President's Perspective: Farewell From Your President: A Year of Growth for APGO

Scott McLean, P.Geo - APGO President

As I write this last article as president of APGO, I must reflect on the year gone by. It has been extremely busy at APGO and the tireless efforts of the staff, council and all volunteers have paid off because APGO is now clearly established as a viable and self-supporting regulator in the Province. The accomplishments of the association over the past year are clearly described within the annual report to be issued forthwith. Of significance, however, is that APGO is now on sound financial footing, is growing in terms of membership and has matured through the establishment of clear procedures and policy for the regulation of professional geoscience in Ontario.

The experience I have gained through leading a dynamic group of councillors has been extremely rewarding. I can assure all members that your council is a dedicated group of professionals that evaluates all decisions fully and challenges one another to make the best choices for APGO members and more importantly for the Ontario public. Notably, 25 percent of council is made up of non-members who represent the public at large. These individuals have brought varied perspectives to the decision-making process and they are critical in maintaining relevancy with respect to the public requirement of the association.

APGO has experienced many changes this past year. Most notably it has seen a near complete turnover of its staff, as human resources were re-structured because of the departure of Oliver Bonham who accepted the Executive Director position at the Canadian Council of Professional Geoscientists. We have been fortunate indeed to be able to attract Dr. Norman Williams to succeed Oliver. Norm has brought new ideas to our association through his considerable experience in the Ontario Regulatory environment.

APGO central objectives for this past council can be summarized as follows:
1. Enforcing regulations against the illegal practice of professional geoscience in Ontario.
2. Achieving mobility for APGO's members via incidental practice or a similar mechanism; and,
3. Recruiting new as well as young members.

I can report that significant progress has been made on all these fronts. The Enforcement and Compliance Committee has made significant strides in enhancing a system of surveillance and responding to reports of non-compliance, which has resulted in, improved awareness of the requirements of our Act and attracted many new members to the association. In addition, council has approved an enforcement and compliance policy document that was generated by the committee.

Seamless mobility across the country remains a difficult challenge. APGO recognizes that our profession is highly mobile and that its members would welcome the ability to work in other jurisdictions without restriction. Some of the other jurisdictions have been resistant to moving forward with creative ways to allow for such mobility while upholding obligations under their respective acts. The APGO mobility subcommittee, however, worked hard on this objective. It vigorously explored a mobility model for Incidental Practice that was later determined to be not viable by some other constituent associations. As a result, the subcommittee then focused on improvements to the existing Inter-Association Mobility Agreement (IAMA), which resulted in changes to the APGO registration requirements for IAMA signatory members in good standing from other Canadian Association to receive a license in Ontario without supporting documentation. Many other constituent associations across Canada have made similar changes to their registration process under IAMA. This has greatly reduced the barriers to being able to practice within another jurisdiction on short notice.

Much progress has been made in attracting new members. Markedly, the Registration Committee established a Student and GIT subcommittee that have focused outreach and mentoring activities to these two specific member pools. In addition, APGO has re-established links with the Ontario universities by encouraging the re-convening of the Council of University Departments of Geoscience in Ontario and carrying out an outreach program to the individual departments. APGO has also reached out to the internationally trained professionals through its support of the Toronto and Regional Conservation Authority workshop programs aimed to support this group.

As I pass the reins over to in-coming President, Maureen Jensen, P.Geo., I am confident that APGO will continue to grow, mature and excel as a regulator in Ontario. The challenges before us will be overcome with time and the actions of the association will continue to guard the public welfare while promoting member services. I would like to sincerely thank all the councillors, staff, committee members, volunteers and our past presidents for their support, time and loyalty to the association. Without the high level of dedication and professionalism that all of you have provided, APGO would not be where it is today.

For more information on APGO, please contact info@apgo.net

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Field Notes is published by APGO and is edited by Wendy Diaz, P.Geo. If you have comments or wish to contribute material to this newsletter, please contact Wendy Diaz, P.Geo., or Norman Williams, P.Eng., Executive Director/Registar.

Copyright 2006, Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario (APGO)