Since January 1, 2023, professional engineers and limited licence holders must complete PEO’s continuing professional development (CPD) requirement every year. We are administering this annual requirement according to the Professional Engineers Act (under section 51.2 of Regulation 941) through the Practice Evaluation and Knowledge (PEAK) program.
We are not enforcing PEAK in 2023. This has allowed licence holders to familiarize themselves with the new requirement. PEO is committed to enforcing mandatory CPD based on PEAK, beginning with the 2024 calendar year. Enforcement will eventually include administrative suspensions for those who are non-compliant, as well as an audit program to ensure that requirements are actually being met.
PEO is committed to operating a CPD program that serves the public interest while accounting for licence holders’ circumstances and incorporating stakeholder feedback. To this end, we are pleased to announce the following enhancements to the program for 2024:
PEAK exemption for fee remission enrollees
Beginning in 2024, licence holders enrolled in PEO’s fee remission program (such as retired engineers) will be exempt from all PEAK requirements. Following consultations with licence holders and our own risk-based analysis, fee remission enrollees have been exempted because they are non-practising and therefore pose low risk to public safety. Those in fee remission are still subject to the Professional Engineers Act and its regulations in all other respects. Please note: Fee remission may only be requested at the time of licence renewal.
Additional PEAK program features/updates for 2024
- CPD admissibility criteria will be expanded to include supplementary learning such as project management, contract administration, business management, leadership, communications, and health and safety that supports core engineering practice activities. Eighty per cent of your required CPD hours must come from core engineering learning.
- The PEAK program user interface in the PEO online portal has been enhanced with more features and a Help page including FAQs and video guides/tutorials.
More details will be communicated as they become available.
Licence status terminology
Based on feedback we have received, PEO will be updating its licence status terminology in the PEO directory of practitioners. The current terms “Permitted to practise” and “Not permitted to practise” will be changed to “Eligible to practise” and “Not currently eligible to practise.” Licence status reflects whether PEO permits an individual who is recorded on the PEO register to practise professional engineering.
Learn more at PEOPEAK.ca