1 - Engineers Canada

DRAFT
Meeting Notes
Constituent Associations’ Presidents Group Meeting
Thursday May 21st, 2015
Hotel Arts, Calgary, Alberta
1:40 p.m. – 3:21 p.m.
1. CALL TO ORDER AND INTRODUCTIONS
Connie Parenteau, President, APEGA, Chair of the Meeting
Ann Mellema, President, Engineers NS
Dennis Peters, Chair, PEGNL
Digvir Jayas, FEC, P.Eng., President-Elect, Engineers Canada
Howard Procyshyn, President, APEGM
W. James Beckett, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.), Past-President, Engineers Canada
Jamie Rogers, President, ABET (guest)
Jeff Card, Chair-Elect, PEGNL
John Clague, President, APEGBC
Justin Dunn, President, Engineers PEI
Marcia Friesen, Past-President, APEGM
Margaret Hodges, President, APEGS
Paul Amyotte, FEC, P.Eng., President, Engineers Canada
Paul Campbell, President, APEGNB
Rod Savoie, President, APEY
Ron Kent, President NAPEG
Thomas Chong, President, PEO
Zaki Gavitian, delegate of President, OIQ
Guy Legault, Vice-President, Business Development and Services, Engineers Canada
(Meeting Secretary)
2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
The agenda was approved.
3. REVIEW OF DRAFT NOTES FROM FEBRUARY 24th, 2015 MEETING
The notes from the February 24th, 2015 meeting were received.
Meeting Notes
Constituent Associations’ Presidents Group Meeting
Thursday May 21st, 2015
4. ITEMS FROM AN OWNER PERSPECTIVE – FOR DISCUSSION (Documents in the
Board Agenda Book)
4.1 Linkages Task Force Report (Digvir S. Jayas, FEC, P.Eng, Chair of the
Linkages Task Force)
Digvir S. Jayas presented highlights from the Report.
Discussion focused on the proposed Assembly of Delegates, the size of the Board and
the authority over financial matters. Different views were expressed including the need to
keep observers with a smaller board; no need for a large board to conduct the
business/govern Engineers Canada; a smaller board could work in close collaboration
with the Chief Executive Officer Group; a smaller board would not work; benchmark with
other associations; who exercises financial control over the association when the board
does not approve the budget? The board has ultimate financial control; chooses to do it
through the Ends; the board delegated to the Chief Executive Officer the development
and management of the budget through the Ends and Executive Limitations; policy
governance allows the board to exercise huge powers; councils/boards sometimes
prefer to deal with operational issues.
Jamie Rogers, President of ABET shared her organization’s experience going through a
similar transformation: 5 years to reduce the size of the Board from 53 to 12; 34
member societies; nothing really broken but needed to be smaller to make decisions; 53
will be on the Board of Delegates who will elect 12 directors of the board; 2,100
volunteers; thousands of institutions; societies care about the accreditation criteria (not
finance, strategic plan); “my Society” should not be in the vocabulary on a board; bylaws
overwhelmingly supported by societies; board of delegates – responsible for
accreditation criteria; created a Transition Task Force; happy to share more information
(Michael Chief, ABET Executive Officer attending the Chief Executive Officer Group).
The Board will decide if it wants to move the proposal to the Annual Meeting of Members
for further exploration of a new model. 1
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Secretary’s note: The proposal was defeated at the Board on May 22 , 2015 and not referred to
the Annual Meeting of Members.
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Meeting Notes
Constituent Associations’ Presidents Group Meeting
Thursday May 21st, 2015
4.2 Synergy Review Report (Jim Beckett, FEC, FGC (Hon), P. Eng.)
The Group discussed the Synergy Review Report. Some of the elements discussed
included: find innovative ways to get people involved; erred on the side of being
provocative; how should AB and QB be managed; if the board continues to manage AB
and QB, it should have a relationship similar to the relationship between the board and
the Chief Executive Officer; may need Ends policies to apply to AB and QB; board has to
be more aware of the challenges for the board itself; accreditation is not only AB but a
system and processes; what has changed? Renewed interest from constituent
associations; cannot be handled by AB and QB themselves; QB: more work for
constituent associations.
5. OTHER BUSINESS
6. SELECTION OF CHAIR FOR THE NEXT MEETING
Connie Parenteau will be the Chair for the next meeting.
