Geotechnical News • September 2015
7
CANADIAN GEOTECHNICAL SOCIETY NEWS
Message from the President
In my June 2015 Message, I men-
tioned that there was no commonly
accepted definition of the term
“geotechnical” in Canada, and that the
Association of Professional Engineers
and Geoscientists of British Columbia
(APEGBC) was the only organization
that has defined it. I went on to give
my opinion as to why this might be
the case and asked, but did not answer,
the question, “Why should there be a
definition?” Following is my answer
as to why, along with what I believe
there are two prime reasons.
The first reason is that the words and
phrases “geotechnical”, “‘geotechni-
cal engineers”, “geotechnical consul-
tants” or something similar do appear
in many acts, regulations, bylaws,
ordinance, guidelines and/or policies
in at least five of the 13 provincial and
territorial jurisdictions in Canada. I
am sure that each of jurisdictions have
different ideas of what qualifications
the professionals who practice in the
geotechnical field have or should have.
I think we would better protect the
public, ourselves and our professional
reputations if there was a commonly
accepted definition in Canada.
The second reason is that since there
is no definition or defined qualifica-
tions to be a geotechnical professional,
pretty much anyone who has any
background in civil engineering, geo-
logical engineering, mining engineer-
ing, petroleum engineering, geology,
geophysics or physical geography, and
I dare say several other disciplines as
well, can all call themselves a “geo-
technical professional”. Therefore
geotechnical practice in Canada is
essentially self- regulated, or at best,
regulated by peer opinion. Is this the
best way to protect the public and our
professional reputation?
APEGBC has recently developed a
geotechnical engineering competen-
cies and indicators document. It is
intended to help new practitioners
determine if they have suitable train-
ing and experience to practice in the
field and to help both APEGBC and
practitioners determine if members are
carrying out work in the geotechnical
engineering field. This document is
available on request from
Geoscientist Canada, the national
organization for most of the pro-
vincial/territorial regulatory profes-
sional geoscientist bodies, published
in 2014 “Competency Profile for
Professional Geoscientists at Entry to
Practice”
This document
addressed all geosciences, but sepa-
rately treats “geoscientists working
in the discipline of environmental
geoscience” – the discipline closest to
the geotechnical field. The purpose of
this document was to communicate to
governments, employers, students and
the general public about the work of
geoscientists and to help new practi-
tioners determine if they have suitable
training and experience to practice in
the field. It was also intended to cre-
ate stronger links between education
and practice, and to assist regula-
tory bodies in addressing issues such
as continuing competence, practice
guidelines and disciplinary matters.
The CGS is a technical society and
not a regulatory body. In my opinion,
the CGS should not get involved in
regulating geotechnical practice, but I
do believe the CGS has an important
role to play in providing input into the
definition of “geotechnical” and defin-
ing appropriate geotechnical qualifica-
tions. I would be pleased to hear from
you on this, or any other geotechnical
topic. I can be reached at
On other matters, GeoQuebec 2015
(the 68th CGS Annual Conference and
the 7th Canadian Permafrost Confer-
ence) is fast approaching and from
early indications, it will be a tremen-
dous success. To
Jean Côté
(CGS),
Sharon Smith
(Canadian National
Committee-International Permafrost
Association), the local organizing
committee, exhibitors, sponsors,
presenters, awardees, Executive Com-
mittee, and Board of Directors and all
attendees, merci beaucoup!
Finally,
Dr. Gordon Fenton
of
Dalhousie University will soon be
embarking on his Fall 2015 CGS
Cross Canada Lecture Tour. The
two annual Cross Canada Lecture
Tours organized by CGS since 1965,
are highly anticipated by Canadian
geotechnical professionals across
Canada. Thanks to Gordon, and to the
95 lecturers who have proceeded him,
for making the huge time commitment
Doug VanDine, President of
Canadian Geotechnical Society
