The Ontario Legislature has passed Bill 86, the Professional Geoscientists Act, which will provide for licensure of geologists and geophysicists practising in Ontario.
The act passed third reading on June 22, bringing to nine the number of provinces and territories that require geologists and geophysicists to be licensed. Licensing legislation has been drafted, and is awaiting introduction, in Nova Scotia, and a right-to-title bill was drafted in Quebec but never introduced.
The Ontario act establishes the Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario, which will serve as the self-regulating governing body of the profession. The existing Association of Geoscientists of Ontario, formed in 1996 to pursue professional licensure, will form the basis for the new professional association and draft regulations that will be returned to the government for approval. Regulations made under the authority of the act will be the responsibility of the lieutenant-governor-in-council.
Registration with a legally recognized professional body was a key requirement for Qualified Persons in the recommendations of the Mining Standards Task Force, appointed by the Ontario Securities Commission and the Toronto Stock Exchange.
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