Home | Become a Member | FAQ FAQ The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are provided to give general guidance about the application process. Readers should refer to the Act, Registration Regulation and the Guideline to Registration (included with application package download) for more details. Specific questions on individual applications should be e-mailed to info@apgo.net 1. Are geoscientists required to be registered with APGO? 2. Will there be a grandfathering period? 3. I am a professional engineer registered with Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) who practices geoscience. Do I need to become licensed with APGO? 4. Do I have to be a permanent resident of Canada to become a member of APGO? 5. I cannot obtain transcripts from the university I attended. What do I do? 6. Will I be required to write technical exams to confirm my academic qualifications? 7. How are Qualifying Work Experience Requirements assessed? 8. Who are eligible to be referees? 9. What is a Professional Practice and Ethics (PPE) exam? 10. When can I write the PPE exam? 11. What are the fees? 12. Can I perform geoscience work while my application is being processed? 13. What is National Instrument 43-101 and where can I obtain further information on this? 14. When I am licensed as a professional geoscientist in Ontario will I be a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101? 15. When will the first elections for Council be held? 16. When will the Complaints and Discipline regulation be completed? 17. Who is required to have Professional Liability insurance? Where can I obtain Professional Liability insurance? If you have a question, please e-mail it to info@apgo.net. Specific questions concerning registration requirements should be directed to the Registrar at registrar@apgo.net 1. Are geoscientists required to be registered with APGO? Yes. In order to practice as a professional geoscientist or to conduct professional geoscience activities in Ontario after August 30, 2002, you must be a member of APGO. It is very important that geoscientists submit their applications as soon as possible to ensure that they can become registered by the in-force date proclaimed for the Act. The admission conditions for existing practitioners applying for registration during the Transition Period are in effect until March 31, 2003. Go to Become a Member Download an Application Package Return to Top 2. Will there be a grandfathering period? There is no "grandfathering" period as such as this was deemed to imply a lowering of standards. During the transitional period, the applications from existing and experienced practitioners will be evaluated with consideration for experience. However, the requirements of the Registration Regulation were developed to ensure that an experienced practitioner, recognized by his/her peers as a practising geoscientist, could become registered. Return to Top 3. I am a professional engineer registered with Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) who practices geoscience. Do I need to become licensed with APGO? Under the Professional Geoscientists Act, 2000 an individual who is licensed as a professional engineer under the Professional Engineers Act and who is competent by virtue of training and experience, in accordance with the regulations made under the Act, to engage in practices that would constitute the practice of professional geoscience is not required to be registered with APGO. However if a professional engineer desires to practice as a professional geoscientist and use the title "P.Geo.", he or she must be registered with APGO. Individuals who qualify may choose to hold both designations. Return to Top 4. Do I have to be a permanent resident of Canada to become a member of APGO? No, it is not an APGO requirement to have permanent residency in Canada in order to apply for membership or for a Certificate of Registration to be issued. The international applicant is required to meet the knowledge and work experience criteria in order to qualify for admission to membership and for registration for professional practice in Ontario. APGO will accept and process an Application for Membership and Registration from an applicant from a foreign country or from an individual who has not yet obtained approval of their immigration application from Citizenship and Immigration Canada. An assessment of an application by APGO is made for the purposes of professional registration only. Return to Top 5. I cannot obtain transcripts from the university I attended. What do I do? APGO will accept only original transcripts, diplomas and / or certificates. If an original transcript is not available from the institution where you earned your degree, you must supply the original degree document(s) along with two copies of each, one for the application file and the second copy of the document which will be forwarded by APGO to the issuing institution with a request to confirm, in writing, that the document is valid. The original document will be returned to you. You may be requested by the Registrar to provide additional specific information about your degree program. Return to Top 6. Will I be required to write technical exams to confirm my academic qualifications? Following a review of knowledge credentials, the Registration Committee may assign a technical or confirmatory examination program. Technical examinations are usually assigned to ascertain whether an applicant's academic preparation is equivalent to that provided by an undergraduate four-year geoscience program in a Canadian university or to remedy identified deficiencies in an applicant's academic preparation compared to that provided by an undergraduate geoscience program in a Canadian university. Applicants who are experienced practitioners with ten (10) or more years of qualifying work experience as determined by the Registration Committee, hold a geoscience