ACEC changes name – keeps “consulting” and “companies”

At its annual general meeting in Whistler on June 29, the Association of Canadian Engineering Companies (ACEC) adopted a new name, reclaiming again the term “consulting.”

The organization will now be called the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies, or ACEC – Canada.

From its inception in 1925, ACEC stood for the Association of Consulting Engineers of Canada, but a few years ago it changed to emphasize the “companies” as opposed to the “consulting” aspect of its role. It then became the Association of Canadian Engineering Companies. One of the arguments for this change was that it followed the example of its sister organization in the United States, which is known as ACEC-US, for American Council of Engineering Companies.

The new name for ACEC – Canada, manages to combine both “consulting” and “engineering companies.”

Throughout the Canadian ACEC’s name changes, most of the provincial associations such as in Alberta and Quebec have remained as organizations of “consulting engineers,” so it will be interesting to see if they all now adopt the new name format.