What
is the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE)?
OSPE is the advocacy and member services body for professional
engineers in Ontario. The province's licensed engineers
voted to create the Society in a February 2000 referendum.
The Society works to advance the professional and economic
interests of our members by advocating on behalf of the
profession, offering leading edge professional development
and valued member services.
What
is the difference between OSPE and Professional Engineers
Ontario (PEO)?
The Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE)is a
separate organization from PEO. We are the advocacy and
member services body for the profession, while PEO is the
profession's licensing and regulatory body. Membership in
the Society is voluntary, while all licensed engineers in
Ontario must belong to PEO. PEO's primary responsibility
is to protect public safety through licensing, regulation
and enforcement, while the Society's main focus is to advance
the professional and economic interests of our members.
How
can I join OSPE?
There are three ways you can join the Society as a new member:
Join
online: Our website allows you to fill out an electronic
application form and pay online. It's safe, secure and
easy!
Join through the mail: You can download an application
form from our website and mail or fax it to us along
with a cheque, money order or Visa information.
Join on your PEO fee invoice: PEO has a line to its
fee invoice that allows first-time members to join the
Society when they pay their annual licensing fees. Simply
fill in this line and add the $ amount for the applicable
membership category (plus GST) to the cheque you make
out to PEO. PEO will forward your fee to us and we'll
be in touch with you to welcome you to the Society.
Please note that this option is for first-time members
only. Once members join the Society they will receive
separate invoices for fees in subsequent years.
Is
membership tax-deductible?
OSPE does not issue tax receipts and cannot advise our members
to claim their fee on their tax returns. Two other options
are available for engineers:.
Many employers pay the Society fees of the engineers
they employ as a means of supporting their ongoing development
and keeping them abreast of the developments in their
field, and
Engineers who are self-employed may claim OSPE fees
as a business expense
What
does OSPE do for engineers?
The Society is the advocacy and member services organization
for the profession. We focus on three key areas for the
province's engineers.
We advocate inside and outside the profession
for the concerns of engineers, lobbing governments and
industry bodies and speaking out to the media, the public
and to engineers themselves.
We deliver member services that engineers value,
offering them job listings, career planning tools and
outreach to students and the profession. We also use
the buying power of 66,000 members to deliver products
and services that engineers can use through our engineersfirst
program.
We offer professional development and training
to improve the technical and professional skills of
working engineers, strengthen the competencies of engineering
consultants and business owners and help introduce interns
into the profession.
Can
students join OSPE?
Yes students enrolled in an engineering program at an Ontario
university that either has or is seeking CEAB (Canadian
Engineering Accreditation Board) accreditation; or a student
enrolled in an accredited or recognized engineering program
offered in a country where a CCPE agreement applies can
join the Society as a Student member. Student members receive
all print and email communications, notice of meetings and
are eligiable to participate at meetings. Student members
may be a committee member and are eligiable to attend the
Society's General Assembly. When they graduate from their
engineering program, they are eligible to join the Society
as Intern Members.
Can
non-licensed engineers join OSPE?
Under our By-laws, an engineer who has graduated from a
CEAB accredited university engineering program can join
the Society as an Associate Member. Associate Members are
broken down into two categories, Resident and Non- resident.
Find out more about Associate
Membership.
Can
I join if I am licensed in another province or country?
Under the OSPE's By-laws, the Board may grant Associate
Membership to an engineer who is a Canadian citizen but
is licensed in another province or territory. Associate
Members are broken down into two categories, Resident and
Non- resident. Find out more
about Associate Membership.
Do
you offer training?
Ontario engineers are already highly trained and respected
for their technical excellence. That's why the Society is
committed to providing ongoing professional development
opportunities for our members, allowing them to maintain
and improve their professional advantage.
We currently offer training in three areas:
Professional Training that will help engineers
who have recently graduated learn the non-technical
business skills they need to compete for employment
and business opportunities.
Continuing Technical Education that will provide
technical training to help licensed professional engineers
maintain their leading-edge in the marketplace.
Practice Training that will help consulting
engineers run more profitable practices.
How
do you decide which advocacy and public policy issues OSPE
will address? What about issues of specific concern to me?
With 70,000+ engineers in Ontario working in dozens of different
fields, there is no shortage of issues for the profession
to deal with. OSPE focuses our attention where it can do
the most good for the profession.
For example, we try to address issues that 1) will touch
as many disciplines of engineering as possible; 2) will
benefit the public as well as engineers; 3) will attract
positive attention to the profession, and 4) will improve
our profile and influence with different levels of government
and the media.
As we grow as an organization, our capacity to deal with
many different issues grows simultaneously. Until that
time, we will choose our issues carefully to derive the
maximum benefit for the entire profession from our efforts.
Can
I renew my OSPE membership when I renew my license with
PEO?
The PEO invoice received by all engineers licensed in Ontario
has a box that invites PEO members to join the Society.
This box is for first-time members only. If you have
already joined the Society, we will send you a renewal invoice
when your annual Society membership fees are due (on the
anniversary date of your membership).
Who
is eligible for fee reduction?
There is no
separate membership category for retired members - they
are asked to join as professional members and apply for
a fee reduction (if applicable). Professional and intern
members of the Society may apply for a 50 per cent reduction
of fees for any one of the following reasons:
ill health
such that the member is unable to seek employment
parental
leave
The Member
has retired from all gainful employment in any capacity
and does not intend to seek active employment for gain
during the year
To apply for a reduced
fee, fill out the application for
fee reduction, and send it along with your completed
membership application form to the Ontario Society of
Professional Engineers.
