The Value of Chapters

The tenacity of the PEO Chapters to continue to stay connected through zoom and present interesting programs and activities throughout the second year of the pandemic has been inspirational. Thank you to the chapter leaders for your flexibility, focus and leadership!

KEY PRIORITY: Embracing PEO Chapters as a model of communities of support.

My plan as President-Elect is to listen. I commit to meeting with all 36 chapters (hopefully in person) to listen and learn from chapter leaders and members. We need to embrace chapters as a model of communities of support, that serve a regulatory function for PEO. I see chapters as the backbone of PEO and we need the chapters to stay strong and flexible. I look forward to our conversations and progress.

I would like to help champion an engagement intiative to get input from PEO members, stakeholders and the public on further defining the problems and opportunities. What does the public expect from a modern regulator? I will work with members of Council and staff to move forward wtih a robust strategic plan that guides the actions required to modernize the engineering profession in Ontario.

Thank you to each of the following chapters (and E4P) for inviting candidates to participate and engage with their membership “along the 2022 virtual campaign trail”:

• PEO Scarborough Chapter AGM (Jan 22)
• PEO Toronto-Humber Chapter All Candidates (Jan 26)
• E4P Discussion (Jan 26)
• PEO York Chapter hosted climate change webinar (Jan 27)
• PEO East Toronto Chapter AGM (Feb 2)
• PEO Oakville Chapter AGM (Feb 3)
• PEO York Chapter Candidate Meeting (Feb 9)

The opportunity for candidates to field questions and engage in discussions helps us not only communicate our ideas (outbound message) but to listen and learn from PEO members and the other candidates “on the campaign trail”, strengthening our common understanding of the challenges and opportunities ahead for PEO Council.

Thank you for the opportunity to engage with you throughout this campaign. I look forward to many more discussions (and idea generation sessions) as we engage in defining priorities for making PEO a relevant and modern regulator.

#PEOVotes #engineering #leadershipmatters #equality #PEOChapters

Leading Change for Equality

I’VE BEEN WORKING FOR EQUALITY FOR A LONG TIME!

Twenty years ago I was invited by the Canadian Consulate to be a keynote speaker in Nagoya, Japan. Speaking through a translator, I shared the experience of how Canadian business women were making significant strides and how that progress was connected to the recommendations of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada. The Commission’s report included 167 recommendations for reducing gender inequality across the various spheres of Canadian society.

I have presented on Parliament Hill to the Committee on the Status of Women and have shared my perspectives on issues impacting women in the workforce in the media. I am a passionate supporter of Engineer’s Canada 30 by 30 campaign (to increase the number of women licensed as professional engineers to 30% by 2030) and for the need for PEO to value equality, inclusivity and diversity, not only for women, but for all.

Now, more than ever, Canadians from all walks of life and across all professions are reckoning with the important challenges rooted in equity and diversity. Organizations are taking tangible steps to transform their workplaces by making them more inclusive and welcoming to a diverse workforce.

PEO HAS AN IMPORTANT LEADERSHIP ROLE TO PLAY

As a professional regulator marking a century (June 14, 2022), it’s imperative that we play a leadership role in contributing to this societal changes. I’m asking for your vote because I believe I bring the skills, experience and demonstrated record of action to lead our organization through this important era in our collective history.

Like you, I believe PEO must take action to understand what barriers to equality in our profession and organization currently exist, and how together, we work to bring about tangible action to remove those barriers. The time is now.

MY KEY PRIORITIES FOR CHANGE

ONE: ACCELERATE AND MODERNIZE THE LICENSING PROCESS. There needs to be a simple and efficient pathway to licensure for all graduates from Canadian Engineering Accredited programs and for foreign trained engineers who meet the same standards. The current process is not good enough, or fast enough, or fair enough for internationally trained engineers. As your President-Elect, I would lead to fast track this important priority.

TWO: MOVING TO ACTION ON ANTI-RACISM AND ANTI-DISCRIMINATION. PEO’s Anti-Racism and Anti-Discrimination Exploratory Working Group (AREWG) presented a report at the June Council meeting with six key recommendations. Rather than accepting the recommendations in the report, Council directed the working group to develop recommendations for the next steps for Council’s consideration. At the February 2020 Council meeting, Council moved to table the motion on adopting a Land Acknowledgement policy until after a strategic planning session. As of February 2022 we have yet to see it addressed on Council’s agenda.

As your President-Elect, I will lead to move PEO towards more expedient action on issues of Anti-Racism and Anti-Discrimination.

MY COMMITMENT TO YOU

PEO Council needs clarity in direction. As your President-Elect, I will bring vision, experience and a demonstrated ability to drive change. You can be assured that my commitment to progress and equality will never waiver, even when undoubtedly, we will face challenges in our work for change. I will provide Council with clear direction, ensure we remain focused, and that our work is purposeful, inclusive of broad opinions, and transparent to our membership.

MY FIRST 100-DAYS

Within 100 days of being elected (which provides time to collaborate with councillors and staff), I will establish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the priorities and plans that I will report on throughout my 3-year term. We can measure our progress against these benchmarks.

Thank you for the consideration of your Vote.

Vote Darla Campbell for President-Elect of PEO.

#PEOVotes #engineering #leadershipmatters #equality #progress

Priorities and Plans

What differentiates the Campbell Campaign? Here is the list of priorities and plans to take action to make (keep) PEO a relevant regulator.

