APEGA publishes The PEG four times a year — in the spring, summer, fall, and winter. Content relates to our statutory obligations, our services to Members and Permit Holders, and professional development. The magazine also celebrates the accomplishments of our Members and Permit Holders, professional and otherwise.
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SALARY SURVEY SUMMARY
| apega.ca
The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta
Bring your families (and their rocks and fossils) to the APEGA Rock & Fossil Clinic. Professional Geoscientists and their team will inspect your collections and share all sorts of fun facts — for free! Saturday, October 14 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. TELUS World of Science — Edmonton
Please do not bring any rocks and fossils taken from provincial and national parks. It is illegal to remove, deface, or destroy fossils and rocks from all provincial and national parks.
Contents
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FEATURED PHOTO: PAGE 24›
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SALARY SURVEY
DEPARTMENTS
FEATURES
10 Council Nominations Needed Now 13 Partners in Public Protection 14 CPD Hints 37 Value of Professional Services
4 President's Notebook 7 RCEO’s Message 17 Movers & Shakers 28 Buzz 33 World Watch 50 Volunteer Opportunities 54 The Discipline File 58 In Memoriam
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The PEG (ISSN 1923-0052) is published quarterly — online — in the spring, summer, fall, and winter, by the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta. Publication of a print version of The PEG ceased with the distribution of the winter 2016 edition. The PEG ’s content relates primarily to APEGA, our statutory obligations, our services to Members and Permit Holders, and the professional development of Members. The magazine also celebrates Member and Permit Holder accomplishments in Professional Engineering, Professional Geoscience, and other areas. The PEG is not a technical, peer-reviewed publication. Although we publish items about accomplishments in research, we do not publish actual academic or scientific papers and presentations, even in summary form. The PEG does not accept advertising. Opinions published in The PEG do not necessarily reflect the opinions or
VOLUME 1 | NUMBER 3 | FALL 2017 ISSN 1923-0052 Director of Communications Philip Mulder , APR, FCPRS, FEC (Hon.), FGC (Hon.) Philip.Mulder@apega.ca Editor George Lee , FEC (Hon.), FGC (Hon.) George.Lee@apega.ca EXECUTIVE TEAM Registrar & Chief Executive Officer Jay Nagendran , P.Eng., QEP, BCEE Chief Operating Officer Heidi Yang , P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.) Chief Financial & Administration Officer Sharilee Fossum , CPA, CMA, ICD.D, MBA Chief Regulatory Officer Matthew Oliver , P.Eng., CD Director of Stakeholder & Council Relations Pam Cholak , MBA BRANCH CHAIRS Calgary Gobind Khiani, P.Eng. calgarybranch@apega.ca Central Alberta Genesh Chariyil , P.Eng. centralalbertabranch@apega.ca Edmonton Bob Rundle , P.Eng. edmontonbranch@apega.ca Fort McMurray Roya Iranitalab , P.Eng. fortmcmurraybranch@apega.ca
policy of APEGA or its Council. Inquiries: George.Lee@apega.ca
COUNCIL President
Jane Tink , P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.) (Okotoks)
President-Elect Nima Dorjee , P.Eng. (Calgary) Vice-President John Rhind , P.Geol. (Calgary) Past-President Dr. Steve E. Hrudey , P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.), FCAE, FSRA (Canmore) Councillors Natasha Avila , P.Eng. (Calgary) Dr. Jeff DiBattista , P.Eng., MBA (Edmonton) Jennifer Enns , P.Eng. (Calgary) George Eynon , P.Geo., FGC, FEC (Hon.) (Calgary) Darren Hardy , P.Eng. (Calgary)
Dr. Brad Hayes , P.Geol., FGC, FEC (Hon.) (Calgary) Dr. Timothy Joseph , P.Eng., FCIM (Edmonton) RaeAnne Leach , P.Eng. (Grande Prairie) Manon Plante , P.Eng., MDS, CD1 (St. Albert) Jason Vanderzwaag , P.Eng. (Fort McMurray) Claudia Villeneuve , P.Eng., M.Eng. (Edmonton) Emily Zhang , P.Eng. (Calgary)
Lakeland Azam Khan , P.Eng. lakelandbranch@apega.ca Lethbridge Albert Tagoe , P.Eng. lethbridgebranch@apega.ca
Medicine Hat James Johansen , P.Eng. medicinehatbranch@apega.ca Peace Region Youssef Iskandar , E.I.T. peaceregionbranch@apega.ca Vermilion River Dustin Wiltermuth , P.Eng. vermilionriverbranch@apega.ca Yellowhead Colleen Mireau , P.Eng. yellowheadbranch@apega.ca
Susan McRory , LL.B., ARCT Mary Phillips-Rickey , F CA Georgeann Wilkin , RN, LL.B., MBS
Public Members of Council
APEGA CONTACT INFORMATION HEAD OFFICE 1500 Scotia One, 10060 Jasper Avenue NW Edmonton AB T5J 4A2 PH 780-426-3990 TOLL FREE 1-800-661-7020 FAX 780-426-1877
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS Engineers Canada Directors Lisa Doig , P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.), MBA
Dr. Gary Faulkner , P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.) Dr. David Lynch , P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.), FCAE, FEIC, FCIC Connie Parenteau , P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.)
www.apega.ca email@apega.ca
CALGARY OFFICE 2200 Scotia Centre, 700 Second Street SW Calgary AB T2P 2W1 PH 403-262-7714 TOLL FREE 1-888-262-3688 FAX 403-269-2787
Geoscientists Canada Director Colin Yeo , P.Geo., FGC, FEC (Hon.)