degree granted for an institution in a country that has a professional geoscience association that has a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) with the Canadian Council of Professional Geoscientists (CCPG) or have completed postgraduate studies at a Canadian university in the same area as their non-Canadian geoscience degree will not normally be required to write examinations with the exception of the Professional Practice and Ethics (PPE) exam which is a requirement for all applicants. Return to Top 7. How are Qualifying Work Experience Requirements assessed? APGO will assess each applicant on the individual merits presented in the application against each of the five quality-based criteria as outlined in the Registration Regulation (O. Reg. 59/01 amended to O. Reg. 378/01, s. 9.3 (1)): practical experience in the application of geoscience theory; practical experience in the understanding of geoscience processes and systems; management of geoscience projects; proficiency in communication; awareness of societal implications of geoscience. An applicant for registration as a professional geoscientist is required to demonstrate at least 4 years (48 months cumulative) of verifiable and acceptable work experience. The applicant may be granted up to 12 months credit for pre-graduation experience gained prior to receiving a B.Sc. degree, up to 12 months additional credit for work experience gained during a M.Sc. program (with thesis) and a further 12 months credit for work experience gained during a Ph.D. program. Postgraduate research-related experience credits will not be granted for course work or exceed actual time spent to complete degree requirements. At least 12 months of the work experience must have been obtained in Canada or in a Canadian work environment or an equivalent satisfactory to the Registration Committee to qualify for admission. This experience must be in addition to that obtained at the pre-graduation stage and/or granted for the postgraduate degree credits. Time related to the research and/or thesis portion of a postgraduate degree may be considered to help meet the requirement for geoscience work experience in a Canadian jurisdiction if the work has been conducted under the supervision of a professional geoscientist. The referees that are selected by the applicants will be asked to validate the work experience statements. Return to Top 8. Who are eligible to be referees? The requirements for referees are set out in the Registration Regulation s. 9.1 (3), (4) and (5). You must provide the names and addresses of at least three (3) people who are familiar with your work and can comment, in confidence, to APGO on your capability and suitability for registration and on your character. In the Transitional Period at least one reference must be from a direct supervisor and the three references must cover a cumulative period of 4 years (or 10 years, if applicable) of your work experience. During the initial stage of registration until June 30, 2002, a geoscientist who has applied for membership in APGO is eligible to act as a referee as he or she will have signed the declaration to observe the Act, Regulations and Code of Ethics. Return to Top 9. What is a Professional Practice and Ethics (PPE) exam? An applicant for registration in Ontario must complete the PPE examination requirement unless an equivalent exam acceptable to the Registration Committee has been written in another jurisdiction. The general examination will cover ethics, professional practice, business law, professional liability and responsibilities to the public. The 3-hour Ontario PPE examination may comprise 120 multiple-choice questions (2 ½ hours) and may also include a choice from other questions that require a succinct essay-type response (additional ½ hour). An applicant whose application has been received by APGO prior to March 31, 2003 will be allowed to defer completion of the PPE for up to one year from the date of acceptance for membership. During the start-up phase for APGO, this temporary deferral condition will be granted to permit the candidate sufficient time to complete the requirement. If the member fails to complete the requirement within the allotted time, the certificate of registration will be revoked. For applications received after March 31, 2003, the applicant will be required to complete the PPE examination requirement within two years of filing the application and prior to being admitted to membership and registration. Review this document for more information on the PPE exam (PDF 9 KB) Read about the exam, download exam application or download a practice exam on the PPE page Return to Top 10. When can I write the PPE exam? In the Transitional Period until March 31, 2003, applicants whose knowledge and experience qualifications are accepted for membership may defer writing the PPE exam for up to 12 months from the date of acceptance. The PPE examinations are normally scheduled four times a year, in January, April, July and October. An application to write the PPE examination must be received by the Registrar at least 60 days before the candidate’s preferred date for an examination. Please check with the Registrar to confirm available dates. A PPE examination application package with information will be provided to applicants along with a list of suggested textbooks and other materials that may be obtained to aid in preparation for the PPE examination. When your application to write the PPE is accepted, you will be advised of the examination location that is nearest to you, along with the date and time. No Refund (If you later find that you are unable to attend the scheduled examination sitting, APGO will reschedule your examination to the next available date). An applicant for a certificate of registration may take the PPE exam a maximum of three times. Examination results will be mailed to the candidate not later than 60 days after the writing of the examination. APGO plans to use the National PPE exam developed by the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of Alberta (APEGGA). Return to Top 11. What are the fees? The cost to become a practicing member is as follows: 1. The application fee is $275.00 + GST ($13.75). Advance payment of the first annual membership dues of $400.00 + GST ($20.00) for the calendar year must be submitted with the Application for Membership and Registration form. The total remittance to be included is $708.75. 