Welcome to PEO’s Council meeting update to licence holders. PEO is sharing this to encourage and assist licence holders to become more familiar with the work of Council, the board of directors of their self-regulating profession. It is intended to highlight a few, illustrative items that may be of interest. Licence holders are invited to review the full detailed meeting package available on our website and to provide regular feedback to PEO on issues of concern to them.
567th Meeting of PEO Council
PEO Council met on February 21, 2025. You may view the meeting agenda and package here. A link to the audio recording and a disposition of motions from the meeting will be posted on the PEO website as soon as it is available.
567 Council decisions/discussion:
Engineering Intern (EIT) Program: progress report (page 159): Council was provided with a progress report on work completed towards the redevelopment and reintroduction of an improved EIT program. Council committed to reinstating a new EIT program at their November 2024 meeting. To support this, PEO staff have conducted 13 focus groups to gather a broad range of stakeholder perspectives, including current/former EITs, students, employers, the Strategic Stakeholder Advisory Group, PEO Chapters, Ontario Deans, OSPE and other relevant groups.
Emerging themes arising from the consultations include program benefits and value; eligibility criteria and duration; professional experience and mentorship; oversight and accountability; and a graduated licence program. At the meeting, Councillors were asked to provide feedback on the themes; identify additional areas to explore; and any additional information necessary for decision making.
PEO’s Regulatory Policy and Legislation Committee will provide a policy proposal to Council no later than April 2025.
- 2026+ Strategic Plan progress update (page 67): Council heard a progress report from MDR Strategy Group on work towards PEO’s 2026+ strategic plan. To date, PEO has consulted with internal and external stakeholders on the new plan, including focus groups, meetings and surveys. A working group has also developed a list of strategic goals for further discussion. Following additional consultation and plan development, a 2026+ strategic plan will be presented to Council in June 2025.
Following the report, Council approved making the 2026+ strategic plan a five-year plan, with a hard re-set at three years.
Council Remuneration Framework (page 89): Council considered a report from Satori Consulting on the remuneration framework. The report recommends Council adopt a remuneration framework that: i) recognizes the time and effort of Councillors without compromising PEO’s volunteer ethos; ii) shifts to a nomination model focused on skills and competencies; and iii) has role descriptions for Councillors to enhance transparency and accountability.
Following discussion, Council approved a motion i) endorsing the development of a competitive remuneration structure, ii) endorsing the development of a skills and competency based nomination model, and iii) agreeing to define Councillor role expectations and directing staff to develop an action plan and cost estimate for implementing the recommendations, to be presented to Council by June 2025.
Establishing Metrics For Governance Performance (page 112): Council adopted recommendations in the Council Evaluation Framework Report by Watson Board Advisors and directed staff to develop an action plan for implementing the recommendations starting with the 2025-2026 Council term.
Implementing an effective Council evaluation framework is a commitment to effective self-regulation. Regularly assessing PEO’s governance practices and performance using an evidence-based framework can help identify areas to enhance governance performance and PEO’s impact.
Visioning for Relevance Update (page 170): Council revisited the work done with the assistance of numerous stakeholders on a PEO vision statement. The work was aimed at reflecting the long-term aspirations of how PEO will protect the public through its governance of the profession and aligning stakeholders around a common purpose and direction.
The project produced four shortlisted vision statements and an accompanying interpretive document that were the result of thorough grassroots engagement with licence holders, students and stakeholders. Over 14 months, PEO consulted with 109 volunteers, held 102 meetings and received 2745 survey responses towards the development of the statements. Thanks to everyone who participated in this important work. This work will be preserved and will continue to be referenced as Council embarks on developing a new multi-year strategic plan.
To keep licence holders and vision statement consultation participants apprised of the extensive process that produced ideas and inputs to inform PEO’s vision, Council directs people to this Winter 2025 Engineering Dimensions article (PEO vision statement update).
CEO/Registrar’s report: PEO CEO/Registrar Jennifer Quaglietta, P.Eng., MBA, ICD.D, delivered her report to Council, noting achievements against the 2024 operational plan. Highlights include:
- Maintaining 100 per cent compliance with licensing timelines under the Fair Access to Regulated Professions and Compulsory Trades Act (FARPACTA)
- Reducing our legacy licence backlog by nearly 45 per cent
- Achieving 89 per cent compliance on first two elements of the PEAK CPD program
- Delivering 19 cyber-related improvement projects and upgrades
- External Relations staff attended 138 events
- 90.3 per cent of PEO workforce is engaged/almost engaged
The next PEO Council meeting will take place on April 4, 2025. Start time and information on how to join a Council meeting are available on the PEO website approximately one week prior to a scheduled Council meeting.