PEO 2019

The Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario alleged that the Member and his firm committed professional misconduct by failing to maintain minimum standards, failing to comply with the Ontario Building Code, and engaging in unprofessional conduct regarding two small-scale residential projects (a stone veneer installation and a deck).

The Discipline Committee dismissed all charges, finding that the Member's brief reports and use of engineering judgment were appropriate for the scale of the projects, did not compromise public safety, and met the standard of a prudent practitioner in the circumstances.

The Discipline Committee determined the penalty for a professional engineer and his company found guilty of professional misconduct for negligently designing a solar tracking device prototype outside his area of competence.

The Committee ordered a reprimand, a one-month licence suspension, a permanent restriction limiting his practice to mechanical engineering, successful completion of the Professional Practice Examination, publication of the decision with names, and $2,000 in costs.

The Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario alleged that the member and his company committed professional misconduct in the design of a solar tracking device prototype.

The prototype experienced multiple structural failures after installation due to inadequate wind load calculations.

The Discipline Committee found the member guilty of professional misconduct for negligence, failing to safeguard life and property, undertaking work outside his competence, and unprofessional conduct, noting he was a mechanical engineer with no prior experience designing solar rack structures.

The member and his firm faced professional discipline for signing and sealing deficient shop drawings and calculations for structural support beams, and for undertaking structural engineering work outside their competence.

The member admitted to the allegations of professional misconduct.

The Discipline Committee accepted the admission and found the member guilty.

In determining the penalty, the Committee considered the member's cooperation, out-of-pocket remediation of the errors, and changes to his practice.

The Committee ordered a reprimand, a restriction prohibiting the member from practicing structural engineering (with limited exceptions for platforms), and a limited practice review, but declined to impose a licence suspension.

The respondents, a professional engineer and a certificate of authorization holder, admitted to professional misconduct regarding the flawed design of cantilevered formwork and falsework for a bridge rehabilitation project in New Brunswick.

An independent expert concluded the design contained serious errors and could have resulted in a collapse.

The Discipline Committee accepted an agreed statement of facts and a joint submission on penalty.

The engineer's licence was suspended for three months and restricted from acting as a supervising engineer, the corporate respondent's certificate was restricted, and the respondents were ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and receive a reprimand.

The Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEO) brought professional misconduct allegations against the respondent, an electrical engineer, after he submitted an 'alternative solution' under the Fire Code for a rental property he owned.

The respondent lacked the training and experience to prepare the alternative solution and had previously been convicted of a Fire Protection and Prevention Act offence for failing to comply with a Fire Safety Inspection Order.

The Discipline Committee accepted an Agreed Statement of Facts and found the respondent guilty of professional misconduct for undertaking work he was not competent to perform and for his provincial offence conviction.

The Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand, a $2,500 fine, successful completion of the Professional Practice Examination within 18 months, and a 10-month suspension that would be suspended pending compliance with the examination requirement.