News

Provincial Engineering And Geoscience Week!

This year's Provincial Engineering And Geoscience Week (PEGW) takes place between March 5 - 11, 2012. APEGM will be hosting a series of events and activities at Kildonan Place Shopping Centre on Saturday and Sunday, March 10th and 11th, notably the annual Spaghetti Bridge Competition and children's discovery centre.

This event offers a unique opportunity to learn more about how engineering and the geosciences affects each of our lives in a fun and interactive learning environment. All events are open to the public.

For every pound held by the bridges in this year's Winnipeg Spaghetti Bridge Competition, APEGM will donate a pound of pasta to Winnipeg Harvest. Help us reach our goal of donating 10,000 pounds of pasta to Winnipeg Harvest. Students can register for the Spaghetti Bridge Competition online!

2012 Student Networking Dinner

The next Student Networking Dinner will be held on Thursday, February 2, 2012 at Canad Inns Fort Garry, 1824 Pembina Hwy., Wpg, MB. Reception begins at 6:00 p.m. with dinner starting at 7:00 p.m.

The dinner provides students with an opportunity to meet with professionals, working in the field of their choice, to discuss their career prospects; what they may be facing in the work world once they graduate; and the opportunity to present themselves as prospective employees. This networking event provides both students and potential employers with an opportunity to see what jobs may be available for the summer, and candidates that may be available to fill those positions.

See the brochure for registration details and sponsorship opportunities.

Membership Renewal Time

APEGM members and members-in-training have been mailed 2012 membership renewal packages. Renewal payments are due by December 31, 2011. A late fee will be applied on January 11, 2012. Renewal payments can be made by credit card through your online profiles, multiple renewals can be made at once through the multiple renewal page. Please contact Shirley, the Accounting & Membership coordinator for any payment issues, or Andrew for any computer troubles.

International Professional Geology Conference

Registration is now open for the 4^th International Professional Geology Conference (4IPGC), which takes place in Vancouver, Canada on January 22-24, 2012. Review the Conference Brochure and Register on-line today!

Under the theme “Earth Science – Global Practice”, the conference will complement the work of international professional geoscientists and align with Roundup. 4IPGC continues the tradition of providing valuable coverage of topics related to professionalism and practice issues affecting Earth scientists globally.

2012 Scholarships

Read about scholarships available for application right now! Engineers Canada is accepting entries for the 2012 National Scholarship program. Seven scholarships totalling $70,000 will be awarded for further study or research in an engineering field, further study or research in a field other than engineering, and further study or research in an area of public policy development. Deadline for applications is March 1, 2012.

The Canadian Engineering Memorial Foundation (CEMF) is offering ten scholarships totalling $80,000 that will be awarded to women studying engineering at the undergraduate, master’s, and PhD levels this coming year. Deadline for applications is January 13, 2012.

Election Results

The results from the recent Council election and By-law proposal vote are now available. These results were presented at the 92nd APEGM Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Friday, October 28, 2011 where Adam Pawlikewich P.Eng. was sworn in as the new APEGM President. The annual report and 2011 award recipients are now available for your review.

Online Voting Complete

This year there were six candidates to fill four Professional Engineer positions, and two candidates to fill one Professional Geoscientist position on the APEGM Council. There were also seven Bylaw changes to be voted on by the registered membership.

Candidate platforms and By-law proposals are available for your review.

The vote took place through the member online profile between October 7, 2011 at 12:00 AM and October 20, 2011 at midnight. The results will be announced at the 2011 Annual General Meeting on October 28, 2011.

National Post Supplement

The September 2011 National Post supplement titled Engineering & Infrastructure includes an article from Chantal Guay P.Eng., CEO of Engineers Canada, and another about the new Winnipeg airport. Check it out. Also, the federal government has reconfirmed its commitment to innovation through science, engineering and technology, and launched a formal engagement process to develop a new long-term plan for public infrastructure.

2011 Salary Survey

Each year, the APEGM conducts a survey of engineering and geoscience salaries in Manitoba over the previous year. The results are analyzed for the public in the Salary Survey report.

This year's survey was conducted between (April 4 - May 2). The report detailing the results of the 2011 survey is now available.

News From Engineers Canada

Brent Smith, FEC, P.Eng. has been appointed president of Engineers Canada for 2011-2012. The 2010 Engineers Canada Annual Report is now available. Have you seen the national information supplement published in the Globe & Mail as well as La Presse on May 26, 2011? Also, the list of 2011 Award Recipients from Engineers Canada is available.

