We provide resources to assist our stakeholders in understanding our regulatory role and how we protect the public interest.
As part of its regulatory mandate, PEO establishes, maintains and develops: standards of knowledge and skill; standards of practice for the profession; standards of professional ethics; and promotes public awareness of its role. The following are resources to assist PEO stakeholders--licence holders, applicants, and the public--in understanding their roles and responsibilities and the regulator’s work protecting the public interest.
Resources
Ontario professional engineers are part of a community of more than 87,500 PEO licence and certificate holders committed to enhancing the quality of life, safety and well-being in the province.
PEO’s Engineering Intern (EIT) program provides guidance and assistance to engineering graduates as they acquire the 48 months of acceptable engineering work experience, including annual reviews of experience.
As the regulator of engineering in Ontario, it’s PEO’s role to assure the public that licensed practitioners are competent to practise in their chosen discipline, and that they are taking responsibility for the outcomes of their work.
As Ontario’s engineering regulator, PEO relies heavily on its volunteers. More than 1,000 professional engineers, engineering interns and non-engineers volunteer their time each year on behalf of the association through their participation.
PEO's mandate, as described in the Professional Engineers Act, is to ensure that the public is protected and that individuals and companies providing engineering services uphold a strict code of professional ethics and conduct.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I change my account password?
Once logged into the portal, under profile select “change password” and enter a new password then click save.
Does the PEAK program accommodate a range of licence holders?
Yes. Council’s CPD task forces recommended the PEAK tenets and operating rules after reviewing other regulators’ CPD reporting programs and best practices to establish a made-for-PEO program that would be straightforward and less cumbersome for PEO licence holders. PEO licence holders were also surveyed for their feedback before the task forces made their recommendations.
Note: Council’s CPD task forces worked from 2015 to 2017 and included engineers representing a range of demographics (a council member, academic engineer, in-house engineer, non-practising engineer, government engineer, manufacturing engineer, sole practitioner, retired engineer, and an engineer at a consulting practice.) And in 2022, a consultation survey was carried out to inform the transition to a mandatory version of the PEAK program.
Who do I contact if I have a technical problem/issue with multi-factor authentication (MFA)?
For additional assistance, please send an email to technical@peo.on.ca
What if I do not have a phone for multi-factor authentication (MFA)?
Choose email as your multi-factor authentication (MFA) option.
Is the Practice Review mandatory in Ontario?
Unlike other regulators, the Practice Review in Ontario is a voluntary (optional) initiative to ensure the acceptable manner of operating and managing a professional engineering practice.
How should licence holders answer the Practice Evaluation questionnaire?
The Practice Evaluation questionnaire is presented to licence holders who are currently practising or intend to practise later in the year. The questionnaire was created by PEO alongside Council’s CPD task forces. The task forces comprised engineers representing a range of demographics(a council member, academic engineer, in-house engineer, non-practising engineer, government engineer, manufacturing engineer, sole practitioner, retired engineer, and engineer at a consulting practice.) The wording of the questionnaire was refined in 2022 and PEO will continue to review and revise it, as required.
Note: It is possible that some individuals could find the questions irrelevant to them, indicating that perhaps they should select the non-practising status.
What if I do not have an email to use for my PEO account?
You will need to create an email address (Gmail, outlook, yahoo, etc.) and provide it to PEO by sending an email to technical@peo.on.ca.
What is a Practice Review?
A Practice Review is a review of a workplace providing professional engineering services to assess whether the processes and procedures for carrying out professional engineering activities are consistent with the profession's standards. Generally, the essential purpose of a practice review is to assess the fundamental policies and procedures in place for how the practice of engineering is conducted. These reviews intend to provide an opinion on the compliance of non-technical practices with the Professional Engineers Act and industry best practices for operation and management.
Does the PEAK program apply to engineers who work in a practice area where the “industrial exception” may apply?
Yes. The PEAK program applies to all licence holders regardless of their practice status. However, licence holders who work in a practice area where the “industrial exception” may apply should be careful about selecting a “not practising” status for several reasons: the industrial exception is narrow in its application; the industrial exception only relates to the need for a PEO licence, not to the determination of practice status; and they would still be practising even if they are “not stamping” or “not providing engineering services to the public.”
Does PEO offer any guidance on the Practice Review?
Yes, PEO provides guidance for how these reviews can be carried out fairly, consistently, thoroughly and in a manner that complies with the purpose of the review. The primary purpose of the Conducting a Practice Review guideline is to define the content of practice reviews so reviews can be conducted consistently. Here is the link to the "Conducting a Practice Review" guideline: https://www.peo.on.ca/sites/default/files/2019-10/Conducting-a-Practice-Review_1.pdf