APEGA Adds Council’s Role to Election Conversation

Members are interacting with their Council candidates like never before, as APEGA Election 2019 nears the halfway point. This is great news, and we’re hopeful that it translates into a strong turnout at the polls.

We’ve provided lots of APEGA avenues for voters to learn about candidates, including the publication of their statements, the posting of their videos, and the hosting of two, in-person meet-and-greet events, called Coffee & Conversation. Candidates, meanwhile, have spread their messages through their own networks, relying on websites, email, social media, and other tools and platforms.

Given the amount of detail in many of the social media questions and comments, we decided to add some clarity and focus to the discussion, by outlining Council’s role in our self-regulatory model.

Individual candidates are free to campaign within specific guidelines. APEGA and its Council, meanwhile, are responsible for those materials distributed directly by staff.

Council strategically directs the association, through the leadership of the Registrar & CEO. Council and APEGA work together for the paramount purpose of protecting the public.  The candidates you elect will be involved in a team decision-making process. Each Councillor is one of up to 19 voices around the table—those of 16 professional members and up to three government-appointed public members.

Council’s role breaks down this way:

• to develop and drive APEGA’s strategic direction
• to ensure the responsible use of resources to effectively execute APEGA’s strategic plan
• to provide ongoing oversight of APEGA’s functions and activities
• to make decisions that affect the professions and the membership
• to provide financial oversight

Although direction and oversight come from Council, day-to-day operations of the organization do not. As a group, Council can seek specific outcomes, but it is up to the Registrar & CEO to implement them though staff. Specific results sought by a specific Councillor can’t be guaranteed, because such direction must come from Council as a whole.

Councillors bring their own ideas, areas of expertise, and areas of passion to the table. That’s a reflection of the diversity on Council, and a wide range of perspectives is encouraged by APEGA’s Nominating Committee. However, all Councillors work for the public first and then for all members  equally. A Councillor from one industry brings the perspective of that industry to the table but does not work exclusively for that industry’s members. This principle also applies to geographic areas of the province.

Positions on particular issues are important. Just as important are the skills and experience Councillors possess. Effective board communication skills, governance experience, knowledge of APEGA, leadership ability, regulatory understanding, risk management knowledge, strategic planning experience—these and other attributes are always of value at the Council table.