Toronto-area man convicted for illegal use of “professional engineer” title
March 6, 2018
By
CCE
Individual was fined $15,625 (including a 25% victim fine surcharge of $3,125) after his guilty plea to four counts of breaching the Professional Engineers Act.
The Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEO) has issued a release noting that on February 22, the Ontario Court of Justice fined a Toronto-area man $15,625 (including a 25% victim fine surcharge of $3,125) after his guilty plea to four counts of breaching the Professional Engineers Act by misrepresenting himself as a professional engineer.
Kevin Kirk Smith used the titles “professional engineer” and “P.Eng.” in an employment application and interview for a position as a senior consultant, a position which called for credentials as a professional engineer.
After being hired, Smith presented and displayed a forged licence certificate and used the title “P.Eng.” in internal correspondence and reports issued to clients.
The employer contacted PEO and determined that Smith was not licensed as a professional engineer.
Smith subsequently used the titles “professional engineer” and “P.Eng.” in the employment application and interview for a position with a PEO certificate of authorization holder. For the duration of his employment, Smith displayed a forged licence certificate at his desk and used the title “P.Eng.” in email correspondence.
In court Smith was convicted of one count of breaching section 41(1) of the Professional Engineers Act, which prohibits issuing a false licence certificate, and levied a fine of $5,000 for this offence. He was also convicted of three counts of breaching section 40(2)(a) of the Professional Engineers Act, which prohibits use of the titles “professional engineer” and “P.Eng.”, and levied fines of $2,500 for each offence.
The PEO thanked both employers for their diligence and cooperation in the investigation. To verify whether an individual is licensed or a firm holds a certificate of authorization (C of A), search the directories of practitioners (licence and C of A holders) at www.peo.on.ca. To report unlicensed individuals and unauthorized companies, contact PEO’s enforcement hotline at 416-840-1444 or 1-800-339-3716, ext. 1444, or email enforcement@peo.on.ca.
