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this page President's Perspective: APGO Is Busy Planning For the New Year and The Future By Steve Usher, P.Geo.APGO President  As I write this, the winter's snows have arrived and my family is looking forward to Christmas with much anticipation. Many of us look forward to comfortably warming our toes by the fire, but some of us are just as happy not sitting on that noisy drill rig and dealing with freezing rain and howling winds, if only for a few days. Much like our whole profession, your APGO council and our staff have been busy these past few months. You, of course, will be responding to the annual APGO mail out. Committees have met and plans have been made for the New Year. The 2008 budget has been compiled and is poised for approval; Council may indeed already have passed it by the time you read this. My first six months as President have been pleasantly busy, and I look to the New Year with anticipation.As I said in my last article, one of our tasks is that of outreach to both our existing membership and to prospective members. Our existing membership exhibits their professionalism by a high standard of geoscientific practice, ethical behaviour, and their recognition of our duty to society. The response to the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program was very strong. As I noted last time, it was with a fair degree of pride that our review of those files revealed how involved our members are with the communities they live in, the professional community they practice in, and their desire to continue to develop their skills. We have been busy in recent months in our outreach to the students and faculty of Ontario's Universities. I have personally visited Queen's University and the University of Western Ontario this fall. Several of our councillors have been to the universities in their areas as well. For me personally, it has been very rewarding. My grade twelve son and I have attended open houses at several schools as part of his effort to select a university program for next year. Speaking with the student tour guides and faculty reveals a tremendous pride in their respective institutions. Their enthusiasm and optimism for the future is exactly what we need to capture and foster with the APGO. For our part, we will continue the outreach we began several years ago. Another area that needs our collective attention is that of foreign trained geoscientists. There is a clear shortage of geoscientists in practice today, and the enrolment is down in geoscience programs at the universities. Across Canada, some schools are amalgamating programs with other faculties and others are sharing geoscience programs. Those qualified geoscientists that have come to Canada to live represent a source of talent that can augment our numbers. The APGO continues to participate in the Professional Access and Integration Enhancement (PAIE) program, currently being fostered by the Toronto Region Conservation Authority. This innovative program places foreign trained geoscientists for a 9-month work term and provides 3 months of classroom training in a Canadian work environment. This gives them the necessary 12 months of practice in a Canadian setting, which is part of the requirements for professional registration. My own firm has participated in the work term aspect, and I can see the benefit of it for everyone. I would encourage other firms to consider this opportunity because the candidates have many years of experience and a real desire to contribute. On behalf of APGO Staff and Council, I wish to extend our warm wishes to our members and their families this holiday season. I am personally looking forward to the New Year with anticipation of greater achievement by our organization and membership. |
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