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Congratulations
2017 Engineering Fellows
APEGA and Engineers Canada are proud to congratulate the 2017 recipients of the Engineers Canada Fellowship. The Engineers Canada Fellowship program recognizes Professional Engineers and non-engineers who have made outstanding contributions to the engineering profession through their professional accomplishments.
Clay Bos, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.) Peter Daniel Burns, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.) Ram Chadha, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.) Marcella Fiorillo deJong, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.) Nima Dorjee, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.) Steve Huber, P.Eng., FEC
Trevor Myles Loomer, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.) Vivianne Lai On Mansour, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.) Jay Nagendran, P.Eng., FEC Todd K. Simenson, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.) Robert Montgomerie Watson, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.) David T. Westwick, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.)
Jey Jeyakumar, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.) Alex Kanevski, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.)
2017 Geoscience Fellows
APEGA and Geoscientists Canada are proud to congratulate the 2017 recipients of the Geoscientists Canada Fellowship. The Geoscientists Canada Fellowship program honours individuals who have given noteworthy service to the geoscience profession, through service to Geoscientists Canada, service to one of the constituent associations of Geoscientists Canada, or service in another capacity.
Clay Bos, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.) Peter Daniel Burns, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.) Ram Chadha, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.) Marcella Fiorillo deJong, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.) Nima Dorjee, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.)
Jey Jeyakumar, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.) Alex Kanevski, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.) Trevor Myles Loomer, P.Eng. FEC, FGC (Hon.) Kapal Sharma, P.L.(Eng.), FEC, FGC (Hon.) David T. Westwick, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.)
President’s Notebook
MASTER APEGA
A Past to Celebrate, A Future to Plan BY JANE TINK, P.ENG., FEC, FGC (HON.) APEGA President
This year, many of us celebrated the 150th anniversary of Canada’s Confederation. I hope each of you had an opportunity to mark this significant milestone in Canada’s history with your family, friends, and neighbours. In just over two years, APEGA Members will have another special anniversary to celebrate — APEGA’s centennial is in 2020. With both these milestones in mind, I began to think about how far we have come. I thought about the changes that have occurred in our country, our province, our professions, and our Association, and about the role our Members and their innovations have played. I spent time researching the history of our Association and the impact of our professions. On the website of the Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC) , I discovered a number of history articles, including one, titled Engineering Designations of National Historic Significance , that lists Canada’s historic sites by province. Among the Alberta sites mentioned are Yellowhead Pass in Jasper National Park, the aqueducts in Brooks, and the Galt irrigation canals in Magrath. Turner Valley’s gas field and plant are on the list, and so are the Leduc oilfield and the Waterton Lakes National Park oil well, which is the first oil well in Alberta and, for that matter, in Western Canada. Some of these sites are simply marked with plaques, but others, such as the Turner Valley Gas Plant, are open to visitors. Reading the list, originally compiled by Parks Canada, I found it easy to appreciate how important both the agriculture industry and the oil and gas industry are to our provincial economy and the APEGA professions. As we look forward to our centennial and our next 100 years, we should not forget the foundation that was laid for us. These landmarks were created without the use of calculators, computers, the
Internet, or cell phones. The calculations were done using slide rules, and the designs utilized both training and experience. Other papers on the EIC site look at historic Canadian inventions. When you read about them and think about the number of innovations in the last decade alone, you can appreciate how rapidly we are developing and improving our scientific knowledge, technology, and applications. A COAL MINING STORY In my trip to the past, I read an interesting book called Bankhead: The Twenty Year Town . Written by Ben Gadd, it tells the story of a coal mining town within Banff National Park at the base of Cascade Mountain. CPR geologists started evaluating the coal seam there in 1902, but this seam was different: it went upwards. The author described this as a “geologist’s joy” but a “mining engineer’s nightmare.” The book outlines some of the innovations that allowed the men to get the coal to market. One of these was mixing fines with imported pitch and pouring the liquid into rotating drums to create little lumps of coal, or briquettes. Others related to blasting upwards while keeping miners safe from the coal raining down. The Bankhead mining town sprung up almost instantly in 1904 and thrived for 20 years, a mix of people of different nationalities living together in a town with municipal water, sewer, and even electricity. However, as with most coal mines of the day, miners suffered from black lung from breathing in coal dust and went on strike. Around the same time, the federal government shut down mining and prospecting in our national parks, stating that a coal glut made them unnecessary. The mine and town were
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President's Notebook
APEGA
OUR INNOVATIONS AND DISCOVERIES AFFECT PEOPLE’S LIVES, AND NOW, MORE THAN EVER, WE NEED TO BE MINDFUL OF OUR ETHICS, OUR PROFESSIONAL INTEGRITY, AND THE IMPACT WE HAVE ON SOCIETY.
