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Editor's Note: Following
is a report on the most recent APEGGA Council meeting, held
Sept. 13 in Grande Prairie. This was the second meeting in
the current Council year. Five Council meetings per year are
held, in Edmonton, Calgary and one of the branch communities.
The next meeting is Thursday, Nov. 28, in the D.A. Lindberg
Conference Centre in the Edmonton APEGGA offices.
The APEGGA Executive Committee is keeping a close eye on
how British Columbia handles the relationship between professional
engineers and geoscientists, and engineering and geoscience
technologists and technicians. There, the Association of Professional
Engineers and Geoscientists of B.C. and the Applied Science
Technologists and Technicians of B.C. are investigating the
concept of one act and one association. The act and association
would cover technologists, technicians, and professional engineers
and geoscientists.
In Alberta, the Alberta Society of Engineering Technologists
has embarked on an aggressive campaign to have the government
create a separate act with an independent scope of practice
for technologists, Council heard. It's important to note,
however, that in Alberta there's already a system in place
that works, said APEGGA President Ron Tenove, P.Eng. He pointed
to the success of the R.P.T.(Eng.) designation, which has
APEGGA license engineering technologists to perform engineering
within a clearly defined individual scope of practice. See
The PEGG, September 2002, Technologists Further Careers, and
The Steps to R.P.T.(Eng.)
Oil and Gas Reviews
APEGGA's Practice Review Board is taking a careful look at
oil and gas permit holders to see what standard they meet
in their evaluation and reporting of oil and gas reserves.
Council heard that the board plans to conduct 12 to 15 reviews
a year in each of the next three years to see whether the
permit holders are practicing within a proposed practice standard
designed to bring more consistency and accuracy to evaluation
and reporting.
"The reviews are expected to be more intensive than the
current set of random proactive practice reviews and will
require reviewers with extensive knowledge of that area of
professional practice," said the Practice Review Board
report to Council.
The proposed new practice standard comes out of an APEGGA
inquiry into evaluation and reporting. The inquiry found "significant
problems" in the area that the industry were already
aware of and are concerned about.
Microsoft Reversal
Other computer technology companies have been satisfied coming
up with a term other than "engineer" for their technicians.
But not Microsoft Canada Co., Council heard.
The software giant has broken an agreement arrived at a year
and a half ago to stop using the term Microsoft Certified
Systems Engineer in Canada. Only the acronym MCSE would be
used under the agreement. See The PEGG, May 2001, Engineers,
Microsoft Agree on Use of MCSE Designation, and The PEGG,
September 2002, Microsoft Changes Stance on Title Infringement.
In a July letter to its MCSEs in Canada, Microsoft said they
should "feel free" to use the spelled-out version
of the designation. APEGGA must proceed cautiously, however,
while protecting the public. That's because recently court
decisions have not always been favourable to APEGGA's position.
Courts haven't always upheld restricting the use of the protected
titles to professional members of APEGGA. Other provinces
have similar rights-to-title in their legislation.
Kyoto Position
Council instructed APEGGA to take a neutral stand on the Kyoto
Accord. The Government of Canada intends to push forward on
meeting the terms of the protocol to reduce so-called greenhouse
gas emissions, but it doesn't have the Alberta Government's
support nor a clear consensus of scientists.
Under Council's instruction, APEGGA will submit a letter to
the Prime Minister urging caution and national debate, leading
to a full understanding and consensus before action on Kyoto
is taken. The letter will be made public. See President's
Notebook.
Opinions Gauged
Staff presented summaries of major reports on opinions
held about APEGGA and its effectiveness. Council discussed
opinion surveys of members, employers and the public, conducted
by E.M. Ashmore & Associates Inc., as well as a Downey
Norris & Associates Inc. audit of the communications.
The audit looks at the effectiveness of communications strategies,
plans and activities.
Business Report Received
Council looked over the most recent version of the APEGGA
Business Plan, which outlines APEGGA's strategies and goals,
and is developed and updated through annual strategic planning
sessions of Council and staff. Council is pleased with the
inclusion of more measurables in the plan, and wants to see
continued improvements after the next planning session in
the spring of 2003.
President Ron Tenove, P.Eng., said he believes staff refer
to the plan regularly. It's up to Council to make sure directors
"are essentially following the marching orders,"
he said.
The business plan, called The Next Steps, includes seven fundamental
goals: that the obligations of the EGGP Act are met; that
the quality of practitioners is assured; that compliance with
licensure requirements is assured; that government, business
and permit holders are assured of the quality and value of
practitioners; that national objectives are met and coordinated
through CCPE and CCPG; that APEGGA plays an advocacy role
for members and permit holders; and that APEGGA's programs
enhance the value and awareness of science and technology.
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