Power engineers and those who have membership within the Institute of Power Engineers a (not-for-profit) organization adhere strictly to the guidelines set out by Canada’s Provinces and Territories.
See also licensing and certification.
Each of Canada’s safety regulators maintain and control “acts” which therein regulate power engineers and the use of title power engineer is controlled and licensed as such. Of the ten provinces and three territories that make up Canada, power engineers also called operating engineers in some regions are regulated and maintained to act professionally in the maintenance and safe efficient operation of the institutions and facilities in their charge.
See also National Occupational Classifications (NOC) 2011 Version 1.0 9241 and NOC 2021 Version 1.0 92100.
Power engineers do not use the designation or titles P.Eng., P.L. (Eng) which is reserved for Professional Engineers, and Professional Licensee (engineering). The use of these controlled titles can only be used by those who are licensed and is therefore strictly enforced by Engineers Canada.
Power engineers do not design and therefore cannot be employed in design work for which the work is to be submitted for application. A professional engineer always must oversee all design work that is being carried out, and it is their title/designation that is being represented and will be represented in the final design of a particular system, device or thing. This however does not exclude power engineers from being involved in the process, the overall design or final installation of the device being implemented. But it is important to make the distinction for who which regulatory practice is responsible.
The charter for the Institute of Power Engineers (IPE) was granted by Canada on January 19, 1940. The use of the title stationary engineer and later power engineer, predates the formation of the organization as well as the organization known as The Dominion Association of Power Engineers (DAPE), which was later absorbed into the IPE. An even earlier organization known as the Canadian Association of Stationary Engineers (CASE), circa 1893 also gave way to the formation of the IPE, which initially served as a vision of unification and standardization.