PEO Licence Holders are increasingly using new technologies in their daily work. The documents they produce remain subject to high standards of reliability. Engineers who wish to produce legally reliable digital documents in compliance with the PEO requirements (Use of Professional Engineer’s Seal) can now accomplish this task with CertifiO for Professionals – The Professional Engineers Ontario Digital Signature. Digital Signatures are not to be confused with an electronic impression (scanned image) of an ink stamp.
PEO has selected Notarius to provide the PEO Digital Signature to Licence Holders.
What an Engineer needs to know about digital signatures?
An electronic document is a document carried by electronic, logical and visual media.
It is the affixing of a digital signing certificate that cryptographically secures an electronic file, thus proving the origin, the authenticity of the signer, and confirm the integrity of the signed document.
It is a computer artefact issued and cryptographically protected by a Certificate Authority (Notarius) attesting to the veracity of the information declared in the certificate. This information may include:
- Full name;
- Email address;
- Professional title;
- Membership number;
- Public key;
- Validity period and the serial number of their certificate.
Presentation of the Partnership between the Professional Engineers Ontario and Notarius
Notarius provides the framework and platform to allow its 45+ partners to issue Trusted Digital Signatures to their members, without the trouble of managing the technological infrastructure related to such complex solutions. In the same way the PEO controls issuance of the ink stamp, this partnership allows PEO to be the exclusive issuer of a Digital Signature for PEO Licence Holders in Ontario.
Like EGBC, APEGA, NAPEG, APEGS, EGM, OIQ, APEGNB, Engineers Nova Scotia and PEGNL members, PEO Licence Holders who wish to avail themselves of the PEO Digital Signature will begin the process of creating electronic originals and authenticate final document using proven technology solutions engineering landscape that meet the PEO Regulatory framework, the government standards and archiving best practices for electronic documents.
Features and Benefits
The PEO digital signature affixed to a document by a Licence Holder:
- Guarantees the identity of the document. The origin of the document includes proof of the signer’s identity, the Licence Holder professional category, the PEO professional affiliation (at the time of the signature) as well as the date and time of the document’s finalization;
- Ensures the integrity of the document (as well as its data contents), so that the document has not been altered since its completion;
- Establishes the authenticity of the document. The authenticity implies that everything necessary to prove its origin and integrity is embedded in the document;
The PEO digital signature must remain under the sole control of its holder, it cannot be shared nor delegated under any circumstances.
Additional resources:
- See the Use of the Professional Engineers Seal Guideline for information on digital signatures, electronic seals and sealing practices for electronic documents.
- For support documentation, visit www.notarius.com/resources. You will find white papers and other sources of information to help undertake your digital transformation.
- Sign Up information: https://notarius.com/signup/certifioforprofessionals
- ConsignO Desktop Product brochure: https://notarius.com/info/consignodesktop
- Weekly free training webinar for PEO members: www.notarius.com/webinar
- A summary of the 20 most common questions related to digital signatures.
Need a template to create an electronic seal (a digital image of your physical seal?) Send a request to [email protected]
Verify the validity of Signed Electronic PDF Documents
- This step by step document explains how to verify and validate digitally signed document.
- Also visit the interactive verification tool: www.verifio.com
- Video that explains how to sign, verify, annotate and approve digital drawings
- FAQ article that explains how to configure Adobe to validate digital signature (in PDF)
Contact us
Questions about the PEO Digital Signature?
Are you a licence holder, client or regulatory authority and have questions about digital signatures or the reception of digitally signed documents?
Éric Croteau, Account Director
[email protected] or via [email protected]
1-888-588-0011 x1283 or cell: 514 216-7316
For Technical Assistance
Notarius Customer support
[email protected]
1-855-505-7272