MASTER APEGA NEWS
APEGA and ASET have signed and submitted a joint letter to the Government of Alberta that recommends changes to the Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act (EGP Act) and related regulations. The recommended changes came after five rounds of stakeholder consultation sessions and more than 7,000 comments from members. “Continued partnership and joint regulation with ASET are paramount to the safety of Albertans. I believe this joint submission will improve and modernize the legislation,” said Jay Nagendran, P.Eng., APEGA Registrar & CEO The EGP Act is the joint legislation for APEGA and ASET (short for the Association of Science and Engineering Technology Professionals of Alberta).The Act has not been significantly updated for about four decades. In that time, the practice of the professions has changed, along with business, industry, and society in general. More than 160 recommended changes were jointly submitted to the Government of Alberta. To better serve the public interest, the following key regulatory Province Receives Recommended Changes to EGP Act Are you a sole practitioner? If yes, you’ll be pleased to know APEGA is simplifying the annual dues process. As of July 1, permit dues are $250, plus GST. When APEGA changed its dues calculation for permit holders in 2017, we used the same calculation for all permit holders, which is $500 times the number of members employed, plus GST. After two years and a chance to review our processes, we realized we could simply things. Council approved the flat rate in December 2018, in advance of the implementation date. A sole practitioner is defined as: • a permit holder for which the chief operating officer (COO) and the Responsible Member are the same person—an APEGA member and the only member listed on the permit. • a permit holder for which the COO is not an APEGA member and the Responsible Member is the only APEGA member listed on the permit. Dues System Simplified for Sole Practitioners
recommendations were included in the submission: • Increase the maximum discipline-related fine to $100,000 for members and $500,000 for permit holders from the current $10,000. • Allow the use of creative sanctions when these would be more appropriate than punitive measures. • Allow an investigation to start without requiring a written complaint, providing it appears the public is at risk. On the membership side, the submission included the recommendation to create a certified geoscience technologist designation—C.G.T.—similar to the existing certified engineering technologist (C.E.T.) designation. Currently, registered technologists practising geoscience must use the C.E.T. designation, which does not reflect their area of work. Although some joint legislative matters still need to be resolved, APEGA will continue to work closely with ASET and the Government of Alberta in the hopes of having the legislation proclaimed in 2020—to coincide with APEGA’s centennial.
If you qualify as a sole practitioner, the flat rate will be applied to your permit automatically. Also, you no longer need to apply for a dues reduction—the lower price will automatically be applied. If you have any questions about this or other permit matters, please email permits@apega.ca. We’ll be happy to assist you.
LINKS Company Self-Service Centre Member & Permit Holder Changes Member & Permit Holder Dues
16 | PEG SUMMER 2019
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