cleaned up, and in 1926 its buildings were moved to the towns of Banff and Canmore. Bankhead: The Twenty Year Town contains drawings of the geology of the site and the engineering innovations the mining there required, along with photos of the town and town life. The book ends by describing a 50-year reunion at the townsite of people who had lived there. The stories that come out of this one little town illustrate how long our professions have been working together in Alberta to meet society’s demands, in this case mining coal for the war effort. Geologists found the coal deposits and mapped them. Engineers, with the help of geoscientists, selected or devised the innovations necessary to get the coal to market. These stories also remind us that the boom-and-bust path our province has travelled goes back a long way. Yet another lesson is that our innovations and discoveries affect people’s lives, and that we now, more than ever, need to be mindful of our ethics, our professional integrity, and the impact we have on society. That brings us, of course, to APEGA. OUR ASSOCIATION’S JOURNEY In 1995, during our 75th anniversary, The PEGG newspaper traced the history of the Association in a series of articles. One of them, titled Association Experienced Growth Spurt in the 1950s and published in February 1995, looked at the 30th anniversary of what was then called the Association of Professional Engineers of Alberta (APEA). In the wake of the end of the Second World War, many ex-servicemen had enrolled in engineering when they returned from overseas. A big concern in 1950 was that a glut of engineers would soon be on the market. This glut never materialized and as the decade progressed, Alberta actually faced a shortage of Professional Engineers. The provincial government of the day, meanwhile, decided to review several of the legislative acts enabling professionals to self-regulate, and there were government officials who thought that the government should take over professional licensure.
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President’s Notebook
APEGA
This didn’t occur, but there were changes to our Act during this period, including the requirement that applicants be assessed by a Board of Examiners to determine whether they were qualified. True to form, our ever-logical predecessors already had this process in place, and it had been that way since the Association’s inception in 1920. Other changes to the Act included increasing the size of Council from eight to 12 and increasing the term a Councillor serves from two to three years. The Discipline Committee was now formalized in the Act, too. Perhaps most importantly, the definition of engineering was expanded to include geology, even though the Act did fail to include a distinct title. This oversight has since been corrected, first with definitions of Professional Geologist and Professional Geophysicist, and more recently with the definition of Professional Geoscientist. Other Association developments include actions by the 1957-58 Council, which hired Ivan Finlay, P.Eng., our first full-time Registrar. He continued in the role for two decades. Along with the Counselling and Education Committee, Council examined the matter of certification of engineering technologists and approved the publica- tion of a booklet called The Engineer and his Profession. THE WORDS WE USE Our Association and society have evolved over the years. We have become, for example, more conscious of the language we use. When I first read the article in 1995 that referenced the booklet, The Engineer and his Profession, I do not recall thinking anything of the title. Recently, as I reread it, I was taken aback. My mind set immediately went to: “Way to exclude 50 per cent of the population!” In the context of its day, it wasn’t designed to exclude anyone — but that was the effect. The title is a good example of how we have learned to change our style of communication and be cautious of the words we use. The words in the Act, the General Regulation, and our bylaws matter, too. As we move legislative changes
forward, we need to be aware of how these changes will impact our Permit Holders and Members, particu- larly with the number of specializations of our profes- sions continually increasing. We are no longer simply civil, electrical, mining, and mechanical engineers. Nor are our geoscientists simply geologists or mining engi- neers. Changes to our legislation will lay the foundation for the future of our professions — including areas of practice that we may not envision today. We, as members of society at large and as Mem- bers of our Association, have learned and progressed through the last 98 years and we will continue to do so. Yet many of the issues we faced 50 or a 100 years ago remain the same today. Society went from little houses to massive houses and now the trend is to go to tiny homes. We went from home-cooked meals to frozen and fast food and now the trend is back to “slow cooking.” We went from electricity for every home and business to some of us shifting our lives off the grid completely. Our professions have developed solutions to the problems inherent in all these changes, and our professions will continue to do so. As we meet societal demands, we need to think ahead to the future we are creating now. I invite you to look to the past, to identify some of the landmark discoveries, innovations, and successes of our last 98 years, and to document some of the history of our professions. I would love to hear your stories, and I am sure many of your mentees and younger colleagues would as well. I also invite you to look at the accomplishments of your colleagues and employers. Although the 2018 Summit Awards nominations are closed, you can always “shine a light on excellence in engineering or geoscience,” as our promotional materials say, for future years. Help us celebrate the accomplishments of today — for the prosperity of tomorrow.
