The PEGG

October, 2000

COUNCIL BRIEFS

The following items were among those considered or on the agenda at the Sept. 21 Council meeting in Medicine Hat.

CPD Enforcement
Council was provided a status report regarding CPD enforcement and discussed the consequences for members who do not report their CPD hours. Failure to comply may constitute unprofessional conduct, resulting in complaints against members being lodged by the Practice Review Board with the Investigative Committee. In these instances, the discipline process would be initiated. At present there are no cases of this nature being investigated. A further report to Council is anticipated in November.

Stamping Practices
Council approved a motion regarding the interpretation of the Regulations regarding stamping practices. All originals and all copies of final documents of a professional nature "must include a signed and dated professional stamp or a facsimile thereof". The intent of this amendment to the Regulations is to ensure that professional documents prepared all be identified and authenticated as work being completed by a licensed professional member. The Practice Review Board and Practice Standards Committee were asked to review the revised Stamping Guideline to identify which items constitute professional documents and ensure these are clearly indicated in the Guideline. Recommendations will be brought back to Council in November.

APEGGA Business Plan
The 2000-2010 Business Plan, which outlines strategic directions for the Association, was accepted by Council. The document synthesizes recommendations arising from the Council strategic planning session held last May; task forces on emerging disciplines, the geosciences and relevancy; and discussions by senior management. The guiding principles for the Association continue to be protection of the public as paramount, real value being delivered to stakeholders, APEGGA's professional reputation and service to society founded on earned public trust, and APEGGA serving all its members and permit holders equally. In addition to the five existing strategic directions, three new initiatives were identified: facilitating mobility of professionals, differentiating members and permit holders from non-registered individuals and corporations, and advocacy playing a greater role. The Business Plan will serve as the framework for budget discussions in November.

Compliance Review
APEGGA Director of Compliance David Todd, P.Eng., presented an information report outlining the Association's definition of 100 per cent compliance. Council requested the Acts, Regulations and Bylaws Committee review the definition of the practice of engineering, geology and geophysics according to the EGGP Act and its findings be brought back to Council for further discussion.

Software Engineering Panel
A final report from the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers (CCPE) and Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) Software Engineering Panel was tabled. The panel's central recommendation was that a Software Engineering Accreditation Board (SEAB) be formed, through the co-operation and agreement of the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board and the Computer Science Accreditation Council. This new national body will have full rights and responsibilities for providing accreditation for software engineering programs. Council supported this initiative and thanked Dr. David Lynch, P.Eng., Dean, Faculty of Engineering at the University of Alberta, and Dr. Fred Otto, P.Eng., Alberta Director, CCPE, for their significant contributions to resolving this issue.

New CCPE Programs
Two new national programs for members were approved by Council. Manulife Financial is offering a financial management plan known as Manulife One to members. The program allows for the consolidation of credit card payments, loans, etc. under one account at a fixed rate (currently at prime) based on the value of members' homes, enabling them to reduce their debts faster and to save on interest payments. The second CCPE initiative, a national secondary professional liability program, will encompass areas not covered by primary liability insurance, i.e. post-retirement, outside main employment, etc. Both programs will be offered on a voluntary basis.

Changes to Scholarships
Tony Howard, P.Eng., presented a report from the APEGGA Education Foundation. The Foundation is recommending changes to the APEGGA scholarships program. The matter was forwarded to the Communications Planning Committee, Honours and Awards Committee, APEGGA Branches and staff for further review. An assessment of these recommendations will be brought to Council in November.

Assessment of Members Requesting Reinstatement
A Professional Development Committee report recommending that APEGGA assess members who are asking for reinstatement in the same fashion as those members who ask for resumption of practicing status was accepted. Before reinstatement is granted, individuals will be reviewed or assessed as to their competency by the Practice Review Board. Exemptions will be granted to those who have been non-practicing or unregistered for less than two years or those who have been registered in another jurisdiction for two to seven years.

ERC/CPC Joint Advertising Campaign
Council was made aware of a joint initiative of the Enforcement Review Committee and Communications Planning Committee to raise awareness of the requirement for professional licensure and awareness of the value of APEGGA registration (see article in this issue page 1).

Presidential Honorarium
The Presidential Honorarium Task Force, led by former APEGGA President Dan Motyka, P.Eng., recommended that some form of honorarium may be appropriate and requested three groups to consider the matter and provide recommendations. The Governance Committee is to review the role of the president and assess the time commitment required of the president and opportunities to delegate responsibilities to other members of Council or staff; the two most recent Past Presidents and the Executive Director are to prepare an information package for members and seek stakeholder input; and Public Members on Council are to establish a mechanism for determining the amount, if any, of an honorarium; should one be recommended.

Pressure Vessels
Council directed the Executive Director to send a letter to the Minister reinforcing APEGGA's position that pressure vessels in Alberta should be stamped by a professional engineer.

Geoscience Task Force
Task Force Chair Elaine Honsberger, P.Geoph., presented a report requesting APEGGA, through the Executive Director, set up and participate in two meetings per year with the APEGGA president, APEGGA geoscience councillors, and geoscience technical society presidents to discuss key professional geoscience issues. Further to this, the Geoscience Task Force was disbanded by Council.

CCPE Report
CCPE Board met in Halifax Sept. 9-10. During its strategic planning session, three areas garnered prominence -- corporate relations, student relations and a national registration system (CanEng). Bylaw changes were endorsed by the CCPE Board. These include changes in the titles of CCPE senior officers (Marie Lemay, ing. will now be CEO, CCPE Board chair's title will now be president) and the ability for members to call a meeting of the Board. These changes have yet to be approved by the members. CCPE Board asked the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board to provide a report before the end of September on the assessment of software accreditation criteria being proposed. Recommendations to go to Board at its next meeting. The "Diversity in Engineering" policy was changed to "Women in Engineering" to promote the involvement of women in the profession. The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Nova Scotia was provided $25,000 to deal with discipline issues arising out of the Westray Mine explosion. CCPE provided the assistance to ensure appropriate discipline action is taken on issues of national interest. CCPE has developed a response to Bill C-31, which changes the basis of assessment of immigration applicants from an occupation to a skill base and establishes credentialing agents in each province. The Bill has received first reading in the House of Commons, and APEGGA will make a presentation to the Standing Committee that is touring the country and receiving submissions on this issue.

CCPG Report
A revised CCPG mobility agreement will be sent to constituent associations for review before December. CCPG has joined with CCPE to review Bill C-31 as indicated above. Dr. Hugh Miller, past chair of the CCPG, attended an international professional geology conference this July in Spain where ethics, professional titles and profiles, mobility and education were discussed. Both the Irish and English geological societies expressed an interest in the CPD programs of Alberta and Newfoundland. The next meeting of the CCPG is in November.