This month, The Professional Edge profiles achievements of engineers and geoscientists in Saskatchewan. As the regulator of the professions in Saskatchewan, APEGS has a duty to ensure members are competent and proficient, are registered, remain competent and proficient and that we foster how each of us practises the professions in a manner that is in the public interest.
For me, profiling the achievements of our colleagues and sharing with each other as we learn and develop new knowledge is a way that we can foster the practice of the professions. This sharing of knowledge and mentoring of each other also ensures we are holding paramount public safety and protection of the environment, striving to advance the body of knowledge within which each of us practises and providing opportunities for professional development for our subordinates.
Personally, as each of us fosters the practice of the professions we are also meeting our own ethical obligation to keep ourselves informed in order to maintain our own competence.
Engineering and geoscience are mentored professions, ever improving and advancing because we each commit to advancing knowledge and sharing that new knowledge with our colleagues. Once we know of an improvement or new knowledge, we are obligated to the public to use the best and most up to date technology and practices.
The professions have been given the privilege of self-government and the obligation to safeguard human life and welfare and the environment. Public trust is essential to retaining this privilege of administration of The Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act.
The general public typically knows little of what we do, but explicitly expects us to ensure their safety as well as that of the environment. Additionally, because of our specialized training and experience, we are ethically obligated to be aware of and ensure that others are made aware of societal and environmental consequences of actions or projects and endeavour to interpret professional issues to the public in an objective and truthful manner.
We should also be very proud of our service to society and the accomplishments of our colleagues.
I would like to congratulate those involved in the projects and activities highlighted in this issue of The Professional Edge and also all of those not highlighted but that do amazing things every day to advance and protect our society.