Council is the body empowered by the Foresters Act to conduct the affairs of the Association of BC Forest Professionals (ABCFP). In so doing, council's first obligation is to take direction from the Foresters Act; the law of the land. Its second obligation is, in certain key areas identified in the act, to take direction from or seek the specific approval of members. These areas include: the establishment of bylaws and the setting of annual membership fees. Outside these areas, council is free to act without the explicit approval of members. Even in these areas, the membership is still in control through council elections, the annual meeting and the ability of members to call special members meetings. It is worth noting that, unlike many societies, ABCFP elections typically have more people running than there are vacancies on council. This provides members with real choice as to who will look after their interests.

Although the Foresters Act allows council to be as large as thirteen people, current practice is to limit it to twelve. Ten must be registered members (seven must be RPFs and three must be RFTs in accordance with ABCFP Bylaw 1.2). The two others are lay persons (non-members) appointed by provincial cabinet Order-in-Council to help council consider the public interest. Of the ten elected members on council, three are executive members (president, past president and vice-president) and the other seven are regular councillors. The terms of council members (usually two years) are staggered to ensure reasonable continuity. A separate election is held for the office of vice-president. The bylaws stipulate that the vice-president automatically becomes president and past president in subsequent years.

To carry out its business, council meets every two months by teleconference or face-to-face. Additional meetings may be held by teleconference call if warranted. Twice a year, the regular business meeting is compressed into one day to allow time for special sessions on the strategic plan (September) and team-building (first meeting after the annual meeting). In addition, council holds two brief meetings on the first day of the annual meeting; the first involves the outgoing council who wrap-up the year ending, the second involves the incoming council who conduct necessary legal business and review responsibilities and goals for the coming year. Throughout the year, the council executive (with the support of the CEO) are also engaged in promoting positive relations with government and employers.

The culture of the ABCFP continues to require that councillors make significant personal contributions to the work of council and to the committees on which they participate. Nevertheless, as the association has grown and matured, staff support for council has increased to the point where much of the leg-work is carried out by staff under council direction. Reflecting this shift, the CEO and the other senior staff attend council meetings and, although they have no voting rights, actively participate in discussions. Increasingly, the role of council is to set policy and direction with the follow-up and day-to-day management of the association left to the staff of 14.

Once on council, with the exception of the two lay councillors, councillors are given specific areas of responsibility. Although lay councillors are not assigned specific areas of responsibility, they may take on more responsibilities if they choose.

The work of council is demanding and complex but probably no more so than many members’ regular jobs. What does set it apart is the sharp focus on regulating, advancing and defending the profession, all in the public interest, as required by the Foresters Act. From time to time, council also undertakes advocacy in support of good forest stewardship.

Additional Resources
Foresters Act
Council Elections
Our Current Council
Council Governance Policy