2. Where applicable, technical examination candidates are required to pay $210.00 + GST ($10.50) (total $220.50) for each examination and that fee must be submitted with the application form for each examination. 3. The Professional Practice and Ethics (PPE) examination fee of $210.00 + GST ($10.50) (total $220.50) must be submitted with the Application for the PPE examination. For applicants during the Transition Period, the PPE examination form will be provided to you with your acceptance to membership letter which will be sent to a successful applicant prior to the Certificate of Registration and membership card being issued. 4. To remain a member in good standing and registered to practice in subsequent years, a member is required to pay annual membership dues, currently $400.00 + GST ($20.00) (total $420.00) and subject to change. An invoice will be issued to you at least 60 days in advance of the date for payment of annual dues as determined by Council. The advance payment of the first annual membership dues with the application fee in the Transitional Period will allow successful applicants to receive their Certificate of Registration sooner and will provide much needed capital to ensure that the association becomes financially self-sufficient as soon as possible. Other fees and dues of APGO are set out in By-law No. 2 - Fees and Dues and are subject to change from time to time. Return to Top 12. Can I perform geoscience work while my application is being processed? Yes. During the Transition Period and until August 30, 2002, the date proclaimed for Section 3 of the Professional Geoscientists Act, 2000 to be in force, an applicant may continue to carry out geoscience work. However, after the August 30, 2002, any person performing geoscience work will be in contravention of the Professional Geoscientists Act, 2000 if they use the title "professional geoscientist" or the designation "P.Geo." in Ontario, or if an individual represents in Ontario that he or she is a professional geoscientist, unless they are a member of APGO. Enforcement of the provisions of the Act is a legal requirement for APGO. Under the Act, exemptions have been provided for a professional engineer who is both competent and qualified to undertake activities which constitute the practice of professional geoscience or a land surveyor or a land information professional whose practice is confined to managing geographic information. A prospector is not required to be a member of APGO to conduct activities that are confined to prospecting in Ontario. Return to Top 13. What is National Instrument 43-101 and where can I obtain further information on this? National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) and administered by the provincial securities commissions that governs how issuers disclose scientific and technical information about their mineral projects to the public. It covers oral statements as well as written documents and websites. It requires that all disclosure be based on advice by a "qualified person" and in some circumstances that the person be independent of the issuer and the property. Go to More Information on NI 43-101 Return to Top 14. When I am licensed as a professional geoscientist in Ontario will I be a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101? When you become a holder of a Certificate of Registration with APGO as a professional geoscientist you become eligible to become a qualified person (QP) under National Instrument 43-101, however you will still need to demonstrate to the securities regulators that you have at least five years relevant experience in the work area required for the project being reported on. Go to More Information on NI 43-101 Return to Top 15. When will the first elections for Council be held? APGO Council is currently working on a plan for the change from the present Transitional Council appointed by the Minister to an elected Council as set out in By-law No. 8 - Elections. It is expected that the first elections will be held in the spring of 2003 at the end of the Transitional Period. As plans are developed and confirmed in consultation with the Minister, APGO members will be informed. Return to Top 16. When will the Complaints and Discipline regulation be completed? APGO released the Complaints and Discipline regulation (PDF size: 60 kb) in November 2002. Go to The Act, Regulations and By-laws Return to Top 17. Who is required to have Professional Liability insurance? Where can I obtain Professional Liability insurance? Any corporation, partnership or other entity that wishes to obtain a Certificate of Authorization will be required to provide the Registrar of APGO with evidence of professional liability insurance in accordance with the Registration Regulation Section 25. Professional liability insurance for individual APGO members is optional. Members of the APGO may obtain insurance through any company that offers suitable professional practice liability insurance. For information on Registered Ontario Insurance Brokers, go to (http://www.ribo.com). Additional information on brokerage service providers may be obtained from the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario at (http://www.ibao.org/html/brokers/about_ibao.asp). Coverage should include claims for errors, omissions and negligent acts in the performance of professional services for others. Return to Top