Board Approved Budget with Fee Increases

On May 27, the Engineers and Geoscientists BC Board approved the organization’s 2026-2027 (FY2027) budget, which includes fee increases across several categories. These changes will help the organization provide the required oversight to protect the public, address increased pressure on regulatory programs, and improve service levels to better support our registrants.

Registrants will see a $20 increase and trainees will see a $10 increase for annual registration fees, both effective January 1, 2027. This will bring registration fees to $555 for professional registrants and $296 for EITs and GITs.

Firms will see a 20 percent increase take effect for the 2027-2028 renewal cycle (beginning in April 2027) – the first fee increase since the introduction of this requirement in 2021. Fees for sole practitioners will remain unchanged at $250.

Regulatory Costs

The introduction of the Professional Governance Act (PGA) in 2021 required Engineers and Geoscientists BC to take on additional regulatory responsibilities, including regulating firms and enhancing audits, practice reviews, and continuing education programs. Over time, demand on these and other key regulatory programs has also increased – especially complaint processing and investigation, application reviews, and exam administration.

Total applications for registration climbed from roughly 5,000 in 2020-2021 to more than 7,000 in 2024-2025, alongside significant increases to complaints and enforcement files. The number of enforcement files opened for unauthorized practice and misuse of title has grown fourfold from just over 100 cases to more than 400 between 2020 and 2025, while the number of investigations initiated annually grew from 62 to 119 in the same period.

“While we understand the impact fee increases have on registrants, this funding is critical for Engineers and Geoscientists BC to continue delivering its regulatory mandate and to meet external demands,” said Engineers and Geoscientists BC CEO Heidi Yang, P.Eng. “This budget positions the organization to reduce processing times for applicants and improve service delivery for registrants and the public, all while remaining in a fiscally strong position.”

Along with the fee increases, Engineers and Geoscientists BC is taking on a budgeted deficit of $370,000, which will be filled by prior year surpluses and the organization’s general operating fund.

The Board also considered budget options that had no fee increases (leading to a deficit of nearly $2 million) and a $25 fee increase for professional registrants (leading to a deficit of $283,000).

Other Applicant Fee Increases

For the first time since 2019, applicant fees and fees for transferring registration from another jurisdiction will increase $50 to $300, effective July 1, 2026.

In addition to registration and application fee increases, applicants who need to take the Professional Practice Online Seminar (PPOS) and Professional Practice Exam (PPE) will see fees increase by $50 and $7, respectively, with an effective date of July 1, 2026. Applicants who are eligible to take the PPOS or PPE but have yet to register for them have until June 30, 2026, to do so at their current rates.

The full list of fee changes will be available on the fees page of Engineers and Geoscientists BC website on July 1, 2026.


Photo: Wendy D Photography