Compliance

Activity Report

Editor's Note: The following statistics track APEGGA Compliance Department activity from Jan. 1 of this year to July 31. The department's job is to enforce the right to practice and right to title provisions of the EGGP Act Part 1. The Compliance Department's focus, therefore, is on individuals and companies that aren't members - those that may be, inadvertently or otherwise, holding themselves out as members or practicing the professions illegally.

* Note: Remaining compliance files included in above totals were resolved for various other reasons such as confirmation that an individual or company is already registered with APEGGA, verification that an individual contacted is not living or working in Alberta, clarification that a company is actually a trade name of a member, directory listings relocated to a non-restricted heading or removed etc.

Examples

The following are examples of recent violations, along with the source and resolution of the complaint.

• Routine review of a media announcement by Compliance Department staff discovered a company that was engaging in the practice of engineering, geology and geophysics while not holding a permit to practice. Contact was made with the company resulting in voluntary compliance and a Permit to Practice.

• An industrial plant employing APEGGA members and engaging in the practice of engineering was contacted for a permit to practice by Compliance staff. The company was of the opinion that the permit applied only to consultants. Once APEGGA clarified that the permit is a requirement, regardless of whether or not the practice is being conducted for internal or external purposes (e.g. consultants or non-consultants), the plant submitted a permit application, which was approved.
  
  
• Compliance staff conducted a routine follow up of a permit to practice which had been voluntarily cancelled after the responsible member left the employ of the company. Investigation determined that the company was continuing to practice engineering. Their activities had not changed due to the absence of a responsible member. APEGGA and the company came to a voluntary resolution. A new responsible member was engaged and the permit re-instated. During the interim, responsibility for engineering work was assumed by a contracted registered professional engineer.
  
  
• Compliance staff conducted a routine review of the Alberta Gazette's list of recently incorporated companies and noted a company using the word "geological" in its name while not holding a permit to practice. The principal of the company is a registered professional geologist, and after contact by compliance staff, the company obtained a permit to practice.
  
  
• A member of the public reported titles advertised by an Alberta learning institution referring to potential careers for graduates as "applications engineers," "computer engineers," "software engineers" etc. Contact by Compliance staff resulted in excellent cooperation from management at the school and an immediate change to remove the inference that graduates were qualified to become professional engineers.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION

Q What activities constitute the practices of engineering, geology and geophysics, and how are these determinations made?

A The activity in question is reviewed and applied reasonably and responsibly to the definitions of engineering, geology and geophysics as found in the EGGP Act. For this purpose, a systematic decision making process is used to formulate a series of questions. A "yes" answer to the questions is required before the activity in question can be judged to be the practice of engineering, geology or geophysics.