APEGA
What are some of the challenges facing APEGA and the professions of engineering and geoscience? How should APEGA address them? SH We are facing a challenging year ahead that clearly has serious implications for many of our Members and for APEGA itself. I can reassure Members that they are well represented on Council by Members who know the realities of professional practice and the challenges of our economic cycles. APEGA has come through a decade of unprecedented growth, which has driven priorities to streamline registration. Major efficiencies have been achieved and are continuing. We recognize a need to align our registration fee structure to recover the costs of processing each type of application. We have come to recognize needs for improvements in investigative, discipline, and appeals processes to provide more timely responses, while acting to ensure that natural justice governs all that we do. We are also looking at our practice review processes, and we recognize a need to enhance ethics core values in our Continuing Professional Development programs. Ethics principles provide the
common and essential framework for guiding the diverse range of professional practice that APEGA must regulate. If we can all be confident that our Members fully embrace our Code of Ethics — including that Members “shall undertake only work that they are competent to perform by virtue of their training and experience” — trouble can be prevented, regardless of the wide range of activities that our Members pursue. Despite all our challenges, APEGA must continue to demonstrate that our professions are worthy of being granted the privilege of self-regulation. This clearly requires a high degree of personal respon- sibility and accountability by each of our Members. There’s been much discussion recently about the need for innovation to diversify Alberta’s economy. How can APEGA professionals be leaders in this area? What do professionals need to do differently or better to spur innovation in their fields? SH I have addressed this topic in more detail in my President’s Notebook in this issue of The PEG , but I’ll touch on it here, too. I firmly believe our
Members are better equipped than any other professions to innovate and lead diversifica- tion in Alberta. We only need to recognize how important our skills are to this province and spark our creativity towards supporting greater economic diversification. What does being a leader mean to you? How would you define your leadership style? SH I believe that being a leader means accepting and honouring an unwavering commitment to the cause that I am taking on. During my career, I have always primarily sought to lead any initiative I have taken on by personal example, rather than by exhortation or other motivational means. I am pleased to note that I expect that leading APEGA will be rewarding because of the excellent and committed leadership APEGA has received in the past, the excellent and informed contributions of our Council, the remarkable contributions of our volunteers, and the dedication and professionalism of our staff. You live in Canmore and saw first- hand the effects of flooding along Cougar Creek in June 2013. You
“I can honestly say that while I was serving on Council I had no intention of running for Executive — that’s how fulfilling I found the role of Councillor. However, some of our past Presidents are very persuasive!”
SUMMER 2016 PEG | 13
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