Safety Codes Council and APEGA Sign Memorandum of Understanding
A new memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Safety Codes Council (the Council) and the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA) will help to align the procedures of two key organizations in the safety codes system.
The MOU establishes clear expectations related to APEGA-licensed professionals sitting on the Administrative Tribunals that hear appeals to the Council. This new agreement closes a gap in the safety codes system, helping to mitigate the risks identified through Council appeals, and reduces red tape by enhancing organizational communication and establishing consistent processes.
“Collaboration between regulators in Alberta’s safety codes system is essential to keeping the built environment safe,” says the Council’s President and CEO Amina Deiab. “APEGA’s contributions are invaluable to the safety codes system, and I am pleased to reflect our respective organization’s strong partnership through the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding.”
Safety Codes Council President and CEO Amina Deiab
Ensuring Procedural Fairness
Under the Safety Codes Act, the Council is responsible for administering an appeals process that conforms to the principles of administrative law and natural justice.
The individuals who sit on Administrative Tribunals must have a high level of technical knowledge and expertise to reasonably decide on the matter that is the subject of the Council appeal hearing. The MOU allows APEGA-licensed professionals to bring their expertise to Administrative Tribunals while providing for the reporting requirements of the Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act. This ensures procedural fairness in how issues related to APEGA-licensed professionals are addressed.
APEGA Registrar and CEO Jay Nagendran, P.Eng.
“We are so pleased to be formally constituting an aligned process that already exists through a strong relationship between our organizations,” says Jay Nagendran, P.Eng., APEGA’s Registrar and CEO. “We look forward to working closely with the Safety Codes Council moving forward, to continue to build a safe and robust Alberta.”
Improving Public Safety through Effective Collaboration
The MOU is the latest initiative in a strong relationship between the two organizations.
The Council’s partnership with APEGA touches on many different aspects of its business. This includes APEGA-licensed professionals bringing their expertise to safety codes sub-councils; APEGA representatives participating in the Council’s strategic planning process; and members from both organizations meeting quarterly, along with representatives from Alberta Municipal Affairs and the Alberta Architects Association, to discuss system issues and identify opportunities to work together.
The signing of the MOU supports the Council’s strategic pillar of strengthening partnerships to improve public safety. In its 2021–2025 Strategic Plan, the Council committed to enhancing communication and collaboration by leveraging partnerships to deliver effective Alberta safety codes system oversight and develop information-sharing opportunities. In signing this MOU, the Council and APEGA are able to build towards a common goal of ensuring that Alberta’s built environment is safe for all.