Like all self-regulated professions, APEGS’ council includes two public appointees. These council members are appointed according to The Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act by a Lieutenant Governor Order in Council, upon recommendation of the minister responsible for the Act. They are full members of APEGS’ council with voice and vote equal to the elected members of council.
The act requires that one of these appointees sits on the Investigation Committee and the other on the Discipline Committee. Their role is to represent the public in the self-regulation of the professions of engineering and geoscience by bringing an external viewpoint and transparency to the governance and regulation of the professions.
We say farewell to Wendell Patzer, who served as a public appointee from 2017 to 2021, and we welcome Larry Doke as a new public appointee. Stuart Ritchie resigned leaving the second public appointee position vacant at this time.
Wendell Patzer
Wendell Patzer
(Outgoing)
What has your experience been like on council?
I have enjoyed my time on APEGS council. At first there was a lot to learn and understand with all the acronyms, committees and more. Having served on numerous committees — first on the discipline committee then on the audit committee, the investigations committee, the governance change committee and now the audit/risk management committee — there has been a lot of reading to keep up with it all over the last year-and-a-half.
What has it meant to you personally to be a part of APEGS?
I have felt accepted and appreciated right from the start. I have made an effort to get to know other councillors and staff at face-to-face meetings. I appreciate engineers and geoscientist as ‘git-er-done’ kind of people who seek to do a task correctly. APEGS is fortunate to have an excellent staff.
Why is it important for a public appointee to be on council?
Having two public appointees on a now smaller council brings more representation from the public to bear on matters that come before council. Public appointees bring an unbiased view to the table so to speak.
As a public appointee who sat on the different committees, what is your opinion on the work they do?
I feel that all the committees I have been on have been well managed. There has been a lot of change to committee structure during my tenure, but thanks to a well-thought out change management plan and very capable volunteers and staff, the committees have continued to function well.
In general, what is the best attribute of APEGS?
Council is very diligent to protect public safety by enforcing the regulations laid out by The Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act. A good example is the proactive nature of APEGS council initiating the whole governance change process. A new, leaner, more streamlined organization will serve to protect the public well into the future.
Anything else you want to add?
I’d like to thank my colleagues for the time we spent working together these last four years. I will miss working together with you all. To my fellow councilors, please remember when you are discussing matters around the council table, the good Lord gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason. Please be quick to listen and slower to speak. That is not always easy when discussing topics we are passionate about. I’m still working on this one. Also, it’s not about what I think, but what is in the best interest of protecting the public.
Larry Doke
Larry Doke
(Incoming)
What is your current employment, background, volunteer work, personal interests, etc.?
Before going into politics, I held other roles that introduced me to the work of engineers and geoscientists. I was in road construction and sand and gravel crushing, having some of my own gravel trucks and working for two North Battleford companies in that industry.
I later became a city councillor in North Battleford and was part of the infrastructure committee. After I sold my business, Fairview Dodge in North Battleford, in 2004, the community where I lived asked me to oversee a rural water system project for three municipalities. I’ve also worked on other water projects as a mayor and councillor of the resort village where I live, Metinota.
I was MLA for Cut Knife-Turtleford until October 2020. I was first elected as an MLA in 2011. During my time in provincial politics, I have been the legislative secretary for the Ministry of Highways and been a member of Treasury Board and the Public Accounts Committee as well as the Standing Committee on the Economy. I have also been the Minister of Government Relations, the Minister responsible for First Nations, Métis and Northern Affairs, and a member of the SaskBuilds Corporation Board.
I was also a long-time member and one-time president of the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER). (PNWER is a statutory public/private non-profit created by the U.S. states of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, and Washington and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan and the territories of the Northwest Territories and the Yukon.) It was supported by the regulatory associations for engineers and geoscientists in Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan.
My wife, Valerie, and I have two children and five grandchildren. I enjoy restoring muscle cars, golfing, fishing and volunteering.
What do you hope to bring to the APEGS Council?
As MLA, I paid close attention to what was happening in the municipalities in my area, including any road construction, to make sure those municipalities are being looked after.
I think what I bring to council is a view of what municipalities and the public expect of engineers and geoscientists and what could be improved by engineers and geoscientists to serve municipalities even better as those who hire them.
What are you looking forward to getting out of the experience of being on the council?
I have had a good working relationship with a number of engineering firms and those relationships and the work of engineers and geoscientists always interested me. Some part of me would like to have a better understanding of what goes on.
Why is it important for a public appointee to be on council?
I think advertising by APEGS has been good because it helps make the contributions of engineers and geoscientists more visible and helps the public understand why their work is necessary and important.
For example, when a municipality needs a new lagoon, some might be thinking a new set of plans is unnecessary. A hole in the ground is a hole in the ground, you just decide if you want yours bigger or smaller. Some on councils may not understand what an engineer does to ensure that lagoon is appropriate for their needs. So, I hope to help improve the relationship between engineers and municipalities.