Bill 124: An Act to Provide for Fair Registration Practices in Ontario’s Regulated Professions

By N.S.W. Williams, Ph.D., P.Eng. Executive Director & Registrar

Last spring the Ontario government introduced the Fair Access to the Regulated Professions Act, 2006. The Honourable Michael Colle, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration said that the purpose of this bill is to “break down barriers,” faced by internationally trained professionals, enabling them to work in the fields in which they were trained overseas. The proposed legislation is the result of an Ontario government-commissioned report by Judge George Thomson based on his review of the provincial regulators’ admission appeal processes.

APGO has had frequent discussions with the senior staff members of the ministry concerning Bill 124. APGO and other regulators must take steps to ensure that their registration practices meet the test of fairness as outlined in Bill 124. They will be required to review their registration practices on a regular basis and to submit fair registration practices reports annually to the Fairness Commissioner. Audits will be conducted every three years and at such other times as the Fairness Commissioner may specify.

APGO supports the underlying intent and aim of Bill 124. Council approved the Terms of Reference of its Bill 124 Task Group at the September 2006 meeting. Bill 124 has received second reading in the Legislature. The task group is using it as a basis to:
• Examine APGO’s Registration practices vis-á-vis its governing legislation;
• Study APGO’s Registration procedures and guidelines, including appeals of registration decisions in the context of fairness, transparency, and consistency;
• Assess the accessibility of information on APGO’s Registration and appeal processes;
• Ascertain the sufficiency, understandability and objectivity of published criteria for deciding whether APGO’s entry-to-practice requirements have been met;
• Enhance the clarity of APGO’s Registration decisions;
• Review and clarify the criteria for decision making;
• Build consistency between APGO’s Registration practices and its governing legislation;
• Introduce enhancements, as required, to improve APGO’s Registration practices; and,
• Ensure that APGO’s Registration practices and procedures are in compliance with the requirements of the proposed legislation.

The task group’s members are:
• Wayne Caston, M.Sc. P.Geo., Member, APGO’s Registration Committee;
• Ian Macdonald, M.Sc., P.Geo., Regional Councillor – SW Ontario and Vice Chair, APGO’s Registration Committee; and,
• Norm Williams, Ph.D., P.Eng., APGO’s Executive Director and Registrar.

For more information on APGO, please contact info@apgo.net

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Field Notes is published by APGO and is edited by Wendy Diaz, P.Geo. If you have comments or wish to contribute material to this newsletter, please contact Wendy Diaz, P.Geo., or Norman Williams, P.Eng., Executive Director/Registar.

Copyright 2006, Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario (APGO)