The January/February 2021 issue of The Professional Edge noted proposed bylaw changes to APEGS’ regulatory and administrative bylaws, which are outlined in the table below.
Council unanimously passed the changes at its February 4, 2021 meeting. Members will vote on the changes at the annual meeting on May 1, 2021.
“I have been very involved with the project, seeing the details and the entire planning process for each recommendation to go to council for consideration,” said Kristen Darr, P.Geo., President-Elect and member of the steering group for the governance change project.
Darr believes the changes will create a council that is well suited to regulate the professions and protect the public.
“A smaller council size will allow us to be better and more efficient at decision-making in the best interest of the public, since a reduction gives the public appointees a larger voice, which is important in self-regulation,” said Darr.
When it comes to council composition, Darr noted updates are necessary.
“One of the electoral groups includes a ceramic engineer, which hasn’t existed as a discipline in years,” said Darr.
Peter J. Jackson P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.), Past President (2011-2012) is the chair of the Nominating Criteria Task Group. The group is aiming to improve the transparency of the nominating process, refine the selection and vetting of potential council candidates and analyze the performance of the existing council to ensure that any gaps in knowledge or capability are addressed in the following round of elections.
“This is intended to equip council with the proper expertise to deal with specific issues that arise from time to time,” said Jackson. “We’re also working to ensure councillors get an opportunity to give feedback on their council experience as part of a continuous improvement plan for the nomination process.”
Area
Reduction in council members
Proposed changes
- Adjust council size from 19 to 13 councillors.
- This includes 11 elected councillors and two public appointees, with a minimum of four professional engineers and two professional geoscientists, as The Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act requires.
- Phase in over three years through attrition to ensure minimal disruption.
Rationale
- Increases the representation of public appointees (from 10.5 per cent to 15.4 per cent), which increases the public voice.
- Allows for more efficient decision-making and is in keeping with best practices in governance.
- Retains the ability for a tie-breaking vote, if needed.
Elimination of discipline and electoral district representation
- Replace the process of electing councillors based on discipline, geography or member-in-training status with councillors elected as members-at-large.
- Phase in over three years through attrition to ensure minimal disruption
- Eliminates any confusion that elected councillors represent their geographic district or discipline as per the position they were elected.
- Eliminates the need to update council positions as new disciplines/practice areas emerge.
Changes to council nomination process
- Allow the Nominating Committee to attract and vet candidates using criteria aimed at ensuring council is comprised of individuals with the knowledge, competency, character and diversity to regulate in the public interest. The criteria include:
- a provision for members to self-apply to be considered for nomination to run for council, in addition to the Nominating Committee identifying potential candidates.
- a process for candidates to be vetted in a consistent manner, which requires them to:
- complete an application form.
- be assessed against a competency matrix and a gap analysis of council.
- if short-listed, take part in an interview process to select final candidates.
- Provides a more strategic nomination of council candidates to fill identified competency gaps on council, which will increase the quality of regulation and increase public confidence.
- Makes the evaluation of candidates more consistent and transparent.
- Provides anyone the opportunity to be vetted as a candidate for election.