Questions or comments? president@apega.ca
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Registrar & CEO's Message
APEGA
Where We Are, What We’ve Been, What We Will Be BY JAY NAGENDRAN, P.ENG., QEP, BCEE Registrar & Chief Executive Officer
My first five months as APEGA’s Registrar & CEO represent a tiny piece of APEGA’s 97 years. A much bigger piece of the timeline coincides with my APEGA membership; I have spent my entire professional career as a Professional Engineer in Alberta. Other regulatory and governmental positions take up much of my CV, and I’ve also served as a volunteer on the Practice Review Board. All of this means that I arrived on the APEGA staff scene with more than a passing awareness of the organization that gives full meaning to my designation. Nothing, however, completely prepares you for a position like this one. Being your Registrar & CEO requires that I develop a thorough and nuanced understanding of APEGA, its people, its relationships, and its rich history. I’m not all the way there yet, but I’m making great progress! During my crash course on APEGA, I have learned much about the excellent standing that the organization has earned over these many years of self-regulatory leadership. Self-regulation began for us because engineering in the early 1900s was not adequately serving the public interest. Engineers themselves recognized the problem and devised a solution, which they proposed to the provincial government. The government liked the plan, and the rest is history — your history, my history, APEGA’s history. Much of the context for my position, however, lies in accomplishments that are more recent. A MOBILE PROFESSIONAL WORKFORCE An important file over the last two decades has been professional mobility — the movement of Professional Engineers and Professional Geoscientists between jurisdictions, especially within North America. Improved mobility serves our Members and Permit
Holders because it speeds up licensure. It serves the public interest by keeping the professional workforce fluid and responsive to economic change, and by dissuading engineers and geoscientists from practising without licences. You probably haven’t heard or read a lot about mobility recently. One reason is that the organization has had more pressing priorities, which this column and The PEG will continue to highlight in editions to come. The other reason is that our past emphasis on mobility has borne fruit. Important processes, relationships, and agreements are ingrained in the way we do business. Several U.S. exams can now be written in Canada, improving the mobility of our Professional Engineers and Professional Geoscientists on American soil. Many U.S. state licensing boards have relaxed their licensing requirements for APEGA and other Canadian Professional Engineers, recognizing that our licensure systems may differ, but their outcomes are similar. At home, movement of Professional Engineers and Professional Geoscientists between Canadian jurisdictions is fast, simple, and almost seamless. It is no exaggeration to say that improved mobility within and beyond Canada is largely the result of work done by one of my predecessors, Neil Windsor, P.Eng., FCAE, FEC, FGC (Hon.), P.E.(Hon.). The CEO from 1996 to 2012, Mr. Windsor left his mark on APEGA in many ways, and one of his legacies is most certainly improved mobility. This is a good place to mention APEGA’s leadership in analyzing and creating exams, especially the National Professional Practice Exam (NPPE). To become a Professional Engineer or Professional Geoscientist in Canada, you must demonstrate that you understand the laws, professionalism, and ethics that will guide you in your practice. For 11 engineering and geoscience
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APEGA
WE ARE A 21ST-CENTURY VERSION OF WHAT THE ENGINEERS WHO PROPOSED APEGA IN THE FIRST PLACE ENVISIONED. THEY WOULD BE PROUD OF WHAT WE HAVE BECOME — AND WHAT WE ARE BECOMING.
includes it in its resource guide Reaching 30 by 30: Promising Practices for Increasing Diversity & Inclusion in Engineering. One of the anchors of that guide also has APEGA roots. Our Women in APEGA group created a document called Managing Transitions: Before, During and After Leave. This key tool in helping ensure that women retain their positions in the profession has become the national guideline on the subject. Many Permit Holders helped Women in APEGA in this project, sharing their best practices for the good of our professions and the workplace. I am proud to say that gender equality is well established in the staffing and governance of APEGA. In fact, 60 per cent of the leaders on our Executive Team are women. Furthermore, to your credit, our professionals have elected a gender-balanced Council. IMPROVING REGISTRATION With diversity come challenges. APEGA must, for example, maintain high standards of licensure while accepting applications from potential Members from around the world. Registration is particularly complicated for applicants from abroad. That’s one of the reasons why we’ve been improving a range of processes in a multi-year renewal project. We are reducing input errors and other impediments to timely licensure, and at the same time making assessment and examination procedures more consistent. Soon, we will launch the most recent success in this project. Competency-based assessment (CBA) is an improved system of reporting and examining experience. For engineering applicants for Professional Engineer and Licensee, CBA will be the future of
self-regulatory organizations in Canada, that’s done by writing the National Professional Practice Exam (NPPE). With the participation of other engineering and geoscience self-regulating organizations over almost two decades, APEGA continues to develop, maintain, administer, and manage the NPPE. Since October 2015, the NPPE has been a computer-based exam, improving its security and efficiency, while adding the convenience of more writing dates and venues. CREATING A CULTURE OF DIVERSITY Why should diversity matter to APEGA? One reason is practicality: diversity is inevitable. We are already a diverse organization, particularly when you consider the many countries of origin of our Members. One of those Members from elsewhere is me. Although I’ve been in Alberta for most of my adult life, I was born in Sri Lanka. Diversity also matters because it leads to better decisions by broadening the perspectives of teams and boardrooms. On principle, that is something we must embrace. Diversity relates to the professional development sessions and the mentoring program we’ve offered for years. We’ve strived to make them relevant for those from different cultures. We also help build science literacy in young people. We develop initiatives to support diversity in the professions and workplace. In fact, it was APEGA that instigated a diversity initiative that’s now supported by engineering self- regulating organizations across Canada. The slogan 30-by-30 — which we coined — refers, in its national iteration, to the proportion of newly licensed women in the engineering profession reaching 30 per cent by 2030. Engineers Canada has taken on the initiative and
