Boards & Committees

The Audit Committee assists council with its oversight responsibility. The committee monitors the financial health of APEGA and helps mitigate risk.

The Audit Committee has a minimum of six positions including:

• one public member with accredited financial training and/or relevant financial professional experience; if no public member is available, an expert will be consulted, as required
• at least three council members with financial literacy through accredited training and/or relevant professional experience
• non-voting staff advisors, appointed by the registrar and CEO; unless directed otherwise by the registrar and CEO, this will be the chief financial and corporate officer (CFCO)

Duties

• Review quarterly financial statements
• Review annual financial statements, pensions, and investments
• Review and make recommendations on:
  • risk management activities
  • internal control policies and practices
• Review and recommend to council the annual budget
• Work with the external auditor and discuss recommendations with APEGA management

The Executive Committee provides organizational leadership between council meetings at the principal level. Council is solely responsible for governing the affairs of APEGA’s membership in keeping with the expectation of its stakeholders.

The committee has five positions:

• president
• president-elect
• vice-president
• past-president
• chief executive officer (ex officio member)

Duties

• Set council agendas
• Track council priorities
• Invite up to two councillors to attend Executive Committee meetings
• Evaluate the registrar and CEO’s performance
• Confirm council committee chairs and members
• Act on behalf of council between council meetings (only in rare circumstances)

The Governance Committee advises council on the governance of APEGA, including the effectiveness of council and council’s policies.

The committee has six positions:

• president
• past-president
• three council members, one of whom must be a public member

Duties

• Assess APEGA’s governance needs
• Monitor council’s governing effectiveness
• Ensure council policies are relevant
• Provide coaching and guidance to council on governance practices
• Familiarize new councillors with their duties
• Give policy and governance recommendations to the registrar and CEO
• Evaluate the effectiveness of council and councillors
• Determine the compensation for the registrar and CEO and the president

As part of the APEGA Council election process, the Nominating Committee is responsible for ensuring that the knowledge, skills, and attributes of council election candidates have been assessed through a transparent, formal, and structured process.

The committee has between five and seven members:

• three to five professional members or licensees of APEGA
• one to three lay members from the general public

Committee members should demonstrate an acute understanding of APEGA’s role as a self-regulating body; have experience identifying, selecting, and evaluating nominees; and show a commitment to the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Duties

• Review and understand the competencies needed for council as a whole
• Conduct a gap analysis to determine priorities for candidate skills and experience
• Oversee the process of receiving nominations from the membership at large
• Ensure candidates running for council are qualified
• Assess nominees using a structured competency-based approach
• Identify candidates to appear on the election ballot

The Discipline Committee hears and decides on complaints of unskilled practice and unprofessional conduct against APEGA members and permit holders that are brought before it by the Investigative Committee.

The committee has a minimum of 10 professional members appointed by APEGA Council as well as one public member appointed by the government.

Duties

• Adjudicate on allegations of unskilled practice and unprofessional conduct
• Publish the results of discipline cases to deter future infractions and to educate the membership
• Maintain accurate and thorough records of discipline cases to guide committee members in assessing sanctions

The Investigative Committee investigates complaints against APEGA members received by the registrar and CEO, as per the Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act.

The committee has 27 professional members and one public member.

Duties

• Investigate allegations of unskilled practice of the professions or unprofessional conduct by members
• Authorize investigations into projects or matters believed to be of major consequence to the general welfare of the public

The Appeal Board reviews decisions and actions by the Discipline Committee, Practice Review Board, Investigative Committee, and Board of Examiners.

The board has a minimum of six professional members and one public member.

Duties

• Arrange and conduct appeal hearings
• Determine findings and conclusions in those areas authorized under the Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act

The Board of Examiners establishes admission standards for the engineering and geoscience professions and considers the qualifications of applications against those standards.

The board has around 200 members, including two public members appointed by the government.

Duties

• Develop standards, policies, and procedures that meet the intent of the act in all areas of registration
• Review all applications for membership in APEGA and approve, defer, or refuse each application after considering whether it meets the requirements of the act
• Develop and maintain syllabuses of exams for engineering and geoscience

The Practice Review Board develops and administers APEGA’s practice publications, evaluates the professional practice and competence of members and permit holders, and determines whether members who are being assessed or undergoing a practice review may continue to practise in Alberta.

The board has at minimum four professional members, from a variety of knowledge and experience backgrounds, and one public member, nominated by council and appointed by the government.

Duties

• Develop and maintain professional practice standards, bulletins, and guidelines
• Evaluate the professional practice and competence of professional members, licensees, permit holders, and certificate holders against APEGA’s practice standards and guidelines, which includes practice reviews of permit holders and individual licensees
• Administer and enforce the Continuing Professional Development practice standard and request submission of any Personal Annual Competency Evaluation (PACE) plans, as required