The Voice - Summer 2021 - 29

COVER STORY
" PEO has prioritized mandatory continuing professional
development. Following on the heels of earlier initiatives, we will
have a program that is pedagogically sound, has measurable
and achievable goals, and is proportionate to the need to
maintain public trust in the profession. "
- President of Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO), Christian Bellini, P.Eng., FEC
O
n February 26, 2021, Professional Engineers
Ontario (PEO) Council approved a motion to
move forward with the creation of a mandatory
continuing professional development (CPD)
program for its licence holders. Ontario will
now join every province and territory in Canada in making CPD
mandatory for engineers.
OSPE has applauded this historic step in the right direction
that reaffirms PEO's role as a regulator- to always make decisions
in the public interest, which do not require the approval of licence
holders. As our society and technology continues to evolve,
professional engineers need the skills to improve public safety,
safeguard the environment, and thrive in this new knowledge
economy. OSPE will continue to work with the regulator to ensure
engineers are supported and accommodated during this period
of change.
PEO's statement from February 26 reads, in part:
Council's decision rescinds a motion from its September 25,
2015 meeting, in which Council affirmed " its intent to ask
the membership to ratify in a referendum any mandatory
requirement to participate in a continuing professional
development competency and quality assurance program. "
Mandatory CPD, once in place, will bring PEO in line with
the best practices of other regulators of professions, including
other engineering regulators, which have a mandate to
protect the public.
PEO's motion is in line with the recommendations contained in
external reports, including:
* The External Regulatory Review that PEO commissioned,
led by Harry Cayton, using guidelines from the Professional
Standards Authority, released in May 2019
* The Coroner's Recommendations from the Downsview Park
stage collapse, released in April 2019
* The Belanger Commission Report regarding the Elliot Lake
Mall collapse, released in October 2014
The decision also follows the reasoning ACEC Ontario and
OSPE provided to the Ontario Attorney General back in 2018.
PEO Council also heard from their internal legal council that the
original 2015 decision for a referendum on mandatory CPD was
inappropriate, because as duly elected representatives, they were
abdicating PEO's regulatory obligation under the Professional
Engineers Act to the interest of licence holders.
" I would like to congratulate the PEO Council
for their leadership and efforts to transform PEO
into the regulatory body our profession requires
to navigate our changing society and economy.
OSPE will continue to encourage and support PEO
Council as they strive to achieve the outcomes
outlined in the PEO transformation plan. These
positive changes will provide the engineering
profession with the required guidance to continue
to put the safety of the public first and foremost. "
- Mark Frayne, P.Eng., President & Chair of OSPE
June 2021 THE VOICE
29
The Voice - Summer 2021

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