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Registrar & CEO's Message experience examination, and we are among the first engineering regulators in Canada to develop and adopt the system. Here’s something that’s not widely known about our Registration Department. We also look after application and registration processing for potential Members of two sister associations to our north — Engineers Yukon, and the Northwest Territories and Nunavut Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists. Membership approval lies with the regulators themselves, but administering applications and membership is not economical for them, because of their small size and limited resources. Which Canadian regulator of engineering and geoscience was the first to institute a mandatory program of continuing professional development (CPD)? Hint: this is not a trick question. APEGA was, indeed, the first. In the interests of improving our protection of the health, safety, and welfare of the public, we launched the mandatory APEGA CPD program in 1997. Most of our regulatory peers in engineering and geoscience in Canada have followed suit, using the Alberta program as a model. The principle is simple and the reasoning beyond reproach: to be an APEGA professional, whose ethical responsibility, by definition, it is to serve the public interest, you must stay current in a variety of different areas. To do that requires that you build a program of lifelong learning into your schedule, report it to APEGA, and produce detailed records when asked. We live in a time when knowledge grows unrelentingly, so CPD is even more important now than it was 20 years ago. SETTING UP APEGA FOR ITS NEXT CENTURY We have concluded the fifth round of consultations with Members and Permit Holders in the first major revamping of our legislation since 1981. There’s still some heavy lifting to do on our part, but nothing symbolizes the next century of APEGA more than this thoughtful, thorough, and engaging review of the Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act and General Regulation , and APEGA’s bylaws. Since 2012, more than 6,000 individuals have taken part in the process, through surveys, face-to-face A LEADER IN MANDATORY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
APEGA
meetings, webinars, emails, and video conferences. A champions collaborative made up of Members representing APEGA branches ensured that the conversation reached every corner of the province. We have now forwarded recommendations for changes to the provincial government, although there are outstanding issues that we continue to address. THE PEOPLE Ultimately, APEGA is about its people, and that will be as true in our next century as it is in this one. I’ll start with the 135 or so staff members I lead. I cannot overstate how important their support is. From the wise counsel and leadership of my Executive Team to the ongoing, open, and honest dialogue other APEGA employees have so willing embarked upon, their commitment to improving our service to the public and Members is unwavering. Members, staff, and the public rely on the excellent work of our volunteers, ranging from those of you who sit on Council and the various statutory boards, such as the Board of Examiners and the Discipline Committee, to those who help make science and math fun and interesting to Alberta young people. Your contribution is priceless, but if we were to put a price on it, it is worth millions of dollars. You ensure that the people who know our professions best are the ones making the decisions and recommendations necessary to regulate and represent our professions properly. We are, in other words, a 21st-century version of what the engineers who proposed APEGA in the first place envisioned. They would be proud of what we have become — and what we are becoming. The nature of a regulator is such that not all Mem- bers will be pleased with some of the actions APEGA needs to take. However, we will always do our best to do this professionally and with the full intent of protect- ing the public — a duty and necessity of self-regulation. On a final personal note, I consider it a great privilege to serve our valued Members and staff. I’m excited about our shared future of continuing to work together for the public good.
Questions or comments? Registrar_CEO@apega.ca
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You Familiarize yourself with nomination process and requirements Make your decision Prepare and complete your nomination
YOUR PATH TO COUNCIL
Nominating Committee Gathers nominations Interviews nominees Reviews nominations Endorses or Doesn’t Endorse
APEGA Staff Members Communicate with you and confirm your information Distribute appropriate information about you, your nomination, and the election
Create ballot Run election
Ballot Counting Committee Confirms results Prepares report for delivery to Registrar & CEO, and President
President or Registrar & CEO Calls you to discuss election results
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APEGA
Council Nominating Period Enters Final Weeks
Are you ready to take a major step in your life as an APEGA Professional Member? Are you willing to help shape the future of your professions and the self- regulation system that allows you to practise? If so, there’s still time to seek a seat on APEGA Council and join our governance team. Nominations are open for the 2018 APEGA Council election until Friday, September 29, at 4:30 p.m. You must submit your nomination electronically, at apega.ca, through the Member Self-Service Centre. Thorough preparation gives potential candidates the best chance of being endorsed by the Nominating Committee and elected by their peers. You’ll need to prepare a variety of materials (some mandatory and some not) and gather endorsements from 25 other Professional Members. Full information is available in the Member Self-Service Centre and in the summer 2017 edition of The PEG . The APEGA Nominating Committee recommends candidates that represent a strong combination of attributes for Council. Through its own networks, the committee searches for potential candidates. But it also draws upon self-nominated candidates for its recommendations. Before the election, the committee arrives at its list of candidates — Members who are willing, suitable, and available for Council governance and succession. The names of all qualified and properly nominated candidates will appear on the 2018 ballot, regardless of whether they receive the Nominating Committee’s
endorsement. APEGA runs background checks on all potential nominees. Also, members of the Nominating Committee will interview each nominee to review the information provided. Interview results become part of the committee’s process in deciding who to endorse. Every year, at least four Professional Members are elected to Council. Members also choose a President- Elect and a Vice-President each year. They join the President (elected the year before as President-Elect) and the immediate Past-President to lead a Council of 12 Professional Members and three public members. The Government of Alberta appoints public members, whose job it is to represent the public interest. We encourage you to submit your nomination and run for election to help shape the future of APEGA. Online voting takes place February 16 to March 18, 2018 , and successful candidates will be announced at the AGM on April 20, 2018 , in Edmonton.
