PEO starts new centre to help engineers shape public policy

Professional Engineers Ontario has established a new organization for encouraging engineers to become more active in the public arena. The Ontario Centre for Engineering and Public Policy was approved by the PEO council last summer.

The centre will “bring together the collected learning of engineers to help solve society’s technical challenges.” It will develop policy papers and research, as well as publish a journal and hold an annual Engineering and Public Policy Conference. It will also link with university programs that deal with engineering and public policy.

According to PEO, “it is envisioned that the Centre would eventually be entirely independent of PEO.”

In October, PEO announced that Donald C. Wallace, Ph.D. would be the executive director of the new centre. Dr. Wallace was formerly Associate Provost of policy and planning at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, and holds a Ph.D in political science.

At the announcement, Wallace said: “Engineers have much to bring to a range of important public policy questions. The establishment of the Ontario Centre for Engineering and Public Policy represents a wonderful opportunity to reshape engineering education, research critical inquiry and learning, and to bring engineering talent to bear on public policy debate and formulation.”