Alberta’s engineering regulator is in a fight with the province’s technology sector, insisting anyone with the title “software engineer” must hold a permit – and pay fees for that right.
The letter says APEGA’s “aggressive position” would result in “onerous, restrictive and unnecessary certification requirements” for developers, and harm companies’ ability to compete for talent. “If we cannot effectively compete for the best employees while headquartered in Alberta, we must seriously consider whether this is a place where our companies can succeed,” states the letter signed by CEOs of Benevity Inc., Symend Inc., Neo Financial Technologies Inc. and others.
Erum Afsar, director of enforcement with APEGA, said in an interview: “What we are doing is regulating what the government has legislated us to do. If you’re using that title, you should be registered with APEGA.” The regulators are mandated to enforce their relative statutes and have sporadically taken legal action to protect their turf. Ordre des Ingénieurs du Québec successfully sued Microsoft in the early 2000s to stop it from calling graduates of a training course “Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer.” Quebec’s Superior Court in 2005 upheld a lower-court ruling against Microsoft that came with a $1,000 fine.
Engineers come in various forms, including aerospace, chemical, civil, electrical and mechanical. Some build bridges, rockets, cars or dams. They are typically licensed. APEGA dues per company are $500 multiplied by the square root of the number of engineers on staff; a company with 100 engineers would pay $5,000 for example. “This is not about a money grab,” Mr. McDonald said. “It’s about calling yourself something you’re not.”
Making it illegal to call yourself an “engineer” after 4 yrs of engineer school, 2 yrs masters & even PHD does hurts. Especially, since the requirement isn’t globally followed. The restriction should be applied to “certified engineering” or something similar …
Running this article again...I've had time to think about this...Dr Debuggers (Windows Cleaners)