Innovation - Spring 2024

REGULATORY NEWS

APEGA says, ‘title protection is vital’

APEGA Registrar and CEO Jay Nagendran, P.Eng., FCAE, ICD.D, FEC, FGC (Hon.), told registrants that APEGA had suggested other options to protect the integrity of the title, but, in the end, the government made a different decision. Nagendran said: “We believe title protection is vital to preserving public safety and maintaining high standards of practice and ethics.” Protecting title was also at the forefront of APEGA’s request last fall for an injunction to stop Getty Images and Jobber Inc. from using the title software engineer in ad listings for recruiting non-registrants. The request was denied and on

December 8, 2023, APEGA appealed the decision. In a news release October 14, 2022, Nagendran explained the significance of title: “You would not want someone to operate on you in the province if they are not licensed by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta. By that same token, you do not want someone designing your pacemaker or self-driving car if they are not a licensed engineer. That puts people’s lives at risk—something APEGA takes very seriously.”

In Alberta, the tech industry may soon be able to use the term “software engineer,” even for those not registered with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA). On December 6, 2023, the Alberta government tabled legislation to exempt the title “software engineer and any related titles specified” in the Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act . It’s a move to placate the tech industry that says it’s difficult to recruit employees without using the globally accepted term of software engineer. The title “software engineer” has not been exempted in BC.

MMCD Accepted, BC MoTI Recognized, AREMA Approved

75

6

Spring 2024

Innovation