elect Linda Van Gastel, P.Eng., and also includes Past President Ron Tenove, P.Eng., President Mike Smyth, P.Eng., and Executive Director & Registrar Neil Windsor, P.Eng.

The Executive Committee has already created a basic road map for implementing this category, and the task force is striving to present a more detailed plan at the September Council meeting.

The creation of a new category of registration will require an amendment to the Engineering, Geological and Geophysical Professions Act and its regulations.


Professional Practice Advancements

A new practice standard and a practice guideline have been approved for publication for member use. They will be available online at APEGGA's website, as well as in paper form through the APEGGA offices.

The Practice Standard for Evaluation of Oil and Gas Reserves for Public Disclosure outlines APEGGA's expectations of members who issue reserve evaluation reports. Some investors have questioned the quality of evaluation reports, and the Alberta Securities Commission is attempting to bring more consistency and accuracy to the reports.

The commission is very pleased APEGGA has created the guideline and is anxious to see its implementation, Council heard.

Also approved for publication is the Guideline for Relying on Work Prepared by Others. This guideline assists members in identifying work by others, evaluating the quality and applicability of the work, and understanding their due diligence responsibilities and obligations when using work prepared by others.

Two more guidelines were presented to Council for review prior to publication - the Guideline for Professional Practice Management Plans and the Guideline for Professional Member as Witness.

The first one assists APEGGA permit holders in the preparation of the new Professional Practice Management Plans, known as PPMPs, in a way that satisfies regulatory requirements. The guideline's primary purpose is to describe what kind of information should be included in a PPMP and provide permit holders with an outline.

The Guideline for Professional Member as Witness assists professional members when they are called as witnesses by quasi-judicial bodies or courts of law. It outlines what profession members might encounter as a witness and how they should conduct themselves.

Discipline Process
Review Completed

The Discipline Review Task Force has completed its review of the APEGGA discipline process. The report, presented to Council, concludes that the discipline process works well in most respects, but in some cases needs to be more timely.

Council received a number of recommendations from the task force. The recommendations will be referred to the Investigative Committee, the Discipline Committee and the Appeal Board for comments and action plans, which will be included in a report to the November Council meeting.

CCPG Approves
New Member Category

The Canadian Council of Professional Geoscientists has approved a bylaw amendment that allows the granting of membership as an International Associate. The amendment was approved at the CCPG Annual Meeting of Members on June 1 in Vancouver. It allows the CCPG to, by a voted-upon resolution, grant or withdraw the new type of membership for geoscientists from other countries.
To be eligible for an International Associate membership, a geoscientist must already be a member of a non-Canadian national body with objectives similar or comparable to those of the CCPG.

International Associates won't pay an annual per capita assessment or membership fee when reciprocal agreements exist between CCPG and the comparable home organization. They won't be eligible to appoint directors, and although they may be represented at public council meetings, they won't be allowed to vote at meetings of council or council committees. International Associates will be able to serve as members of council committees, but they won't be able to chair them

This amendment paves the way for members of organizations such as ASBOG, which is the National Association of State Boards of Geology in the U.S., to apply for CCPG membership.


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