REGISTERED FOREST TECHNOLOGISTS

February 14, 2006

Any BCGEU member having difficulty with the Association of British Columbia Forest Professionals (ABCFP) over their Registered Forest Technologist (RFT) registration should contact their steward.

The union has learned that some "qualified" members have been given letters stating that they must write part "B" of the qualifying exam.

Larry Martin, who chairs the Component 20 RFT committee, said due to the number of applications processed by ABCFP in a short period of time, errors have been made.

ABCFP has responded favourably to requests for review of additional information.Stewards are asked to contact Larry Martin (chair of the Component 20 RFT committee) with information about any members experiencing difficulty with their registration. He can be contacted by email at: fs_lemartin@shaw.ca.

As we advised members in previous bulletins, discussions with the ABCFP regarding the legislative amendment in the Foresters Act affecting the registration requirements for people practicing professional forestry, resulted in grandparenting provisions being broadened as much as possible to ensure that technicians without the necessary post-secondary education could obtain the designation.

The final determination of which employees are required to obtain the RFT designation rests with the Association of British Columbia Forest Professionals (ABCFP).

However, the ministry determines how the organization can meet the requirements of the ABCFP through defining job function, supervisory structure and mandatory job requirements.

June 3, 2005

The legislative amendment in the Foresters Act that requires persons practicing professional forestry as defined in the scope of practice by the ABCFP, came into law on June 20, 2003. Following this change we have heard from many members of the Environmental, Technical & Operational Component and were well aware of the possible implications of this legislative change.

As per Article 29 in the Master Agreement, the BCGEU and the various ministries meet regularly to work together on issues that arise in the ministries. It was the union members from this committee that brought this issue forward to the joint committee and asked that the committee discuss and follow the issue closely.

The Ministry of Forests set up a working group to delve into the implications of the legislative change and make recommendations to the executive on how they might deal with the change and how it could affect the organization and the employees. After discussions of the Article 29 table the ministry agreed to appoint one the Article 29 union members to the working group.

In a parallel process and due to the complex nature of the issue and the diversity of view from members the ETO Component Executive decided that it was best to form a committee of the ground technicians from around the province. The appointment of members of this committee was done based on geographic diversity as well as educational background. The committee was chaired by Larry Martin, a technician from the Ministry of Forests who has a broad background in the Ministry of Forests. Larry is also the Article 29 member appointed the Ministry of Forests working group and on the ETO Component Executive.

The final determination of which employees are required to obtain the Registered Forest Technologist designation rests with the Association of British Columbia Forest Professionals (ABCFP). However, the ministry determines how the organization can meet the requirements of the ABCFP through defining job functions, supervisory structure and mandatory job requirements.

Many factors must be acknowledged when looking at an issue such as this. The implications for those employees that don’t immediately meet the requirements of obtaining the RFT designation caused the union some nervousness. Through discussions with the ABCPF the grandparenting provisions were broadened as much as possible to ensure that technicians without the necessary post secondary education could obtain the designation. In addition, the financial implications on members must be considered. The working group recommended, and to their credit the executive approved, the reimbursement of application, examination and registration costs for members obtaining the designation prior to Dec.1, 2006. The entire working group report is on the Ministry of Forests internal website.

Whether members agree with this legislative change or not it is extremely important that members co-operate with the association and meet the deadlines specified by the ABCFP. There will be outstanding issues that will require a bargained change to the collective agreement. Bargaining resolutions are dealt with by attending a local meeting in your area which if approved are then passed on to the component. Members are always encouraged to put their mind to bargaining resolutions for this and any other issue that could be addressed with a change to the collective agreement.

The majority of members that will be affected by the legislative change to the Foresters Act work for the Ministry of Forests, however some members in other ministries and the Oil & Gas Commission may also be affected. The BCGEU is encouraging these other employers to set up working groups to analyse similar implications to their organization and subsequently their employees.

February 20, 2004

Recent legislative change has raised more questions than answers for Ministry of Forests Technicians.

A change in the law governing the practice of professional forestry intended to regulate the work of registered professional foresters has raised a number of questions for BCGEU members who work as technicians in the Ministry of Forests.

The Registered Forest Technologist Act - Bill 5 – was introduced by the Liberal Government last legislative session and came into effect December 1, 2003. The law will be implemented in three stages, resulting in full application in December 2005. Some Ministry communications flowing from management meetings have not helped to clarify the potential impact of this act.

Some of the issues have been raised which require clarification include:
• which positions within the ministry will need the RFT designation?
• Registration costs
• Classification implications
• Training costs for employees in positions that require a RFT but do not meet the educational requirements
• Potential recruitment pressures in hard-to recruit locations

The Association of BC Professional Foresters and the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of BC (ASTTBC) have been a driving force in the development of this Act. The ASTTBC represents a small minority of technicians in the Ministry of Forests and many members feel that proposed changes were incorporated into legislation with little or no input.

The union representatives from the Ministry of Forests Article 29 joint union/management committee have identified this as an issue for some time. We have again sought answers on your behalf again at our meeting with the Ministry this week in Victoria.

We were advised that a ministry working group will be established to identify positions that will likely require the RFT designation as well as to develop recommendations and an implementation plan for the Ministry Executive.

The BCGEU has requested that the Ministry include a representative from the BCGEU on this working group.

The Environmental, Technical & Operational Component have decided to form a committee made up of technicians from different education backgrounds and fields of work to investigate and provide recommendations to the BCGEU and the employer to ensure that technicians voices are heard.

If you would like to provide information or recommendations to the committee please forward them to Byron Goerz, Component 20 Chairperson, at Byron.Goerz@bcgeu.ca or Larry Martin, chair of the committee at fs-lemartin@shaw.ca.

We will update members as events unfold.