PRACTICE REVIEW BOARD
The Practice Review Board ensures that APEGA members using the titles engineer and geoscientist adhere to the standards, regulations, and ethics of these professions in the Province of Alberta. I was appointed public member by the Minister of Labour in 2018. I am accountable to fully participate in the work and decisions of the board. I also have the responsibility to ensure that the public’s interests are fully represented in the board’s deliberations, considerations, and decision-making processes. APEGA staff and the other volunteer members of the board have fully embraced and given due consideration to my input. The Practice Review Board undertakes its responsibilities and work through making recommendations involving: -- requests for reinstatement and resumption of practice -- file reviews and oversight -- member adherence to legislatively required continuing professional development -- investigations of some types of complaints -- APEGA in-service sessions and information provided to permit holders and professional members Following a successful 2017 pilot, the board has implemented a systematic review of the Professional Practice Management Plans (PPMPs) of permit holders, including on-site audits as necessary. This new undertaking has no doubt improved the monitoring and adherence to Alberta’s legislation and regulations, and APEGA’s bylaws, standards, and guidelines In total, 35 permit holding firms were reviewed in 2018. This represents a very small percentage of the total permit holders in Alberta, but APEGA is making ongoing efforts to direct resources to this effort. Comments and other critical input have resulted in improvements to the PPMPs of the reviewed permit holders and the monitoring of their professional staff. There has also been a ripple effect: other permit holders are taking up the mantle to improve their PPMPs. Most permit holders APEGA has reviewed have lacked internal controls to ensure that their professional engineers
and professional geoscientists were in compliance with APEGA's mandatory Continuing Professional Development Program, which builds ongoing competency. Other issues such as inappropriate use of reserved titles, inadequate in-service, and, in some cases, weak oversight of projects also became apparent. APEGA has offered insight and opportunities for improvement to effect changes and corrections to bring permit holders into compliance and to strengthen their control of the practices of engineering and geoscience. There were seven Practice Review Board meetings in 2018, during which decisions were undertaken about the aforementioned practice reviews, and recommendations made about 282 reinstatement requests and 191 resumption requests. Discussions were also initiated to streamline the board’s work and to explore how to make the best use of board volunteers in conjunction with staff resources, to ensure the integrity of, and confidence in, the self-regulating functions involving the board. I am very encouraged by the initiatives and dedication of the Practice Review Board volunteers and APEGA staff. I commend them for their professionalism and diligence, not only in undertaking their obligations but in improving their service to members for the overall benefit of Albertans. It continues to be an honour to serve on APEGA’s Practice Review Board.
Respectfully submitted,
Maria David-Evans, B.Sc., MBA, MA, RSW Public Member
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