OSPE



		Ontario Professional Engineers Awards (OPEA) Gala Please click here to access the full OSPE Event Calendar

OSPE Meets with Minister of Citizenship and Immigration

December 1, 2005

Chris Cragg, P.Eng., President and Chair of OSPE, and Sharon Glover, MBA, CEO of OSPE were pleased to recently meet with the Honourable Mike Colle, Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. Several issues were discussed at the meeting including the recommendations stemming from the recent Thomson Report; the labour imbalance of engineers in Ontario; Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS); and "Watertight: The case for change in Ontario’s water and wastewater sector", a report issued by the Water Strategy Expert Panel.

The Thomson Report called, “Review of the Appeal Processes from Registration Decisions in Ontario’s Regulated Professions” reviewed the current appeals processes for the registration decisions of Ontario’s 36 professional regulatory bodies, including Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO). Submitted to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, the report provided recommendations including the development of a set of common principles and best practices for a fair registration and appeals process.

One of the main recommendations is that an appeal body be created to conduct independent registration appeals for Ontario’s self-regulated professions. The appeal body would have the power to “order registration”.

While OSPE applauds having an independent appeal body to review PEO registration decisions, Mr. Cragg noted that we do not agree with having the body order the registration of an applicant. Alternatively, OSPE recommends that the matter be referred back to PEO for consideration.

On the issue of the labour imbalance, Minister Colle was very receptive to OSPE’s ongoing efforts. Specifically, Minister Colle agreed that either the government of Ontario or the federal government should finance a labour-market study to determine the extent of the problem concerning the engineering labour market imbalance. The Minister also agreed that QBS has significant merits. He informed OSPE’s representatives that he was encouraged by OSPE’s offer to work with the government to publicize the need for infrastructure investment. Among the many recommendations was a conclusion that Ontario has a water infrastructure deficit indicating that much of Ontario’s water and wastewater infrastructure needs to be replaced in the coming years.

Find out more about all of OSPE’s advocacy issues.