CEO’s Message
MASTER APEGA
Member without Council’s approval, even if the Member wishes to withdraw voluntarily. It makes sense that before Members leave the professions we ensure, on behalf of the public, that there are no administrative issues. Still, this arrangement does not appear to make the best use of volunteers’ time. Another illustration involves statutory boards. Some meet regularly and some meet much less frequently. Due purely to the size of our current membership, the original intent and expectations of some of these boards, as described in the Act, would overwhelm a part-time board. According to the Act, the Practice Review Board is supposed to administer the continuing professional development program. At APEGA’s current size this is already a significant, full-time activity. Expecting Members to volunteer their time to administer a core program is unreasonable. However, asking volunteers’ guid- ance to help develop parameters is entirely appropriate. I believe that’s exactly what our predecessors intended. Given the volume of the work, the complexity of the issues, and the administrative effort required to prepare these boards to make decisions, we need to rigorously review how work and authorities are apportioned. When our statutory functions are not seen to be operating efficiently, we put our social licence to regulate at risk. APEGA has a highly dedicated and professional team of full- time employees. Some of them are Professional Engineers and Geoscientists, and they too bring considerable experience and skill to bear on our professions. It is our full-time staff members who need to be appropriately empowered to set the timelines for the administration of certain functions and to perform routine statutory functions. If we reconstruct our system slightly so full-time employees are better able to manage processes, and if we also focus volun- teers solely on making decisions rather than supplementing administration, we will make the best use of the volunteer ex- pertise we need and value. Let’s concentrate on each volunteer’s experience and judgment. That way, we will improve volunteer engagement and the satisfaction they gain from contributing. APEGA is experiencing unprecedented regulatory challenges. This is the new normal for our professions, and we need to make our model sustainable. By rebalancing the authorities and respon- sibilities of employees and volunteers, we will enable our system to adapt and evolve to meet the challenges ahead. I believe that self-regulation will continue to rely on the selfless dedication of volunteers. But to preserve the integrity of our system, we must make adjustments. The result will be a more effective and efficient team, and the continued success of a model that has served the public well.
the Second World War would have been won without the sacrifice of Canada’s volunteer service personnel. As APEGA reviews the Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act (EGP Act) and prepares its submission of a substantial rewrite to the Government of Alberta, we have a huge opportunity. We can shape this legislation. In doing so, we can achieve a more appropriate approach to managing the task of self-regulation. In practical terms, what exactly might this look like? This paradigm shift would, for the most part, be unnoticed by Professional Engineers and Geoscientists as they go about their daily lives and business. The difference lies in how authorities are delegated. The shift would place a greater reliance on permanent employees to manage the tempo of our business.
Many aspects of the day-to-day regulatory business are fairly routine. Yet the authority to perform them, as outlined in the EGP Act , rests with volunteers. It must be
said that over the years APEGA has done a good job developing policy solutions to address some of these issues. But it is time to formally address them in the Act. Here’s an example. The Registrar cannot cancel the reg- istration of a
Questions or comments? ceo@apega.ca
SUMMER 2015 PEG | 7
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