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MUZZLING:  Agrologists raise professional concerns

last updated March 22, 2009

Issue
excerpted from December 2008 public letter to BCIA Council (posted below):


"...We are a group of longstanding members of the British Columbia Institute of Agrologists with a membership history ranging from 22 to 46 years. Seven of the present nine members of our group have received the Agrologist of the Year award.  Three have been President of BCIA and three have been Land Commissioners under the Agricultural Land Commission Act. In addition, two held positions of Chair (20 years) and Member (15 years) in the former Ethics and Practices Committee. We bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the matter at hand.

It is an objective of our group to ensure that all members of BCIA are treated fairly and in accordance with the Agrologists Act, BCIA Bylaws, and principles of natural justice. It is our contention that in a recent disciplinary process, that has not been the case. Recent disciplinary action against one BCIA member has caused harm to that individual and sets a precedent that compromises the ability of members to communicate their professional opinions. This is not only a detriment to BCIA but also to the general public, and we write to BCIA Council due to our concerns related to those events and the effect they may have on the profession and the public.

We are sufficiently concerned regarding the professional implications of this matter that we have, as a group, engaged the services of Vancouver lawyer Joseph Arvay, Q.C., of the law firm Arvay Finlay, to advise us.  Mr. Arvay has reviewed and approved the contents of this letter..."

Ron Bertrand, P.Ag.
Richard Bocking, P.Ag.
Larry Bomford, PAg,
Art Bomke, P.Ag.  
Arthur Hadland, P.Ag.
Wendy Holm, P.Ag.
Niels Holbek, P.Ag.
Gary Runka, P.Ag.
Dave Sands, P.Ag.

Status
Ethics Finding against Dr. Susan Ames, P.Ag.:   Unresolved.   Two resolutions have been prepared by the Group of 9 Concerned Agrologists for submission at the May 2009 BCIA AGM in Whistler:

Resolutions:  (for a full text of the two Resolutions, including "whereas" clauses, click here.)
RESOLUTION # 1.    Therefore be it resolved that Council, in conjunction with group known as the “Concerned Agrologists”, be directed to select a mutually agreeable third party to conduct a full review of the process that found Dr Susan Ames guilty of a breach of the Code of Ethics, and

    Further be it resolved, that if the third party selected finds that Dr Susan Ames has been
wrongfully found guilty of a breach of the Code of Ethics, that Council request recommendations from the third party as identified above, to mitigate the damage done to Dr Susan Ames’ reputation and that those recommendations be implemented without delay.
RESOLUTION # 2.   Therefore be it resolved that Council establish a committee of interested Agrologists to explore and propose the means by which BCIA and individual members can uphold and protect the public interest by upholding the principles of stewardship that are the foundation of agrology and report back to the 2010 AGM.


 Ethics Complaint against Wendy Holm, P.Ag.:    By letter of March 16 2009, BCIA advised Arvay Finlay, acting for Holm, that a determination had been made by Council to take no further action, and have asked parties not to disclose the decision or reasons.  I intend to respect that request at least for the present. In the meantime I have also written to the BCIA to ascertain what, if  anything, it intends to publish on its website or newsletter.   

COST OF FARMLAND DEFENSE:  Fundraising has commenced.  DONATIONS TO SUPPORT LEGAL EXPENSES associated with the above two matters should be marked "ALR Fund", made payable to Joseph Arvay IN TRUST and sent to Arvay Finlay, 1350 - 355 Burrard Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6C 2G8.  If, at the end of this matter, funds held in Trust exceed legal costs, they will be placed in a trust administered by Vancouver-based NGO Farm Folk City Folk to support ongoing public farmland avocacy.   A full public accounting will be provided...   

Key Documents:


Media  (a history of this issue as presented in the published media)

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