Key Priorities

1. Enhancing standards and practice guidelines
2. Accelerating and modernizing the licensing process
3. Embracing chapters as a model of communities of support
4. Advocating where the public interest is at risk
5. Operating in a global world: regulate locally, function globally.

PEO Needs to Catch Up

PEO is falling behind other regulators in Canada in who, what and how we regulate and we need to catch up in our role of protecting the public interest.  For example, where is climate change on PEO Council’s radar?

Two specific actions in Darla Campbell’s work plan include:

• Helping to champion Engagement Initiative 2022 to get input from PEO members, stakeholders and the public on further defining the problems and opportunities.  What does the public expect from a modern engineering regulator? What updated or new standards and practice guidelines are required?
  
• Working with members of Council and staff to move forward with a robust Strategic Plan (2022 to 2025) that guides the actions required to modernize the engineering profession in Ontario and take action to make PEO a relevant regulator.

Licensing and Emerging Disciplines

There needs to be a simple and efficient path to licensure for each graduate from a Canadian accredited engineering program and every immigrant internationally educated in engineering. The current process is just not good enough or fast enough. 

The path needs to adjust as new engineering fields develop and needs to be flexible in how applicants show their competency. PEO can best protect the public with an engineering workforce that has the ethics and professionalism rigour of a licensed professional, the value of the P.Eng.

Embracing Chapters

I’ve made a commitment to visiting with each of the 36 chapters and engaging with you in an important and essential conversation about priorities for chapters to support PEO’s regulatory mandate. I believe that Chapters are the backbone of PEO and provide a model of communities of support. We are stronger together. It’s not a matter of “if” but a matter of “how”.

Listening to You

These past months, I’ve been speaking with current councillors and PEO members to hear what the key issues are. The priorities I’ve identified above were a result of these consultations.

Darla Campbell, P.Eng. speaking at Bombardier at Take your MPP to Work Event

When you vote for me, I will bring this voice to Council and will champion these issues on your behalf.  And I want to continue to engage and dialogue with you. Please reach out to me by phone 416-562-9082 or email darla@darlacampbell.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

#PEOVotes #engineering #leadershipmatters

Climate Change – Is it on PEO Council’s radar?

I’ve been thinking about climate change a lot lately. Perhaps it was the lead up to COP26 in November, or the wildfires in the west last summer, or the dump of snow that treated southern Ontario to an instant winter earlier this week.

If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend the article in Engineering Dimensions on professional obligations and climate change risk (September/October 2021). As highlighted in the article, “Ultimately, practitioners are responsible for accounting for foreseeable climate change risks in their work even it these risks might not be covered in a specific written standard.”

In September, PEO’s West Toronto Chapter, along with York and East Toronto chapters, hosted a virtual seminar on climate change to discuss the role of professional engineers and Canada’s provincial and territorial engineering regulators in a world affected by climate change. We learned about new climate change tools in BC and Manitoba and were reminded about the 2018 guideline by Engineers Canada on Principles of Climate Adaptation and Mitigation for Engineers.

We as engineers and regulators need to have a climate crisis plan.”

Marisa Sterling, P.Eng., FEC, PEO Past President

The climate change working group, led by West Central Regional Councillor Jim Chisholm, is planning a series of webinars over the next several months. On January 27th PEO York Chapter is hosting a virtual webinar (Implementing Green Infrastructure to Support Climate Resilience) co-sponsored by East Toronto, Ottawa and West Toronto chapters. More chapters are getting on board with programming about climate change and climate action.

When I was walking my dog the other day I noticed a card that was face down in the grass. I wondered who was playing cards without a full deck. Then I discovered it was the King of Diamonds, often a power card in the deck. Maybe that’s what happens when we play with climate change. If we don’t know the rules (i.e. which cards are wild) how can we develop a strategy to win? Playing without a full deck puts us at risk, especially if we are waiting for a (missing) power card to show up.

Engineers have a role to play in talking about climate change and taking climate action. There is no time to waste. Let’s get climate change on PEO Council’s radar.

Playing without a full deck puts us at risk, especially if we are waiting for a (missing) power card to show up.

#climatechange #PEOVotes #leadership #climatecrisis

2022 is the Year!

I’m running for PEO President-Elect, a three year term, from May 2022 to May 2025. (See my previous blog on the number 25.)

Many of you have reached out and encouraged me to run. Thank you for your confidence and support. With your vote I will elevate the engineering profession in Ontario and take action to make PEO a relevant regulator.

Darla Campbell, P.Eng., CSR-P, FEC

This campaign is about leadership, vision and results.

Leadership: PEO needs a leader with a proven record of accomplishments, leading boards, organizations, people and projects.

Vision: What direction is PEO moving in? Is it the right direction to protect the public interest? PEO needs a leader who will champion Engagement Initiative 2022 that gathers your ideas, suggestions and opportunities to make PEO a relevant regulator.

Results: Provide clear direction for PEO by developing a robust strategic plan that puts PEO on a path to relevancy, incorporating the input from the Engagement Initiative 2022. PEO needs a leader who gets results within the 3 year term of office and sets PEO up for success going forward.

My Key Priorities

• Enhancing standards and practice guidelines
• Accelerating and modernizing the licensing process
• Embracing chapters as a model of communities of support
• Advocating where the public interest is at risk
• Operating in a global world: regulate locally, function globally.

More about these priorities in future articles. I look forward to connecting with you.

#EI2022 #redefinepossible #elevate #engineering #PEng