For a PDF of this information, please download it HERE
CEO/REGISTRAR MESSAGE
Hello!
I am honoured to step into the role of CEO and Registrar with the BC Institute of Agrologists (BCIA). It is exciting to join at such a dynamic and pivotal time as BCIA continues its transformative journey as a regulator acting in the public interest.
As you may have read in the announcement, my leadership purpose is to envision new possibilities and empower a team to achieve that vision through values that include adaptability, enthusiasm, integrity, transparency, balance, collaboration, and innovation. I am grateful for the opportunity to apply that purpose with BCIA.
One of my top priorities is to foster connections and build relationships with you—our registrants. I am eager to engage in conversations and learn from your insights and experiences. I look forward to meeting you through both in-person and virtual opportunities. While our commitment to acting in the public interest always needs to remain steadfast, harnessing the invaluable knowledge within our community is essential to the success of our journey.
Other key priorities for me include supporting the BCIA Board to establish a renewed Strategic Plan to guide our work as well as taking stock of our regulatory compliance measures and then building a staff team and operational plan to meet both. With the combining of the CEO and Registrar position, we are creating a new position of Deputy Registrar – Practice in order to ensure the knowledge of a registrant is included on the staff team. Many of you know Laurena Olsen and the amazing service and work she provides to BCIA. She will remain in her role as Deputy Registrar, being able to focus even more deeply on matters related to registration and credentialing.
I would like to take this opportunity to address the BCIA Board decision related to renewal fees for 2025. As I am sure you can imagine, it is not my first choice to be sharing information about a fee increase in my very first message to you! However, I am committed to my core values of transparency, authenticity and integrity no matter the news. The BCIA Board approached this decision thoughtfully, engaging in robust discussions to ensure it was made with careful consideration. The reality is that rising operational costs that everyone is struggling with combined with our obligations under the Professional Governance Act (PGA) necessitated this increase. More details can be found below. We are committed to prudent financial stewardship and to that end the BCIA recently established a Financial Working Group. With that working group in place, combined with sound operational leadership, we will work towards creating future-oriented budgets to provide some predictability for fees.
I would also like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank Jane Kerner, PAg for her leadership as the Interim CEO. Navigating the challenges of an interim role is no small feat, and Jane’s dedication and passion have been extraordinary. I am truly grateful for her support and guidance during this transition. Also, I want to thank Ryan O’Grady, PAg, PEng as he moves on to new endeavours, for his dedication and work with BCIA and the immense support he provided me in a short period of time.
It is a profound privilege to assume this role, and I look forward to getting to know each of you and immersing myself in our professional environment over the coming months. Together, I am confident that we can build a dynamic, modern, and nimble regulator that keeps the public and its safety at the center of everything we do.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Lawrence, CEO/Registrar
BCIA BOARD APPROVES 2025 REGISTRANT FEE INCREASE
On September 21, 2024, the BCIA Board approved a fee increase for 2025.
The increase will ensure that the BCIA will be able to continue to meet the legal requirements of the Professional Governance Act (PGA), International Credentials Recognition Act (ICRA) and the requirements from the Superintendent’s Office that administers both Acts.
Overall, the BCIA continues to see increasing pressures year-over-year in delivering on its statutory mandate including:
- receiving and processing applications,
- delivering more audits and practice reviews, and
- administering a fair complaints and discipline process.
Furthermore, there is still much work to be done as BCIA navigates the transition from membership organization to regulator and there are costs associated with this. Despite the increased costs year over year, there has been no fee increase since 2022.
- Please CLICK HERE to see the fees for 2025.