Code of Ethics

The Code of Ethics required under the Professional Governance Act, S.B.C. 2018, c. 47 and created in the Bylaws of Engineers and Geoscientists BC provides a set of principles that all registrants are required to follow.

Code of Ethics

A registrant must adhere to the following Code of Ethics:

Registrants must act at all times with fairness, courtesy and good faith toward all persons with whom the registrant has professional dealings, and in accordance with the public interest. Registrants must uphold the values of truth, honesty, and trustworthiness and safeguard human life and welfare and the environment. In keeping with these basic tenets, registrants must:

1. Hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public, including the protection of the environment and the promotion of health and safety in the workplace;
2. Practice only in those fields where training and ability make the registrant professionally competent;
3. Have regard for the common law and any applicable enactments, federal enactments, or enactments of another province;
4. Have regard for applicable standards, policies, plans, and practices established by the government or Engineers and Geoscientists BC;
5. Maintain competence in relevant specializations, including advances in the regulated practice and relevant science;
6. Provide accurate information in respect of qualifications and experience;
7. Provide professional opinions that distinguish between facts, assumptions, and opinions;
8. Avoid situations and circumstances in which there is a real or perceived conflict of interest and ensure conflicts of interest, including perceived conflicts of interest, are properly disclosed and necessary measures are taken so a conflict of interest does not bias decisions or recommendations;
9. Report to Engineers and Geoscientists BC and, if applicable, any other appropriate authority, if the registrant, on reasonable and probable grounds, believes that:
   1. The continued practice of a regulated practice by another registrant or other person, including firms and employers, might pose a risk of significant harm to the environment or to the health or safety of the public or a group of people; or
   2. A registrant or another individual has made decisions or engaged in practices which may be illegal or unethical;
10. Present clearly to employers and clients the possible consequences if professional decisions or judgments are overruled or disregarded;
11. Clearly identify each registrant who has contributed professional work, including recommendations, reports, statements, or opinions;
12. Undertake work and documentation with due diligence and in accordance with any guidance developed to standardize professional documentation for the applicable profession; and
13. Conduct themselves with fairness, courtesy, and good faith towards clients, colleagues, and others, give credit where it is due and accept, as well as give, honest and fair professional comment.

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Additional Information

Have a question about the new Code of Ethics? Contact [email protected].