Members Asked to Ratify Fee Increase to $335

This spring, APEGBC will be seeking member ratification of a professional member fee increase to $335. We are asking for this increase because after years of absorbing budget shortfalls, we have reached the point where any further cuts will seriously impact our ability to perform our regulatory duties of registration, enforcement, practice review, investigation and discipline.

For new applicants to registration, the fee increase would take effect when the bylaw came into force. Current APEGBC professional members would pay the new rate upon renewal for 2010.

The Financial Challenge
Since 2000, APEGBC’s membership has grown a significant 21.2%, and the total number of applications received has almost doubled. The cost of doing business has also increased every single year. However, there have been only two increases to the annual membership fee since 1993. The erratic nature of these rate increases creates serious operational challenges. It leaves the Association struggling to absorb annually increasing costs with the same level of funding for extended periods of time. It also means that no long-term planning or program development can occur unless funds are generated from other sources. While the influx of new members does generate additional revenue, it does not compensate for the annually increasing costs per member.

Measures Taken Thus Far
Despite steady membership growth, the Association has made cuts to its staffing levels. In 2001, there were 30 permanent full-time staff for 18,354 members. Currently, there are 35 staff for 25,379 members— all working to maintain current service levels.

The revenue generated from non-core programs, such as Innovation magazine advertising, professional development seminars, and the Affinity program, goes towards funding the Association’s core regulatory programs. Revenue from non-core programs makes up 45% of all Association revenue.

APEGBC has made significant cuts to all non-revenue generating programs. These include cuts to the student program, government relations and public relations.

Further Steps
Having absorbed as much of the shortfall as possible, we are now starting to cut into our basic regulatory functions:

  • Enforcement – Enforcement against non-registered practitioners will be reactionary and dealt with only as resources allow.
  • Investigation and Discipline – With a growing membership and developing trends, resources for complaint investigation will be strained.
  • Practice Review – Quality assurance measures will be affected. In a trend seen over a number of years, there is no financial capacity to increase the number of practice reviews proportional to membership growth.
  • Professional standards – There will be no association funding to develop guidelines that support professional engineers and engineering companies. This is critical as guidelines have become particularly important to practicing professionals, as insurance companies and government change processes to put a greater onus on professionals and the companies they work for.
  • Registration – Measures to streamline the registration process, and improve the speed of applications for membership cannot be implemented without increased funding.

A Critical Time for the Association
As self-regulating professions, it is our legislated duty to uphold the public interest with respect to the practices of professional engineering and geoscience. Member support for the bylaw is vital to our continued ability to perform this duty.

While current economic conditions are prompting members to look cautiously at where their money is going, as an association of professionals, we have a responsibility to maintain standards that protect life safety and the environment irrespective of market conditions. This is the heart of the professions’ Code of Ethics, and the public we serve asks for nothing less.

As an organization, we need the resources to carry out our regulatory role dutifully. And, as a self-regulating association, the onus lies on the membership to determine whether that financial capacity exists. We are asking for your positive support, and encourage you to vote “yes” to the member fee increase.

Your concerns about increases to the member fee are important to us. Please send any questions to Derek Doyle, Executive Director and Registrar at ddoyle@apeg.bc.ca.