Task Force to Examine Engineering Practice and Role of Technologists

Across Canada, the relationship between technologists and professional engineering regulatory bodies is changing. In the past, engineering technologists worked exclusively under the supervision of a professional engineer as everything a technologist did was considered the practice of professional engineering. Now, in provinces throughout the country, we are seeing changes to this traditional framework.

Working in Tandem
The government of Manitoba has included an exemption to the Engineering and Geoscientific Professions Act which allows technologists to practice the occupation of technology without the supervision of a professional engineer. A joint board with membership from the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Manitoba and the Certified Technologists and Technicians of Manitoba facilitates issues related to scope of practice and other matters. The regulatory model followed in Manitoba is commonly referred to as the Two Acts, Two Associations model.

The Alberta government is in the process of amending the Engineering, Geological and Geophysical Professions Act to better identify the role of technologists and to facilitate the regulatory processes for registered professional technologists, professional licensees and professional engineers. Under this model, the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta (APEGGA), and the Association of Science and Engineering Technology Professionals of Alberta will participate in a joint board to address all aspects of the registration and regulation of professional technologists under the Engineering, Geological and Geophysical Professions Act. The model followed in Alberta is commonly referred to as the One Act, Two Associations model.

A regulatory model that has been applied in British Columbia is the One Act, One Association model. This is the model under which the Association for BC Forest Professionals (ABCFP) operates. ABCFP is responsible for the regulation of both registered forest professionals and registered forestry technologists under the Foresters Act.

For engineering in British Columbia, currently those technologists who are members of the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of BC are given right to title under the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians Act. Currently there are approximately 7,000 members registered as technologists or technicians in ASTTBC. Membership in ASTTBC is voluntary and according to the Statistics Canada 2006 Census data there were 29,740 people practicing in engineering technology occupations in BC.

Bridging the Gap
Provincial and territorial regulators of professional engineering have recognized that the current legislative models for regulating the practice of engineering are inadequate to deal with current realities in that they:

  1. Do not provide the optimum framework for building the engineering team to meet economic needs;
  2. Do not provide the optimum model for attracting, receiving and promptly employing engineering practitioners in Canada;
  3. Do not regulate the practice of all members of the engineering team, namely technologists and technicians, thereby limiting their contribution to the team;
  4. Complicate labour mobility, particularly for internationally trained practitioners, licensees and technologists; and
  5. Fail to maximize the competency and skills of each member of the engineering team.

To deal with these issues, engineering regulators across the country are working together under the auspices of Engineers Canada to build a national solution to these issues that could be implemented in each province. As a first step in developing this solution, this past spring the Engineers Canada board of directors approved the broad concept for a National Framework for Membership and Licensure to establish the basic principles for a more comprehensive regulatory system.

Engineering Practice in BC
In British Columbia, what activities a technologist can undertake without the supervision of a professional engineer has been a longstanding issue. Recognizing that the Agreement on Internal Trade and the National Framework will require a response from APEGBC, Council has set up a task force to examine the various membership and licensure models outlined above.

The task force is charged with developing a conceptual approach for consultation purposes. The feedback will then be examined and Council will decide on the proposition to be presented to government. The model under which BC regulates professional engineers and engineering technologists will be determined by government.

Further information on this issue will be provided to members as it becomes available. Questions and comments can be directed to the task force at tegtf@apeg.bc.ca.

National Framework for Membership and Licensure

Vision
A dynamic National Framework for Membership and Licensure administered provincially/territorially where:

  • All individuals engaged in engineering activities can become members of the profession and participate in its governance;
  • All engineering practitioners are able to fully utilize their training, experience and expertise;
  • All members practising engineering are licensed according to their competencies and are held publicly accountable for their work and conduct;
  • Engineering activities, services and products are effectively regulated to protect the public interest;
  • All members and licence holders enjoy full mobility throughout Canada;
Principles

To uphold and protect the public interest:

  • Regulate engineering activities, products and services;
  • Prescribe uniform membership and licensing requirements;
  • Ensure that registration practices are transparent, objective, impartial and fair;
  • Provide flexible paths for registered members to gain licences, specializations and designations that recognize their competencies;
  • Provide full national mobility for all members and licensees;
  • Proactively address overlaps with other professions;
  • Build a platform for global mobility;
  • Simplify legislation;
  • Build, enhance and communicate pride in the profession;
  • Serve the public, members and licence holders in a relevant, efficient, effective and non-bureaucratic manner.