Authentication of Hardcopy and Electronic Professional Documents

A new guideline, Authentication of Hardcopy and Electronic Professional Documents, has been developed by the Legislation Committee for use by the members. This guideline was approved by Council at its May meeting. Please take a minute to look through it.

With the implementation of by-laws allowing for the use of digital signatures, use of this technology will increase dramatically in the near future. This document provides guidance on use of the new digital seal as well as the manual seal, distinguishing appropriate use for each type.

The guideline encompasses more than just how to use your member's seal. Guidance is also given regarding the Certificate of Authorization Stamp as well as best practices with respect to retention of documents and defining which documents require authentication.

Of notable interest is the distinction between, and definition of, As-Built Drawings and Record Drawings. These definitions are based on those implemented by PEO for use by Engineers registered in Ontario. Defining these terms in the guideline will allow the membership to practise in a standardized fashion and provide clarity to the recipients of authenticated documents. Please refer to this new section to ensure that your contractual documents reflect these definitions.

Any questions regarding this new guideline may be directed to Michael Gregoire, Professional Standards Officer.

Thank You Sandbaggers!

Many MITs have been submitting Volunteer Service reports for their sandbagging efforts. Others are certainly contributing as well. Thank you for helping out with Manitoba's flood prevention efforts!

See the City of Winnipeg flood information website, and Government of Manitoba Flood Information pages.

Engineering and Technology Labour Market Study

A recent labour market study, produced by Engineers Canada and Randstad Engineering, shows the market conditions in engineering, including an overview of disciplines and geographical areas that may benefit from new engineering and technology talent. The study tracked current national labour supply and demand and adds a projection from 2010 to 2018, providing engineering students, universities, employers and governments with insight into labour market forecasts.

This study identifies which disciplines and areas of the country will need engineers in the next seven years. [more] [french].

APEGM Geoscience Gallery

A new geoscience gallery display has been unveiled at Brandon University. The new fixture is a part of the Department of Geology, and contains many fantastic mineral specimens and a real dinosaur! The dinosaur is a Dromaeosaurus Albertensis, a raptorial predator, and has been named “Jerome the Dromaeosaurus” after a competition of more than 100 entries from kindergarten to Grade 6 students. This display was funded by the APEGM Foundation.

Electronic Seal

Recent by-law changes have empowered APEGM Members to obtain an authorized electronic seal, or digital signature, that may be used to authenticate their digital files. APEGM has partnered with Notarius to provide digital signature kits and authentication for its members. This technology has the potential to increase productivity and profitability, while meeting the high security and integrity concerns associated with the transmission of electronic documents.

There will be a promotion over the next few months enabling firms to implement pilot projects and see the benefits for themselves. To find out more about this promotion, contact sales@notarius.com, or call 1-888-588-0011.

Continuing Professional Development - Online Now!

There is growing public expectation that professionals prove their competency. Look at the recent media stories citing members disciplined by the College of Physicians & Surgeons and The Law Society. In both examples, the strong public statement was “What is the regulator doing about this?” Consequently, in order to have a ready response for the public, APEGM is asking its members to report their CPD activities. All professionals must be able to show the public of Manitoba that they are actively participating in continuing professional development.

All members are encouraged to login to their APEGM Online profiles and try the new CPD reporting utility. It is easy and FUN. It takes about 20 minutes to input existing details to your personal profile; after which, it takes only a few minutes per month to keep up-to-date. Try it today!

Maximizing Opportunities

On November 18, 2010, representatives from the engineering profession, academia and government gathered in Ottawa for a one-day summit entitled Maximizing Opportunities: Increasing Women’s Participation in Science and Engineering. Organized by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and supported by Engineers Canada and Research in Motion (RIM), this first event allowed participants to examine what is being done to attract and retain women to engineering and other scientific careers. [more] [french].

UofM Faculty of Engineering's Centennial Book

Celebrating 100 Years of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Manitoba (1907-2007), the faculty has published a book titled Grinding "Geers" for 100 Years full of stories, pranks, and photos from their exciting history. You can not buy this book in stores! A gift of $100 to the faculty will get you a copy of the book, as well as a tax receipt for $60. All proceeds from the sale of this book will go toward the ambitious and visionary Faculty of Engineering Centenary Award Fund.