MORE INFORMATION Summer 2017 PEG Website Running for Council Page
QUESTIONS? elections@apega.ca
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COUNCIL NOMINATIONS
Nominations for your 2018 Council close on Friday, September 29, 2017 at 4:30 p.m.
Election Dates February 16 to March 18, 2018
• Nominations are accepted electronically through the Member Self-Service Centre at apega.ca. • You will have no further opportunity to self-nominate for the 2018 election. • Based on the governance and strategic needs of Council, the Nominating Committee will review all nominations for possible endorsement. • The names of all qualifying nominees who choose to continue will appear on the ballot. • Information about candidates will be distributed to Members in December.
MORE INFORMATION Member Self-Service Centre Summer Edition of The PEG
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REGULATORY
It Takes a Team Permit Holders, Responsible Members, Professional Members, and APEGA — we’re all partners in our service to the Alberta public
Engineering and geoscience companies in Alberta enter into partnerships with APEGA to secure a licence called a Permit to Practice. As a condition of its licence, each of these Permit Holders, as they're called, declares that all geoscience and engineering services it provides or contracts within Alberta are performed responsibly and professionally — in accordance with the Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act and other applicable legislation, APEGA practice standards, guidelines, and the Rules of Conduct in our Code of Ethics . Members are part of this team dynamic when they practise. So are Responsible Members (RMs), who have special roles within their companies. Here’s how it works. Each Permit Holder is responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining an effective Professional Practice Management Plan (PPMP). The PPMP defines policies, procedures, and systems that, when followed, ensure that the organization complies with legislation and implements existing, revised, and new practice standards and guidelines. Ensuring adherence to the PPMP is the task of a company’s RMs. Depending on the size of the Permit Holder, there could be one RM or there could be several. An RM is a leader within the company. Through education and experience, RMs understand the professional obligations the Permit Holder and its employees and contractors must meet to ensure the safe, ethical, and sound practice of engineering or geoscience. RMs provide oversight of all professional work completed within, or on behalf of, the company, and ensure the work meets the quality management and
quality assurance processes and procedures outlined in the PPMP. APEGA supports Permit Holders by: • helping them develop their PPMPs • training RMs and professional Members • developing practice standards, guidelines, and bulletins On behalf of the Government of Alberta, APEGA conducts practice reviews to verify that Permit Holders are safeguarding the public interest by following legis- lation and adhering to professional practice standards and the Rules of Conduct in the Code of Ethics. Your contribution as a Professional Member is to understand your PPMP and support your Responsible Member. All Professional Members have a responsibility to the professions and must do their part to make sure the products of their professional work meet the high standards developed through self- regulation. Your Responsible Members are also there to help you — they should be among your first contacts for professional practice advice and counsel. Take the time to meet with your Responsible Members and to review your company’s PPMP. Understanding the legislation and standards that apply to professional work and how your company adheres to them is a critical component in protecting the public interest and the integrity of your professions — and in being a successful APEGA professional.
QUESTIONS? permits@apega.ca
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REGULATORY
How’s Your CPD Doing? You know that lifelong learning is important. Yet understanding the mechanics and meeting the requirements of APEGA’s Continuing Professional Development program can seem challenging. These hints will help make the process simpler and more effective
Continuing competency is a pillar of the APEGA professions. To safeguard the health, safety, and welfare of the public, it’s essential that professionals engage in lifelong learning. Knowledge and technology grow and change rapidly, as do the best practices in engineering and geoscience. Also, society’s expectations have changed, particularly over the last decade — the public demands greater and greater accountability from its professionals. To meet these demands, APEGA's Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program establishes an annual process and a minimum benchmark for your learning efforts. Meeting the minimum, however, may not be enough. It’s up to you to assess your own needs and plan appropriately, ensuring that your own schedule of CPD maintains or increases your competence. The CPD program provides the flexibility you need to select activities that provide the greatest benefit to you and your practice. In the Professional Practice Department, we hear from some Members who find it challenging to navigate our CPD require- ments. After a conversation with a profes- sional practice advisor, however, these same Members have found they can easily meet the CPD requirements. So, what are our advisors telling Members?
