These stories represent the most-read stories from the Daily Media Report in 2024. They encompass news about title protection, the iron ring ceremony, engineering regulation, work experience requirements, and public safety.
Court Ruling Confirms Title Protection Over “Engineer”. A December 1, 2023, BC Supreme Court decision affirmed protection over the title “engineer” under the Professional Governance Act (PGA). The decision supported the civil claim Engineers and Geoscientists BC brought against Saanich politician David Hilderman, who has never been a registrant, for using the term “engineer” on his political promotional materials. In his decision, Justice Jan Brongers found that registrants of Engineers and Geoscientists BC are “given the exclusive right to use certain reserved titles, namely: (a) “professional engineer;” (b) “professional engineering licensee;” and (c) “engineer in training.”
The Seven Wardens Provide an Update on Ritual Review. The Ritual Review Committee has been meeting regularly since February 2022 to move forward with its mandate “to make the Ritual meaningful and inclusive for all candidates”. The Corporation has decided to keep the best elements of the traditional ritual and embed them in a modernized ceremony. A new framework for the ceremony has been developed which keeps traditional elements like the Obligation and the presentation of the rings, and provides for updated text emphasizing the history of the ceremony, the values being promoted, and their application to modern engineering. With a history that will have spanned 100 years as of April 25, 2025 spanning over 90 years, the Iron Ring is a significant part of the Canadian engineering culture. An international student, Ushaan Hindolia, gave his perspective on Canada’s Iron Ring ceremony as one of deep tradition and symbolism fascinated him and said that learning about it instilled a profound sense of respect for the profession, reinforcing the importance of upholding ethical standards in their endeavors.
Alberta premier to review professional regulators. Alberta premier Danielle Smith says Albertans need to be confident regulated professionals are competent and practise ethically, but those professionals should also have freedom to express their personal views, especially outside their jobs. The review is to look at whether oversight is going beyond professional competence and conduct when it comes to freedom of belief, opinion and expression, mandatory training not related to professional competence, and vexatious and bad-faith complaints.
Banning Canadian work experience requirements. In a significant move, the province of Ontario enacted legislation that could reshape hiring practices by eliminating Canadian work experience requirements for job applicants. The goal is to level the playing field for skilled immigrants facing barriers to employment. The push for this legislation comes amid a shortage of skilled workers in Ontario, with approximately 300,000 positions remaining unfilled. Despite the positive intent behind the legislation, concerns persist regarding the difficulty of proving discriminatory hiring practices.
Baltimore bridge collapse. The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed after one of its support piers was hit by a container ship, the MV Dali, which was 300 m long and massing around 100,000 tonnes. Various engineers and experts discussed the protective measures and why they failed, as well as examining the potential risks for similar bridges in Canada.
