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A few of Council's recent initiatives…
By GH Wahl P.Geo.- APGO Councillor at Large  As a newly elected member of Council, I would like to thank those who provided their support. I would also thank those members of the previous Council and staff who have worked so diligently to move the APGO forward through the difficult implementation phase.The APGO is now at a point along its path where it is addressing the challenges that the architects of the Professional Geoscientists Act 2000 could not have foreseen. As with every new initiative there are bugs to work out. Therefore it is important for the membership to be aware of the issues and provide feedback. Members raised a number of key issues during the recent election. I thought it would be useful to share these with a broader audience and indicate that your Council is addressing these issues. Mobility of Geoscientists across Canada. The late Mary Claire Ward P.Geo. had the foresight to raise this issue at the PDAC a few years ago and it is important that we as practitioners continue to push hard to have this issue addressed. As Toronto is a global centre of mining finance and expertise, a large proportion of our mining and exploration sector geoscientists live in Ontario and work on temporary assignments around the globe and across Canada. For a large portion of our membership, a provincial professional designation is simply out of touch with the national and international nature of our practice. Requiring professional designation in every provincial and international jurisdiction, each of which have different regulations, dues, fees, stamps, exams, and professional development requirements, is simply inappropriate. For the interim, APGO has negotiated a temporary and incidental practice agreement with Quebec, and will be pursuing similar agreements with other provinces. However, a coherent strategy on at least the national level is required. The APGO has recently put together a background paper and made contact with the PDAC and CIMM to evaluate possible options. Awareness is growing that the status quo is not tenable for many geoscience practitioners - not only those of us in the mining exploration industry, but also for our colleagues in the many other sectors in which we practice. Mandatory professional liability insurance for geoscience C of A's. This is particularly an issue for those members who must carry C of A's and who compete directly with professional engineers. Our engineering colleagues who provide identical geoscience services are not subject to mandatory insurance and have the benefit of an opt-out clause. Lack of professional insurance providers is a major issue for several practitioners. As well, for those lucky few that can find a provider willing to insure them, they must deal with premium increases in an uncompetitive marketplace. Initially, when the Professional Geoscientists Act 2000 was being created the government argued that engineers with a C of A would be subject to the same professional liability requirements. This has not happened. It now appears that the government may be willing to change direction. Council has raised this issue with government and we hope through continued communication that an equitable and appropriate solution can be reached. In future issues of "Field Notes", we intend on highlighting other Council initiatives and invite your feedback. |
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