Public Member Reports Council
After having served on APEGA Council as the public member since my appointment in March 2012, it is with sadness that I tender this final report. New public members have been appointed by the government to fulfil the role I have served in. Over the years, I have watched the council and the organization focus on becoming an outstanding regulator. This has impacted many areas in cost and personnel. There has been a drive to strengthen council’s governance procedures and policies without limiting the voices and opinions in the room. Council provides more education on how to be a council member and makes sure the relationship between council and staff is open and healthy—not too much in the business details, but not so far removed to miss changes that are in the council’s purview. Some governance changes worked from inception, whereas others—such as having a more transparent election of councillors and a better representation of the registrant population—have needed several iterations to come closer to a good working model. Council has mechanisms in place to review its own procedures and make improvements. Over the years, council has navigated changes in the structure of the business (registrar and CEO) and changes in the personnel in those positions. Investments in technology to stay in touch with registrants and give them access to their data while keeping their data safe continues to be a focus. Council pushed for higher availability of education on ethics and practice topics. The investment in compliance and complaints has received more attention in the last 12 years. Throughout my tenure, the change in the legislation has been on the agenda and a backdrop to all decisions. Council has kept up to date with that changing landscape and has been prudent in its preparations for the change. Public members are often asked what we bring to council. Mostly, we bring an outside perspective—not that the council membership’s is narrow—but we do not see the world through an engineer’s or geoscientist’s eyes. We often have diverse board experiences that some councillors do not. If we ask the naive questions out of curiosity, we can be most helpful in exposing the times groupthink is in play. If we offer other board experiences, we help to educate. The new legislation calls for more public members, and they will help make APEGA even better in the future. I thank APEGA and the Government of Alberta for this opportunity to serve. It was a privilege.
Mary Phillips-Rickey, FCPA, FCA Public Member
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2024 ANNUAL REPORT
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