The regulating body in charge of Ontario’s engineering profession is officially 100 years old.

Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) announced its centenary on June 14. The agency governs over 91,500 licence and certificate holders and regulates professional engineering across the province.

"This is a proud moment for PEO," said President Nick Colucci, P.Eng., FEC. "As we pause to reflect on this wonderful accomplishment, we recognize the need to continuously evolve as a regulator to ensure we effectively fulfil our legislative mandate for the next 100 years."

PEO has launched several major transformation initiatives to become a more modern, enlightened and responsive regulator in the past few years. Work began in 2018 with an independent review of PEO's regulatory performance, which has subsequently led to the launch of several initiatives, including: a two-year governance roadmap to enhance governance effectiveness; the introduction of a digital National Professional Practice Exam as part of the licensing process; an anti-racism and anti-discrimination review that led to the launch of the organization’s Anti-Discrimination and Equity Code; a gender audit of PEO's licensing process and internal operations; and the forthcoming implementation of a mandatory continuing professional development program for all PEO licence holders.

"We are unwavering in our commitment to enhancing all our public protection activities including our licensing, complaints and discipline processes, establishing performance guidelines and standards, and taking action against unlicensed individuals who illegally describe themselves as engineers," said Colucci.

"PEO's regulatory mandate helps to make Ontario a better, safer place in which to live, and I look forward to continuing the transformative path we've embarked on as we begin our next century."

PEO was established on June 14, 1922. Its mission is to regulate and advance the practice of engineering to protect the public interest.