By Dave Kovacs, OLS
As the holiday season draws near, it is beginning to sink in that our 132nd Annual General meeting is just 2 short months away. And I can’t help but feel a whirlwind of emotions when I realize that also means my term as your President is nearing its conclusion.
I’m guessing likely every president who has come before me has felt this; a sense of accomplishment and pride, but also a feeling of uncertainty in knowing there is still so much more to do and not enough time in my term to do it. That said, I do take comfort in knowing that we will soldier on in Council’s capable hands.
Throughout this year I have had the honor and privilege of attending the AGMs of our sister Associations. This has been a wonderful opportunity to visit parts of our country that I may have never seen my lifetime. I have met many brilliant people and made some amazing friends during my travels, friendships which I’m sure will endure.
At each AGM, I participated in their President’s Forum. These Forums were an incredible opportunity for each President to provide updates on the issues that their respective Associations have been dealing with. You learn quite quickly that the concerns and issues across each province, are not that dissimilar;
- Declining membership
- Declining enrollment in surveying programs, leading to a reduction in educational programs
- Ever-increasing membership fees
- Public lack of understanding of what a Surveyor is
- Unauthorized practice
- Government intervention, such as the Professional Governance Act and FARPACTA
Regarding this last point, separating the regulatory role from the advocacy role within self-regulating bodies is something the provincial governments are monitoring closely. Our Association has [AJ1] responded to the Ontario Fairness Commissioner (OFC) and the Fair Access to Regulated Professions and Compulsory Trades Act (FARPACTA) legislation to remove the requirement for mandatory Canadian experience for internationally trained applicants. We have met the deadline date of December 2, 2023, and provided the OFC with an alternative to the Canadian experience requirement to become an OLS.
I won’t go into detail in this article (I don’t wish to steal our Executive Director’s thunder), but I will point out that our Association has also taken several proactive measures to modernize our Association, in hopes of appeasing an ever-scrutinizing government that we are a competent, public-serving regulatory body.
But change comes with a cost. We are surveyors; we are trained, educated and experienced in surveying … it’s our passion and it’s what we do well. We are not great policy writers, marketers, or database engineers. These are professions in their own right, and sometimes we need their help. We have floundered too long trying ourselves to do the right thing for our Association, yet membership and our educational programs continue to decline. Albert Einstein has been credited with the quote “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”. It is time to change what we have been doing … some food for thought, and certainly for further reflection.
I would also like to take this opportunity to encourage you to attend the 132nd AGM in London this February. We have some amazing speakers lined up, including the Honorable Graydon Smith, Minister of Natural Resources & Forestry, and the City of London’s Mayor Josh Morgan. There will be a variety of concurrent sessions to choose from that I hope you will enjoy. There will also be an opportunity to bid farewell to our Deputy Registrar, Maureen Mountjoy who will be leaving the Association after 23 years of service for a well-deserved retirement!
As this is my last editorial as President, I would like to take this occasion to extend my thanks and gratitude for allowing me the unique opportunity to serve this Association. Thank you to my family for your patience and love during my journeys. Thank you to my manager and my work colleagues for supporting me this year. Thank you to Council and all of the Committees and Task Forces who volunteer their time for the betterment of this Association; your efforts are greatly appreciated. Thank you to our Executive Director, Al Jeraj, and all of the Association staff for keeping the wheels of the machine turning.
And thank you to you, the Members, for allowing me to represent our Association as President this year. It has been a remarkable ride, and I am grateful to have shared in this experience with those that have come before me.
I look forward to continuing to serve as Past President, and I’m sure I will continue on as a committee member somewhere after that. I wish you all a safe and joyful holiday season and look forward to seeing you in London this February.