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The Canadian Radiation Protection Association (CRPA) was officially formed in 1979. Prior to that time, Canadians who were involved in radiation protection were for the most part members of the Health Physics Society (HPS), which is the official body for radiation protection professionals in the United States.
Throughout the late sixties and early seventies the number of Canadians working or interested in some aspect of health physics increased, until there were more than 80 Canadian members in the HPS. This was more than the membership of half of the countries that were members of the International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA). With these increasing numbers, it became more and more desirable to have a forum for discussing or establishing a collective viewpoint on Canadian topics in radiological protection.
In late 1977, Richard Osborne sent a questionnaire to the Canadian members of the Health Physics Society asking whether the formation of a Canadian group should be attempted. The questionnaire elicited 119 enthusiastic responses, with the majority favouring a technical/scientific-based society, primarily concerned with radiological protection and organized to be independent of other Societies.
Using these replies as a guide, a small group went ahead with organizing the formation meeting in Toronto, which took place on 27th April 1979. Efforts were made to ensure that participants were gathered from as many provinces as possible and from the many disciplines and activities associated with radiological protection, including industry, government, universities, hospitals, nuclear utilities and R&D laboratories. Ultimately, 89 people approved a draft constitution and indicated their intent to join a newly formed Canadian Radiation Protection Association. Later that year, on October 26th, 1979, with 48 full members the CRPA successfully applied to become an Associate Society of the International Radiation Protection Association.
The CRPA became officially incorporated in 1982.
Members of the association are drawn from all areas of radiation protection, including hospitals, universities, the nuclear power industry, and all levels of government. Membership is divided into five categories: full members (includes retired members), with all privileges; associate and student members, with all privileges except voting rights; honorary members, with all privileges; and corporate members. Corporate membership is open to organizations with interests in radiation protection.
The objective of the Canadian Radiation Protection Association (CRPA) is to advance the development and communication of scientific knowledge and practical means for protecting people and their environment from the harmful effects of radiation consistent with the optimal use of radiation for the benefit of society. To this end, CRPA will:
Welcome!
I would like to thank all the CRPA members and sponsors who make up this excellent and well-respected organization. Whether you are new to the CRPA or have been a member for many years, we couldn’t do it without you. If you aren’t a member, I’d love to learn what we need to do to convince you of the value of membership.
To me, the CRPA is a very special organization. Our common goal is altruistic: to ensure the safe use of radiation. We exemplify safety culture. Professionals are willing to share advice – even with industry competitors. Experienced members are happy to provide guidance to junior members and even the public. CRPA welcomes regulators as members and regulators have open dialogue with our members and working groups. Our professional development program – delivered by members – has provided training to hundreds of students. We aren’t limited to Canada and have forged relationships with organizations around the world who share our vision.
I have referred to CRPA as an organization, but I believe “community” is more suited. One feature of a community is the more you put in, the more you get out. There is something for everyone at CRPA. Join a committee, earn your CRPA(R) designation, present your hard work at a conference, deliver a professional development talk, or write an article for the CRPA Bulletin.
If you haven’t found a place for you yet, I would like to hear about what more we need to do.
I sincerely value your membership and participation, as well as the trust you have placed in me.
Please contact me directly at president@crpa-acrp.org. I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours Truly,
All of our Board Members are volunteers from among the CRPA membership. Members are elected for a term of two years, with the exception of the President-Elect who spends the first year as President-Elect, the second year as President and the third year as Past President.
A general description of the responsibilities associated with each position is available here.
To ensure the smooth functioning of CRPA operations, we’ve established several committees, each with a crucial role within the Association. These committees are entirely composed of volunteers from our membership. We constantly welcome new members to volunteer for any of these committees. If you’re interested, please reach out to the Secretariat.
Committees fall under the following Directorate portfolios:
The role of this committee is to oversee all aspects of the management of the registration and maintenance process.
Although there is a local organizing committee for the conference each year, the CRPA Conference Committee serves as a sort of umbrella group which lays down guidelines and rules that must be followed each year. This ensures some consistency between the conferences, provides a foundation for a new local committee to build upon, and ensures that lessons learned from previous conferences are applied to future events.
We recognize the importance of students in maintaining and growing the organization, which is why there is a committee devoted entirely to student affairs. This group works to increase student membership in the organization and to provide them with resources that will help them in their students and future careers. They also administer the annual Anthony J. MacKay Student Paper Contest.
The Communications Committee is responsible for promoting the CRPA as the expert voice of Canadian radiation safety professionals. The committee also ensures the availability of public information on radiation protection and promotes and understanding of all aspects of radiation.
Our Translation Committee is responsible for translating articles, communications, documents and abstracts from French to English and English to French in accordance with the CRPA Language Policy.
Our Bulletin Editorial Board is responsible for the official CRPA Bulletin, which is published every two months.
The role of the Membership Committee is to promote membership, both individual and corporate, in the CRPA. They are also responsible for assessing membership applications against the established criteria.
Our archivist holds the entire history of the CRPA – from photographs to memorabilia to previous issues of the CRPA Bulletin. This can take up a lot of room, so the move is being made to digitize as much as possible to better organize and preserve our history.
The role of the committee is to identify candidates for each Board of Directors position to be filled for the annual election. Candidates are identified from a list of potential candidates submitted by committee members and the general membership.
Potential candidates should be drawn from all geographical areas and range of disciplines to ensure that the concerns of all CRPA members may be addressed.
The NORM Working Group strives to identify opportunities to improve awareness of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) in industries, encourage relevant provincial authorities to become involved in the NORM industry, and foster harmonization.
In addition, a significant effort is focused on providing a forum for communication and information sharing to improve NORM safety awareness.
The International Liaison maintains or create active, bi-directional liaison with international associations with similar goals or objectives to those of the CRPA.