Innovation September-October 2023

T he legal department at Engineers and registrants roll in and files are opened. In the last fiscal year (July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023), the number of complaints received, and the number of files opened reached 106, almost double the number from 10 years ago. The increase in complaints is not due to a surge in inappropriate actions by registrants. The additional files are more likely because of greater diligence and awareness of the public and registrants to report inappropriate or unprofessional registrant behaviour and conduct, as well as an increase in the number of registrants. "There's a possibility the increase is because of the focus on the duty to report and the regulation of firms," explains Jesse Romano, Associate Director, Investigation and Discipline, Legislation, Ethics and Compliance at Engineers and Geoscientists BC. The duty to report falls under Section 58 of the Professional Governance Act (PGA) and in Principle 9 Geoscientists BC, including the investigation and discipline group, is busy. Every year, an increasing number of complaints about

of the Code of Ethics. Engineers and geoscientists are required to report registrants who they believe may be harming the environment or putting the public's safety at risk as well as registrants exhibiting unethical or illegal behaviour. Failure to meet the duty to report, in itself, may be grounds for disciplinary action. The regulation of firms, established two years ago with the implementation of the PGA , has led to Engineers and Geoscientists BC regulating firms, including large corporations, government entities and sole practitioners. Of the 106 files opened last fiscal year, 14 were related to firms. There has also been more awareness of Engineers and Geoscientists BC as a regulator, leading to more complaints being submitted by members of the public. As well, Engineers and Geoscientists BC staff can request that the Investigation Committee authorize an investigation of a file without a formal complaint. "We can also open our own files and follow up", says Romano. "We're doing more proactive work and monitoring the news better. We're not as purely complaint driven as we once were."

FILES OPENED DURING EACH OF THE PREVIOUS 10 YEARS

120

100

104 106

93

80

85

72

60

67

66

64 62

58 62

40

20

0

Fiscal 2013

Fiscal 2014

Fiscal 2015

Fiscal 2016

Fiscal 2017

Fiscal 2018

Fiscal 2019

Fiscal 2020

Fiscal 2021

Fiscal 2022

Fiscal 2023

G raphics : E ngineers and G eoscientists BC

I N N O V A T I O N

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