Presented by: Howard Brown, President,

Brown & Cohen Communications & Public Affairs Inc.Kim Allen, P.Eng., Chief Executive Officer and Registrar,

Professional Engineers Ontario

DREAMING BIG Case Study:

The Government Liaison Program of Professional Engineers Ontario

June 2011

Howard Brown, B.Journ, CAAP, APRPresidentBrown & Cohen Communications & Public Affairs

• Provided strategic counsel to over 175 companies since 1991• Professional Engineers Ontario’s Government Relations Consultant

since 2005• Former Special Assistant in the House of Commons, Ottawa• Ontario Policy Chair of the Liberal Party of Canada and the

provincial party's Vice-President of Communications.• Published in the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail, etc.• Recipient of the Governor General's Canada 125 Medal• Sits on the boards of the Canadian Club of Toronto and Mt. Sinai

Hospital. Formerly on the Board of Directors for the Public Affairs Association of Canada, Metro Toronto Convention Centre and the Brain Injury Association of Canada

• Bachelor of Journalism from Ryerson University in Toronto, has a Certified Advertising Agency Practitioner diploma from the Institute of Canadian Advertising and has been designated as an Accredited Public Relations professional by the Canadian Public Relations Society.

Kim Allen, P.Eng. MBA, FECChief Executive Officer and RegistrarProfessional Engineers Ontario

• Extensive management background includes: CEO of a publicly traded telecommunications company, founding President of a joint venture with a major US utility, CEO of a major public utility and management positions with a large, integrated utility that included retail, engineering, operations, safety and information systems functions.

• Chair – Canadian Framework for Licensure• Member – Engineers Canada Government Relations and Public

Affairs Committee• On the boards of the Certified Management Accountants, Ontario

Energy Network and the Yves Laundry Foundation. • Chaired the Licensing and Occupations Bridging Working Group of

the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council. • Member of the Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Immigration’s

Roundtable • Master of Business Administration from the University of Toronto

and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Ottawa.

Professional Engineers Ontario

Through the Professional Engineers Act, PEO governs over 80,000 licence and certificate holders and regulates professional engineering in Ontario to serve and protect the public.

Professional engineering safeguards life, health, property, economic interests, the public welfare and the environment.

You too can be an engineer!

Ontario Building Code Act

“It is clear we are at an impasse”

~ Then PEO President Bob Goodings, P.Eng., in an August 2005 letter to the Honourable John Gerretsen,

then Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing

Ontario Superior Court BacksEngineers’ Claim of Intrusion

• Court ruled that the exclusive jurisdiction of PEO extends unequivocally to areas of building code compliance

• PEO consistently made the points the Court agreed with, and in every reasonable way sought to convince the government

• At considerable effort and expense, we took the only way left to us

• GR efforts built a stronger relationship

Case Study – PEO and the Government Liaison Program

PEO’s regulatory mandate was being undermined and threatened by competing regulatory regimes being set up by the government.

KEY TO SUCCESS:• Challenged the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing

• MARCH 2006 – Court Challenge

• OCTOBER 2006 – Case Heard

• MAY 2007 – Court rules unanimously that the Ministry overstepped their mandate and bounds

• MAY 2007 – Government decided NOT to appeal ruling

• MAY 2011 – Progress still being made to ensure PEO’s jurisdiction remains paramount

“When I first took office (in 2003), the Ministry of the Attorney General didn’t have much of a file on the engineering profession.

Fast forward four years, and engineers are on the radar screen. You have engaged the profession in getting the government’s attention.”

~ David Zimmer, MPP Willowdale Parliamentary Assistant to the Attorney General

September 2007

Government's View of PEO’s Efforts

Key GLP Messages

• PEO has a legislative mandate under the Professional Engineers Act

• Self-regulating profession has been successfully serving and protecting the public for 85 years

• Past decade more than one million building permits issued in Ontario, – 29 complaints by building officials – 23 resulted in discipline hearings

• Government should consult with PEO on any new policy directions affecting regulation of engineering

Communicating the Issues

Custom website Position statements on-line Chapters engaging MPPs Contact with Ministers GLP toolkit GLP Weekly Regular column in magazine

Building Bridges

• Improved government understanding • Same side of the table

• Relationships between the 36 PEO chapters

• Ontario Centre for Engineering and Public Policy (OCEPP)

Since 2005…

Politics Can Be a Force For Change

Nelson MandelaPresident of South Africa 1994-99

Barack Obama44th President of the United States

Pierre Trudeau15th Prime Minister of Canada

We Need Our Voices Heard in Parliament

The GLP has a goal of having 11 engineers in the 2011 legislature

Annual Queen’s Park days

Over 90 MPP meetings

Presentations to legislative committees

GLP updates to PEO members

Town hall meetings

Uses its province-wide strength to get the message across to all levels of government. The Government Liaison Program engages members in a number of initiatives through a comprehensive three-pronged approach:

1. Facilitating strong, on-going relationships between chapter members and their local MPPs

2. Actively monitoring and taking action on policy proposals and upcoming legislation that could affect PEO and the Professional Engineers Act

3. Providing communications & policy support to express PEO policy positions to government policy makers

Building Ongoing Relationships:

Ontario Centre for Engineering and Public Policy

Engineers in Ontario have a hand in:

1. Fair Access to Regulated Professions Act - 2006

2. Green Energy and Economy Act - 20093. Water Opportunities and Water

Conservation Act - 20104. Open for Business Act - 2010

But not limited to these alone…- Health care- Environment- Infrastructure- Food Safety

Open for Business Act, 2010

• 166-page piece of legislation amended 41 Acts.

• 66 amendments to the Professional Engineers Act encompassed approximately 10% of the Act.

• The amendments harmonize PEO’s requirements with national requirements, make our Act and processes more transparent, reduce administrative burden, and is good for business.

What did we do to keep in touch?

• Government Strategy- Meetings with Ministers, Deputy Ministers, MPPs, MPs, Att. General’s Office, Premier’s Office, etc.- Attend annual meetings, events and fundraisers

• Opposition Strategy

• Media Strategy- Op. Ed. articles, interviews- TV (The Agenda with Steve Paikin), Social Media- Trade and mainstream magazines, newspapers and newsletters

• Internal Communication Strategy- Built relationships with 36 Chapters

• Stakeholder Strategy- PEO Council and the 80,000 Engineers

How can we make a difference?

How can we participate in change?

How do we get our voice heard?

GET INVOLVED…

So many questions… one answer

Thank you! Questions?

For more information contact:Howard BrownBrown & Cohen Communications & Public Affairs321 Brooke Avenue, Toronto, ON M5M 2L4www.brown-cohen.com416-844-1180howard@brown-cohen.com

Kim AllenProfessional Engineers Ontario101-40 Sheppard Ave. W, Toronto, ON www.peo.on.ca416-840-1102kallen@peo.on.ca