SUBMITTING A DETAILED RECORD? You’ve been asked to submit your detailed activity record to the Practice Review Board. What now? These tips will help you get through the review painlessly. Provide more than just your job title in the Professional Practice section. Without details, such as a brief description of responsibilities, it is unclear to our reviewers what your job duties are and how your CPD activities relate to geoscience or engineering. Be sure to list the provider and specific date for a course or conference activity. A reviewer may do a spot check; if the course or conference information cannot be verified, you may be required to provide additional proof. Don’t rely on your work calendar as the sole source of your CPD information. Members tend to keep their CPD activities listed on their work calendars. But what if yours is not available to you? Employers change, software changes, systems crash — a few of our Members have lost CPD information as a result. Reconstructing information is time consuming and getting detailed reports together becomes difficult. Our suggestion? Print a PDF of your calendar quarterly and keep it at home. 2 3 1
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REGULATORY
IT’S NOT THAT SCARY Meeting your CPD requirements appears to be a daunting task, but it is not nearly that difficult. There are six categories of CPD and numerous training and self- study opportunities available. The difficulty isn’t doing it, it is keeping track of it! Stay current and update regularly — many Members find that the details are all there when they record them continuously throughout the year. It’s much more difficult recording everything at membership renewal time. STILL HAVING TROUBLE? If you still find it difficult to meet your CPD requirements, you just may need help assessing and categorizing what you are doing. Still stuck for hours? Consider applying through Volunteer with APEGA . We regularly need volunteers to assist in the self- regulation of our professions and share their knowledge with young people and new Members.
THE RIGHT CATEGORY FOR THE RIGHT ACTIVITY 1. There is a difference between informal and formal course categories. If the course is less than four hours and there is no formal testing, it’s informal. If you are being tested and certificates are issued, it’s formal. 2. Participation in community groups is allowed under the CPD program, but remember: it is limited to only 10 professional
development hours (PDHs) per reporting period. Are you generating more hours than that and worrying that you’ll lose them? You can carry over excess hours to the next two reporting periods.
3. Reading up on new standards and codes applicable to your field can be claimed as informal. 4. Formal activity isn’t all technical. It can include non-technical courses such as media
relations or time management training — if it’s relevant to your practice or job description. If a completion certificate is offered, health and safety courses also qualify. 5. Any activities that could be considered part of your regular employment fall under professional practice hours — not other categories. For example: • if you are their supervisor, you cannot claim mentoring hours for time spent mentoring Members-in-Training. But you can claim mentoring hours if they do not report to you. • if you are required to make presentations to a council or board as part of your job, record the time as professional
QUESTIONS? cpd@apega.ca
practice hours. If you are giving a presentation at a conference, record the time as presentation hours.
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MEMBER NEWS
Movers & Shakers
TWO ORGANIZATIONS WITH INTERNATIONAL FOCUS HONOUR SCHULICH ENGINEER Life in Canada has been good to Janaka Ruwanpura, P.Eng., PhD . The same can be said for many of the people taught and mentored over the years by Dr. Ruwanpura, Vice-Provost (International) at the University of Calgary. And then there’s the impact of his many professional contributions. Two awards that Dr. Ruwanpura received last year speak to all that and more. In November 2016, the Sri Lanka Foundation International in Los Angeles honoured Dr. Ruwanpura with a lifetime achievement award for his outstanding professional and personal accomplishments. Originally from Sri Lanka, Dr. Ruwanpura left his home country to study in the U.S., before coming to Canada. Also in 2016, Dr. Ruwanpura received the Science Technology Engineering and Math Award at the 20th Immigrants of Distinction Awards, a program of Immigrant Services Calgary. The award citation notes that Dr. Ruwanpura wears two hats: he is a licensed Professional Engineer and a professional quantity surveyor. The author of numerous technical articles, Dr. Ruwanpura developed a “productivity toolbox” that has altered the culture of the Canadian construction industry, by encouraging a more productive and internationally competitive workforce through changes in workplace practices, says the citation. But there are other hats, too. Along with his vice- provost position, he’s a professor of civil engineering for the U of C’s Schulich School of Engineering. Suc- cessfully supervising and mentoring more than 150 graduate students, most of them international students, Dr. Ruwanpura is a recognized leader in academia and his industry. In 2007 he was appointed the Canadian
DR. JANAKA RUWANPURA, P.ENG. . . . . .helping newcomers thrive.
Research Chair in Project Management Systems. He was also Director of the Centre for Project Manage- ment Excellence until becoming a vice-provost in 2013. He attributes much of his success to a supportive and diverse workplace environment. “The University of Calgary has helped me thrive academically and professionally and become who I am today,” says Dr. Ruwanpura, who’s been a professor there since 2001. The award from Sri Lanka Foundation Interna- tional recognizes Sri Lankans living abroad for their exceptional achievements. Recipients must have made noteworthy contributions to their fields and been hon- oured at an international level by professional or peer organizations. “I am truly honoured to receive this award that recognizes my lifetime work and contributions,” says Dr. Ruwanpura. “I am happy to work and contribute to Canada, and proud to keep Sri Lankan heritage alive in my heart.”
