General Regulation Vote | November 3-10, 2020

Update on the General Regulation

For more than 100 years, APEGA licensed professionals have done great work in our province to the benefit of all Albertans. In celebrating our centennial year, we have spent the last year highlighting the amazing, high-quality projects and initiatives that APEGA professional engineers and geoscientists have produced—and continue to produce—since 1920.

APEGA's licensed professionals rightfully take pride in providing competent and efficient professional services. Your expertise helps Albertans safely build structures, roads, bridges, and waterways, and powers our industries, such as agriculture, oil and gas, and many others. You also take pride in upholding the honour and integrity of the professions as set forth in the Code of Ethics.

We rely on APEGA licensed professionals to be responsible and professional, and we trust you are performing your duties to ensure the safety and well-being of the public—this is the very foundation of the model of self-regulation that has sustained our professions since the introduction of the Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act (EGP Act) 100 years ago.

Modernization of the EGP Act

APEGA has been working very hard to have the modernization of the EGP Act passed in our centennial year. However, the pandemic has shifted the timeline. We have heard recently that the Government of Alberta may place it on the legislative agenda in the fall of 2021. Once proclaimed, it will be up to all of our licensed professionals to put the new tools into practice in the service of the Alberta public.

In the meantime, another piece of legislation important to APEGA in its role as a regulator—and to our licensed professionals and permit holders that rely on the value and trust that the public places in you—is the existing General Regulation, which expires in September 2021.

Importance of the General Regulation to APEGA licensed professionals

An expired General Regulation would leave the professions without vital regulations to effectively govern the practices of engineering and geoscience in Alberta.

The General Regulation establishes registration criteria to ensure only properly qualified, educated, and ethical engineers and geoscientists are licensed to practise, and that individuals who do not meet these stringent requirements are not entitled to become, to practise as, or to call themselves professional engineers, professional geoscientists, or professional licensees.

The General Regulation also includes the Code of Ethics, the continuing professional development requirements to ensure up-to-date competency, and the registration criteria for licensing permit holders.

As APEGA licensed professionals, you have worked hard to obtain the education and experience necessary to become registered. We know you understand the importance of maintaining continuing professional development to stay current and competent in your practice to meet your obligation to protect the public's safety.

And we know the high value you place on upholding the values and ethics of our professions. Self-regulation puts the weight of responsibility in the hands of you, our members—that's why the public trusts the work done by professional engineers, geoscientists, and licensees.

Videos

Be sure to take a few minutes to watch the following videos, which will provide important information and context for the upcoming General Regulation vote.

The President's Town Hall was held on September 24, 2020. During this webinar, President John Van der Put, P.Eng., spoke about APEGA's ongoing initiatives and responsibilities as a regulator, which provides important context for the upcoming General Regulation vote.