President’s Notebook
MASTER APEGA
Planning and Preparing for What Can’t be Known BY CONNIE PARENTEAU, P.ENG., FEC, FGC (HON.) APEGA President
consultations on the Act itself starts in late February and ends in March. Soon after, we’ll begin work on the General Regulations, and soon after that the Bylaws. Member and stakeholder input continues through those two phases. In April of 2016, Members will be presented with a report of the proposed recommendations Council has endorsed to present to the government to use as guiding principles in negotiations for changes to the Act. I need to emphasize here that you will not be voting on these principles or approving the Act itself. That’s because the Act does not belong to APEGA or Members. It’s our job as an Association to gather input from you and other stakeholders, which we’re doing. It’s the government’s job to accept, reject, or revise what we present. We’ve looked at the legislation guiding other regulators. We’ve listened to Permit Holders, individual Members, and the public. We’ve counted on the work of our champions collaborative to get the word out at the Branch level and hear what the grassroots of the organization has to say. As I said, another round of consultations is about to start. So please watch your inbox for the e-PEG to find out more, and do your part in developing the APEGA of the future. A future in which every Professional Member of APEGA will ultimately be living out the decisions that make up our new legislation.
need to have the right tools at hand, and we need to know how to use them. Many of APEGA’s tools are within the Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act (EGP Act) , which is owned by the people of Alberta through the Government of Alberta. APEGA will recommend legislation to the government that needs to have relevance for decades down the road to ensure that the professions of engineering and geosci- ence are regulated appropriately to protect the public. We don’t pretend to know the specifics of the Alberta of 2045, but we are certain that an Act that was created in the 1980s is not what we need. How do we know this? Frankly, the Act is showing its age. Expectations placed on regulators — and of all bodies that serve or interact with the public, from governments to corporations to everything in between, are greater than they’ve ever been. We need an Act that understands and communicates the social partnership APEGA is building with Albertans. An Act that is more reflec- tive of our times. An Act that allows, with clarity, APEGA to be quick and nimble. An Act that’s flexible enough for a future we can’t predict with certainty. Many of you have been involved in our legislative review process so far. Right now, the fall consultations have just wrapped up. More information about what we heard this fall from you and other stakeholders is either posted or will be soon on the legisla- tive review website, which you can reach through apega.ca. As well, a story on where we are now and where we’re going with the review appears in this edition of The PEG . If you haven’t taken part in the process yet, there’s still time. A third round of
In Canada, we enjoy a high standard of living. Public services like fire and police protection, healthcare, and much more are readily available. We sometimes complain about them, but at the end of the day the issues we have can often be chalked up as so-called first-world problems. Perhaps because we have so much, we sometimes surrender our personal responsibilities to others. We’re along for the bus ride. My challenge to all Members, however, is to stop being simply a passenger. Step up and step out to make a difference — even when what may happen is unknown. One opportunity to do so is by taking part in APEGA’s legislative review. We are the regulators of engineering and geoscience in Alberta, and these days we’re peering into that proverbial but perpetually cloudy crystal ball. I’m sure you’re doing the same in your professional and personal lives, particularly in light of the recession Canada is experiencing and the downturn that persists in the oil and gas industry. We must continuously look ahead, and we must do so in multiple roles: as individuals, as Professional Members of APEGA, as regulators, and as members of the public. When you think about it, Planning and Preparation — capitalized because they’re the theme for this PEG — are not about knowing what will happen. They’re about knowing something will happen. Sure, we look at the trends and make our best as- sumptions. But really what we’re doing is planning and preparing for the worst, while keeping ourselves in a position to succeed no matter what. We need to poise ourselves to act on opportunities as they arise. We
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When I learned that the theme for this edition of The PEG is Planning and
4 | PEG WINTER 2015
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