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Movers & Shakers
MEMBER NEWS
EMPLOYERS EARN KUDOS FOR THEIR CULTURES OF
ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS The City of Calgary and the University of Alberta aren’t engineering or geoscience firms in the traditional sense. But they do have APEGA Permits to Practice, and they do employ APEGA professionals playing key roles in their green initiatives. Here’s something else they share: they’re among Canada’s Greenest Employers, an honour bestowed annually by national publisher Mediacorp Canada Inc. Both public-sector organizations made the 70-employer list, which recognizes organizations for creating a culture of environmental awareness. For the City of Calgary, this is the
second year in a row on the list. The city supports several green community programs, like the Pathway and River Cleanup, Bike Calgary, and Carpool.ca. It also has formal policies to integrate environmental considerations into long- term decisions about growth, planning, infrastructure, transportation, and development. The city’s Sustainable Building Policy sets LEED requirements the city meets in new construction and major renovations of buildings staffed by city employ- ees. (LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a popular green certification program developed in the U.S. but used worldwide). The city’s water conservation strategy includes a 30-in-30 plan, which aims to reduce water consumption by 30 per cent over the next 30 years. And several city buildings use solar energy for their power — among them the Southland Leisure Centre, with 600 solar panels on its roof. Another key city initiative in 2017 is the city's continued work on flood mitigation and climate resilience. In Edmonton, the University of Alberta is one of only seven employers — and the only Canadian post- secondary institution — to make the green list for nine years in a row. Green initiatives get students, faculty, and employees invested in environmental sustainability. This includes a waste-diversion program for students
URBAN HARVEST The University of Alberta’s Prairie Urban Farm has helped the school become one of only seven employers in Canada to make Mediacorp’s green list nine times in a row. -photo courtesy the University of Alberta
moving from campus, an annual Sustainability Aware- ness Week, and the on-campus Prairie Urban Farm. The university received kudos from Mediacorp for its recycling and waste-reduction initiatives — and for giving engineering students a real-world learning opportunity to audit the school’s waste management system and suggest new approaches. Other highlights that earned the U of A top points are the green roofs (roofs with vegetation) of the Edmonton Clinic Health Academy, the university’s investment in solar energy on several newer buildings, and a rainwater collection system on the roof of Triffo Hall. Sustainability is not new for the university, going back long before climate change was widely in the news. The school’s Energy Management Program, part of its Campus Sustainability Initiative, has been in place since 1975. The program has saved the university an estimated $353 million in utility costs and has prevented over 2.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gas from being emitted. Many private companies also made the Mediacorp green list. Watch for information about them in The PEG winter edition.
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MEMBER NEWS Movers & Shakers ALBERTA’S LOSS IS SASKATCHEWAN’S GAIN: FORMER APEGA COUNCILLOR AND PAST SUMMIT RECIPENT ACCEPTS ENGINEERING DEAN APPOINTMENT
in sectors ranging from drinking water to cosmetics to hydrometallurgy to oil sands extraction. Colleagues and students describe her has as a courageous, insightful, and creative educator. For her part, Dr. Kresta considers teaching a privilege. Her courses, she says, revolve around transformative change. “Making that change happen requires me to meet the students where they live, to understand their fears, and to help them navigate the rapids of personal and intellectual growth.”
It’s a trifecta for the University of Saskatchewan. In appointing Suzanne Kresta, P.Eng., FEC, PhD , as the new Dean of the College of Engineering , the university has ticked at least three critical boxes. “In Dr. Kresta, we have found an incredible combination of teacher, researcher, and administrator,” says Michael Atkinson, Interim Provost and Vice-President Academic for the Saskatoon university. “Dr. Kresta was the perfect fit to continue to advance the academic and research agendas of one of our most historic colleges.” A chemical engineer, Dr. Kresta earned a bachelor of science degree at the University
of New Brunswick, a master of science at the University of Leeds in the U.K., and a PhD from McMaster University in Ontario. She joined the U of A as an assistant professor in 1992, becoming the school’s second female engineering professor. She’s currently a professor in the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering and the Associate Dean in the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research. Her Saskatchewan position, a five- year term, starts January 1, 2018. A former APEGA Councillor, her accomplishments have been recognized through many awards and accolades, including two APEGA Summit Awards: the 1998 Early Accomplishment Award and the 2013 Excellence in Education Award. In 2014 she received the Engineers Canada Medal for Distinction in Engineering Education. She’s an accomplished researcher in turbulent mixing, and has worked
A TALENT IN TURBULENCE Dr. Suzanne Kresta, P.Eng., FEC, knows all about turbulent mixing and transformative change. Now, this former APEGA Councillor’s leadership and teaching skills, along with her technical know-how, are Saskatoon-bound — as of January 1, 2018, a five-year term as the Dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan begins.
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