A Fair and Transparent Council Nomination Process

Following a member bylaw vote in November 2021 to accept the recommendations made by the Special Committee of Council on Nominations, APEGA’s process for identifying Council candidates will be more transparent, beginning with the 2023 Council election nominations.

The amended bylaws state “the criteria and process for the composition, selection of Nominating Committee members, and quorum of the Nominating Committee shall be determined by Council and shall be made available to members.”

APEGA has updated the terms of reference that determine the criteria for the selection and composition of the Nominating Committee, which were approved by Council in January 2022.

“Build a Nominating Committee that has the necessary skills to assess whether nominees have the required competencies to stand for election to Council.” 

Under the new terms of reference, the Nominating Committee must total five to seven people, including three to five professional members and one to three public lay members. The role of the Nominating Committee is to oversee the recruitment process for Council nominees, and to assess and recommend the most suitable candidates to put forward for APEGA's annual Council election. The Nominating Committee will also build a gap analysis based on the needs identified by Council against each nominee’s qualifications to confirm they have the necessary skills and experience not only to contribute to the governance of APEGA, but also to fill any gaps in the current Council competency profile. 

Open call for Nominating Committee volunteers

In February 2022, applications to join the Nominating Committee were opened to qualified APEGA members and the public. The opportunity was promoted in APEGA’s ePEG newsletter and on APEGA’s social media channels as an open call for volunteers.

APEGA staff received 13 applications. All applicants were screened by APEGA’s Volunteer Management team using a standard set of questions and assessed by an external human resources consultant to determine if they possessed the required qualifications, including an acute understanding of APEGA’s role as a self-regulating body; experience identifying, selecting, and evaluating nominees; and commitment to the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Ensuring a non-biased vote

APEGA Council met to discuss applicant qualifications and review an anonymized summary of applicant scores and consultant recommendations. Following the discussion, councillors voted by secret ballot, after which the external human resources consultant revealed the names of the candidates who received majority support from Council. A motion was raised and voted upon to appoint the successful candidates to the Nominating Committee for a one-year term.

To select the Committee Chair, Council reviewed the qualifications of those who expressed interest in the position with the external human resources consultant, A motion was raised to appoint the successful candidate as chair.

APEGA’s Nominating Committee for the 2022–2023 Term

APEGA’s 2022 Nominating Committee is made up of seven people: five professional members and two lay members. The current Nominating Committee does not include any current councillors.

Professional Members

• George Eynon, P.Geo., FGC, FEC (Hon.), ICD.D (Chair)
• Genesh Chariyil, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.)
• Ross Plecash, P.Eng., M.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.)
• Dave Rumbold, P.Eng.
• Craig McFarland, P.Eng.

Lay Members

• Len Polsky, B. Comm., LL.B., B.C.L.
• Shannon Neighbour

The 2022 Nominating Committee was onboarded at the end of May and will begin by creating a process to evaluate nominees for the upcoming Council election. The committee will make recommendations based on the qualifications and experience of nominees, aiming to bring together a diverse group of people from a variety of backgrounds. As per the bylaw amendments, only candidates recommended by the Nominating Committee will appear on the ballot for the 2023 APEGA Council election.

Further updates to the nomination process are expected and will be posted on apega.ca prior to the start of the nomination period. Nominations for the 2023 Council election open this summer.