OSPE - The Voice - Winter 2021 - 42

COVER STORY
OSPE Members - Provide Your Input
MEMBERS-ONLY VIRTUAL DISCUSSION ON
REGULATORY REFORM AND THE PROFESSIONAL
ENGINEERS ACT
On November 23 2021, members of the PEAWG hosted a
members-only virtual panel discussion to outline their rationale
for each recommendation in the October submission. The panel
was moderated by OSPE's President & Chair Mark Frayne, P.Eng.,
also a member of the Working Group, and featured the following
PEAWG members as panelists:
Annette Bergeron, P.Eng.,
Chair, Electrical Safety Authority, past President of OSPE, PEO
and Engineers Canada
" When I was running for president [at PEO], one of the most
startling things I found was that engineers - and I knew they
were practising engineers because of their age and how they
chatted with me about where they worked and what they did -
but what they asked me is, " How can you help make our licence
relevant? " They were looking for relevancy.
You know I'm a practising engineer - I always wanted to be
able to be in a room with doctors and lawyers and be close to
being equal, and 50 years ago, we were. But we're so watered
down now because of the way people are licensed. Our licence
is just too cheap. I have friends that are real estate agents with
P.Eng.s, that have P.Eng.s for 35 years. And I said, " Why do you
keep your licence? " And the answer every time is " it's cheap. "
My feeling is people who practice engineering and, by equation,
members of OSPE who I would argue mostly are practising
engineers, we want real reform at PEO. We want to see them do
their job. And we want to gain the relevancy of our licence. And
all of those things can happen when we get them [PEO] to stop
being worried about what the members think and more about
what the public thinks. After all, that's their job. "
- David Brown, P.Eng., Past President of PEO and OSPE
PEAWG member.
ON THE WEB
For more on the PEAWG rationale, listen to OSPE's
podcast. Listen to Episode 12 of Engineering the Future
at www.ospe.on.ca/podcast, for more from Mark Frayne,
P.Eng., and David Brown, P.Eng., on their involvement in
OSPE's reinstated PEAWG, insights on regulatory reform
for the engineering profession overall, and why they
believe OSPE must continue pushing for change.
Bernard Ennis, P.Eng.,
Instructor, University of Guelph, and former Director of Policy
and Professional Affairs, Professional Engineers Ontario
Bruce Matthews, P.Eng.,
Executive Director, Association of Consulting Engineering
Companies - Ontario and Past President of PEO
2022 OSPE MEMBER CONSULTATIONS
REGULATORY REFORM
Members of the PEAWG will also be hosting virtual OSPE
Member Consultations beginning in 2022 to gather input from
OSPE members on what further recommendations should be
made to the Attorney General regarding changes to the Act,
including:
*
Improved oversight mechanisms
* Appropriate privacy protections
* Mandatory liability insurance
*
Financial stewardship
* Accountability
* Role of PEO Chapters
* Governance structure
Stay tuned for announcements on dates and times in the coming
months.
Regulatory Reform - FAQs
WHY DO CHANGES NEED TO BE MADE TO THE
PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS ACT?
The Professional Engineers Act was last revised in 2017 to
take into account some of the recommendations from the Elliot
Lake Inquiry. While matters such as fees and other changes
have been made through regulation, other issues like the
definition of the practice of engineering, mandatory continuing
professional development, right to title versus right to practice
and specialization have not been adequately addressed in more
than 20 years.
42
THE VOICE December 2021
http://www.ospe.on.ca/podcast
OSPE - The Voice - Winter 2021

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