On May 27, 2026, the Association of the Chemical Profession of Alberta (ACPA) hosted its Annual General Meeting (AGM). Led by President Lenn Liwanag, the meeting brought together 84 member attendees alongside the Board of Directors to celebrate an exceptional milestone, review a robust financial and membership outlook, and outline a historic transition under Alberta’s upcoming Professional Governance Act (PGA).
Here is a look at the major updates, celebrations, and strategic visions shared during this year’s assembly.
A Strong Financial Foundation
Treasurer Maria Marcos-Mendoza presented the 2025 fiscal report, confirming that the ACPA continues to maintain a highly stable and strong financial position.
Registrar’s Report
Maurice Shevalier delivered the Registrar’s Report, providing a comprehensive look at the association’s current registration metrics, 2025 application outcomes, and important regulatory shifts affecting new members.
Current Membership Demographics
As of May 2026, the ACPA boasts a solid foundation of 489 total registered members. The organizational breakdown highlights a strong core of fully qualified professionals alongside a steady pipeline of incoming talent:
- Professional Chemists (P.Chem): 400 members. This represents the vast majority of the membership base, comprising fully certified, practicing professionals across Alberta.
- Chemists-in-Training (CIT): 48 members. These are early-career professionals working toward fulfilling their full certification requirements.
- Non-Practicing Members: 41 members. This includes retired chemists or those temporarily not practicing who wish to maintain their formal affiliation and alignment with the association.
Crucial Regulatory Update: Accelerated Approval Pathway
A major highlight of the report focused on significant updates to Alberta’s provincial regulations, designed to streamline the onboarding of qualified professionals.
The modified rules now allow eligible candidates to be officially approved as a P.Chem. upfront, granting them a one-year grace period from their approval date to complete the mandatory ACPA ethics course.
Welcoming New Leadership
The association extended its deepest appreciation to outgoing directors for their dedicated years of leadership. Concurrently, we are thrilled to welcome two newly elected members to the ACPA Board of Directors:
- Alsayed Mostafa
- Prem Pal
(Note: The board will continue its efforts to fill two remaining vacancies over the coming cycle).
President’s Report: Honoring Our Legacy, Building Our Future
Presented by President Lenn Liwanag, the President’s Report highlighted significant milestones alongside key strategic objectives designed to guide the association over the next three years.
Celebrating 25 Years of Regulation:
Established in 1992, the ACPA is proudly celebrating a quarter-century of being a regulated profession in Alberta. President Liwanag expressed immense gratitude to the volunteers and members whose multi-decade commitment has sustained the association.
Strengthening ACPA’s Foundation:
A comprehensive Strategic Plan Gap Assessment was completed to identify organizational priorities. Valuable feedback gathered from members during renewal cycles is actively being used to guide these goals, and a reactivated committee is aligning marketing and financial planning for the next three years. Additionally, a new Board Orientation Program and robust succession planning frameworks have been designed to line up with upcoming bylaws.
The 5 Pillars of Messaging:
Marketing efforts have been modernized with a new Branding and Communication Toolkit, a refreshed website, and a brand-new member portal. All public outreach will now heavily anchor around five key positioning pillars:
- Public Protection,
- Standards & Accountability,
- Career Recognition,
- Real-World Impact
- Professional Resources.
Strategic Priorities:
Moving forward, the Board will focus heavily on advocacy, membership growth (especially engaging young professionals and expanding student outreach), regulatory influence regarding P.Chem reports, and cross-industry collaboration to share emerging technologies across Alberta.
Executive Director’s Report: Navigating Legislative Evolution
Executive Director Chris Swyngedouw provided an operational update focusing primarily on the highly anticipated legislative transition and the massive opportunities it unlocks for Alberta’s chemists.
The Move to the Professional Governance Act (PGA):
Impact of Proclamation:
Upon official proclamation, the PGA will completely replace the existing legacy POARA act. This historic shift grants the ACPA vastly increased institutional flexibility and advanced self-governance capabilities.
Policy Development Milestones:
Internal policies have been fully updated in a new Bylaw and will be updating our Governance Manual. Concurrently, the ACPA specific Policy Development Document (PDD) has finalized critical frameworks addressing labour mobility and utilizing the mandatory ethics course as professional development credits (PDC).
Inter-PRO Collaboration:
The ACPA is in active discussions with other Professional Regulation Organizations (PROs) to align best practices on complaint processes and collaboration.
Strategic Opportunities for Action:
With changes under the PGA, the ACPA is aggressively positioning itself to push for mandatory registration across the province, further expand reciprocal labour mobility, build new member categories, and broaden the legal scope of the profession by expanding the definition of the Practice of Professional Chemistry.
Thank you to all 84 member attendees, our staff, and the board of directors for making the 2026 AGM a monumental success! Here’s to the next 25 years of advancing the chemical profession