Signed in during the annual meeting of the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers (CCPE), the Inter-Association Agreement on Mobility of Professional Engineers Within Canada ends the requirement for engineers to be licensed for five consecutive years in one provincial or territorial jurisdiction before they can relocate to a second jurisdiction and be fully licensed. It also makes it easier for engineers to hold licences in more than one province or territory at the same time.

"The Inter-Association Agreement on Mobility of Professional Engineers Within Canada is a milestone for the engineering profession," said outgoing CCPE Chair Bill Sutherland, P.Eng. "It is one of the first agreements on mobility to be signed by a profession in Canada, and puts us at the forefront as Canada moves toward implementing the Agreement on Internal Trade."

Under the terms of the agreement, provided licensed engineers are members in good standing of the provincial or territorial regulatory engineering association in their home jurisdiction, they can apply for and obtain a licence to practice in another jurisdiction. In most cases, the only requirement is that engineers seeking to be licensed in another jurisdiction agree to abide by the continuing competency requirements of that jurisdiction.

"Allowing engineers to relocate easily from one provincial or territorial jurisdiction to another, and to hold licenses in multiple jurisdictions, will enhance our ability to protect the public and to regulate engineering projects that extend over more than one jurisdiction. It will also enhance the employment prospects of Canada’s professional engineers," said Mr. Sutherland.

APEGGA President Darrel Danyluk, P.Eng., and Executive Director and Registrar Neil Windsor, P.Eng., represented APEGGA at the signing ceremony.