Professional regulation in the province of B.C. is changing. The passing of the Professional Governance Act provides the College of Applied Biology the opportunity to take a leading role in improving protection of the public interest through its regulation of the profession of applied biology.
Currently, applied biology is a "Right to Title" but that will change with the enactment of the "Right to Practice" regulation of the Professional Governance Act: in the future, membership to the college will be compulsory for those practicing applied biology.
The scope of practice for applied biology, and all the work that falls within it, is therefore an important element of regulating the profession, and of protecting the public interest.
Applied biology has evolved over time, perhaps more than any other applied science discipline. With the proliferation of topics such as conservation, climate change and environmental risk assessment, the college needs to generate a fulsome scope of practice that is fair to biology professionals but allows for proper regulation of the profession.
Consequently, the college is seeking input from applied biologists, other resource management professionals and members of the public as it works to refine the scope of practice.
The college will gather input during a series of open workshops, one of which will be held in Prince George on March 21 starting at noon in the Ramada Plaza Prince George.
This workshop is an opportunity to hear from professionals and the public about where applied biology fits in the spectrum of resource management and how the college can fulfill its legislative mandate in a just manner. The evening of March 21, the college CEO will present an informative session about the new act and answer questions related to right to practice, scope of practice and the role that applied biology professionals play in the resource management sector. If you are interested in attending, more information can be found on the College's website.
If you have any questions regarding the College of Applied Biology or the scope of practice of applied biology, please direct your questions to Tory Davis at ea-comm@cab-bc.org.
Derek Marcoux
Victoria
