Ontario Byelections Provide Opportunity to Gauge Commitment from Candidates and their Parties to Improving Workplace Health and Safety

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - July 15, 2013) - In advance of the August 1 byelections, local chapters of Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO), the licensing and regulating body for professional engineering in the province, are planning all-candidate debates in the ridings of Windsor-Tecumseh, Ottawa South, Scarborough-Guildwood, Etobicoke-Lakeshore, and London West.

"We want to raise awareness of issues that affect the regulation of the engineering profession in Ontario and PEO's ability to effectively carry out its mandate," said PEO President Annette Bergeron, MBA, P.Eng.

"Given the current government's recent decision to allow certain professional engineering work in Ontario to continue to be performed by unlicensed and unaccountable individuals, it is important we hear from candidates their positions on improving public and workplace safety."

On June 12, 2013, the Ontario government abruptly put on hold implementing its three-year legislative commitment to repeal section 12(3)(a) of the Professional Engineers Act. The government abandoned a previously announced proclamation date of September 1, 2013, and has yet to set a new effective date for the repeal. Repealing section 12(3)(a) would have improved manufacturing workplace safety and harmonized Ontario's engineering act with legislation regulating engineering practice across the country. Despite the government's June 12 decision, PEO remains committed to seeing the repeal of section 12(3)(a) move from Royal Assent to proclamation.

Information on these debates, the five byelections and PEO's work to repeal section 12(3)(a) of the Professional Engineers Act is available at: http://www.peo.on.ca/index.php/ci_id/26664/la_id/1.htm.

About Professional Engineers Ontario

Through the Professional Engineers Act, PEO governs over 80,000 licence and certificate holders and regulates professional engineering in Ontario to serve and protect the public. Professional engineering safeguards life, health, property, economic interests, the public welfare and the environment. Professional engineers can be identified by the P.Eng. after their names. Visit www.peo.on.ca.