7. NEXT MEETING DATE (September 29th, 2015, Ottawa)
Meeting Evaluation:
Need to discuss things that are important for constituent associations such as how to
communicate better; do professional development better; need to take things back from
Engineers Canada; standards, guidelines, etc.; how to go about it; learn from others’
mistakes; last meeting was great; this meeting was disappointing; need solid information
exchange; need to bring issues to the table and get ideas.
Good follow-up from last meeting; good to have moved the meeting before the board;
maybe identify a topic of the day/questions for each meeting.
Presidents Group meeting is an opportunity to help us get a higher level of
understanding.
Continuous improvement; meeting getting more productive; meeting served its purpose;
should rely on each other to help other presidents who need more.
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Meeting Notes
Constituent Associations’ Presidents Group Meeting
Thursday May 21st, 2015
12 leaders around the table; should not be talking about governance or process should
be talking about big issues e.g. reputation of the profession, 30 by 30 goal.
Good opportunity to consider the issues; receive more information; share best practices;
need background, context, expectation; identify hot button issues of the day.
Consider a session for first timers.
Identify the topics one month before the next meeting.
Excellent forum; should take more active role dealing with real issues; should form
network group through email (Presidents Group Members list attached).
Value in networking; discussion around topics of national interests; dealing with
problems the association is facing; deal with important issues; re-invent ourselves more
quickly; Geo-Scientists Canada is facing similar issues.
Suggestions made to receive copy of presentations from the Open Forum 2. Use a
screen and monitor in the future.
The Chair, Connie Parenteau thanked everyone for their openness and the candid
conversations. She expressed a concern that Presidents are here for only four meetings.
Some associations provide a mentor for incoming councillors; should at Engineers
Canada do something similar? Need to be more engaging and create a true network (vs.
written communication by email). She encouraged members of the group to get back to
her, pointing out that she did not get any suggestions for other business for this meeting.
8. ADJOURNMENT – 3:21 p.m.
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Copies of the Open Forum presentations may be found on the Board microsite in the Meeting
Material Archive section: http://www.engineerscanada.ca/meeting-material-archive
http://www.engineerscanada.ca/sites/default/files/Open-Forum-May%2021-15.pdf
http://www.engineerscanada.ca/sites/default/files/Open-Forum-Lessons-Learned-PresentationMay-21-15.pdf
http://www.engineerscanada.ca/sites/default/files/Open-Forum-FQR-Alberta-May-21-15.pdf
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Meeting Notes
Constituent Associations’ Presidents Group Meeting
Thursday May 21st, 2015
Attachment
2015 Presidents Group Members
(As of August 14, 2015)
Ann Mellema, FEC, P.Eng. (Engineers Nova Scotia) [email protected]
Bob MacDonald, P.Eng. ([email protected]) – Vice-President, Engineers Nova
Scotia
Connie Parenteau, FEC, P.Eng. (APEGA), Chair of the Presidents Group [email protected];
[email protected]
Dr. John Clague, P.Geo., FGC (APEGBC) [email protected]
Gary Strong, FEC, P.Eng. (NAPEG) [email protected]
Howard Procyshyn, FEC, P.Eng. (APEGM) [email protected]
Jeffrey J. Card, P. Eng. (PEGNL) [email protected]
Justin Dunn, P.Eng. (Engineers PEI) [email protected]
Margaret Anne Hodges, FEC, P.Eng. (APEGS) [email protected]
Paul Campbelll, P.Eng. (APEGNB) [email protected]
vacant (OIQ) [email protected]
Rod Savoie, P.Eng. (APEY) [email protected]
Thomas Chong, FEC, P.Eng. (PEO) [email protected]
cc. Digvir Jayas, FEC, P.Eng. (MB) [email protected] (President)
Chris Roney, FEC, P.Eng. (ON) [email protected] (President-elect)
Paul Amyotte, FEC, P.Eng., PhD (NS) [email protected] (Past President)
Gerard McDonald, P.Eng. ([email protected])
Sarah Wray (APEGBC) [email protected]
Colin Brown, Interim VP, Business Development and Services, Committee
Secretary [email protected]
Daphne Smith, Executive Assistant, Business Development and
Services [email protected]
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