Nova Scotia company fined $17,500 for use of a professional engineer's seal

TORONTO, Oct. 12, 2023 /CNW/ - The Ontario Court of Justice at Kingston fined a corporation, STANDARD PAVING LIMITED, $17,500 for applying a facsimile of a professional engineer's seal to design drawings without the knowledge or consent of the professional engineer.

Standard Paving Limited is a Nova Scotia corporation that purports to perform general contracting and construction services. Shane ROSS is the sole director and officer of Standard Paving Limited.

In or around August 2019, Standard Paving Limited was retained by a homeowner to assist in rebuilding their  home in Clarendon Station, Ontario, after it had been damaged in a fire. In preparing design drawings for the homeowner, Standard Paving Limited copied a licensed professional engineer's seal onto the drawings, without the professional engineer having reviewed the drawings and without the professional engineer's knowledge or consent. Standard Paving Limited then submitted the drawings to the Township of Central Frontenac in connection with a building permit application.

On October 10, 2023, Standard Paving Limited pled guilty to one count of breaching section 40(2)(c) and one count of breaching section 40(3)(b) of the Professional Engineers Act in connection with this conduct. His Worship David J. Auger imposed a $17,500 fine on Standard Paving Limited.

Matthew Howe and Tabir Malik, both from the Toronto law firm Polley Faith LLP, represented PEO on the matter. PEO would like to thank the Township of Central Frontenac, the homeowner and the engineer for their cooperation in this investigation.

PEO reminds the public that the unauthorized use or forgery of a professional engineer's seal on construction or design drawings is a quasi-criminal offence under the Professional Engineers Act. Such conduct may also result in criminal charges under the Criminal Code of Canada.

Professional Engineers Ontario administers the Professional Engineers Act to serve and protect the public interest by licensing Ontario's 85,000 individual practitioners and engineering firms. Professional engineers can be identified by the P.Eng. after their names. When retaining the services of an engineer or engineering firm, the public may search the directories of licensed professional engineers and authorized professional engineering companies at https://peo.on.ca/directory. Inquiries regarding unlicensed individuals and unauthorized companies may be made to PEO through its enforcement hotline at 416-840-1444 or 1-800-339-3716 ext 1444 or e-mail at [email protected].

SOURCE Professional Engineers Ontario