Likewise, there are certain legal penalties attached to performing the duties of an engineer without certification. Its like architects in the U.S. -- they put a final "seal" on their blueprints. Its their name/career/license on the hook if the building falls down and kills people.
Well, to me it just looks like canadian Engineers(TM) are afraid of competition.
To clarify, in Canada:
- You cannot call yourself an engineer unless you're a graduate of a CEAB accredited program.
- You can perform engineering without being a certified engineer.
- You cannot approve final designs without being a licensed professional engineer, which involves graduating from an accredited program (or recognized foreign equivalent), as well as passing technical competency and ethical integrity exams.
- Engineers are held personally liable for the consequences of their work. No passing the buck to your employer, and no "just following orders" Nuremburg excuses.
- Engineering advice you give, on duty or off, just like doctors and lawyers, unless otherwise indicated, are legal engineering advice, and you can be held accountable for its consequences. E.g. Advising your neighbor that'd he'd need a 5" support column for his deck, and if you're wrong, he can sue you for damages.
The difference is that non-software engineering is routinely life-or-death, and there are enough considerations in your average engineering task that you really don't want someone who hasn't been comprehensively educated doing the job.
That's the guy and the company website.
Seems like they're still going!