APEGA
Consultations Underway Over Potential Bylaw Update To Change Mail and Electronic Voting Requirements
Under APEGA’s Bylaw 37(3), a minimum of 10 per cent of Professional Members must respond in an electronic or mail bylaw vote for the result to be valid. But is that realistic, particularly when Council holds a vote on a matter that doesn’t affect or isn’t of interest to many Members? Instead of holding a mail or electronic vote, Council can advance a proposed bylaw amendment to the APEGA Annual General Meeting . A simple majority of those Professional Members who vote at a properly convened AGM is required for the result to be valid. But what if Council requires a response before the next AGM? As Council works on making APEGA a better and more nimble regulator, waiting that long won’t always amount to effective governance. These and other aspects of possible changes to Bylaw 37(3) are being covered in consultations in Edmonton and Calgary, in advance of the 2017 AGM in Calgary on April 28. One more webinar on the subject also lies ahead, on March 1. Four videoconference sessions (live in Edmonton) are being held March 2 and March 3. If any changes are approved at the AGM, they will not affect voting in Council elections, which are gov- erned separately under Bylaw 6 and Bylaw 6.1 APEGA recognizes that the input of its Members is vital to APEGA’s role in self-regulating the engineering and geoscience professions. Having an unrealistic required number of votes may interfere with APEGA’s
ability to engage Members in setting APEGA bylaws. Nonetheless, one of three options Council is con- sidering is that no changes be considered at the AGM. Option 1 Change the bylaw for a Member vote from requiring 10 per cent of all Professional Members to requiring a simple majority of the Professional Members who choose to vote. Option 2 Change the bylaw from requiring 10 per cent of all Professional Members to requiring at least 400 votes from Professional Members. Option 3 Do not change the bylaw, meaning that mail and electronic votes will continue to require a vote of 10 per cent of Professional Members for results to be valid. Council is encouraging Members to choose either Option 1 or 2. The reasoning is covered in a briefing note on the APEGA website. If you can’t attend a consultation session, please read the briefing note and complete a short survey by March 4. Council will consider Members’ feedback at its March 23 meeting. If Council decides that Bylaw 37(30) should be updated, the revised wording will be presented at the AGM for a Member vote.
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