Associations

Validator Declined, Not Responding or Retired? What to Do in Each Province

Published September 27, 2026

If a validator declines, stops responding, retires or dies, you can usually replace them, but how easily depends on your regulator and on how far validation has gone. In general you can swap a validator until they have completed their validation, while your examples are locked once validators are notified or your submission is released.

You will not be told why a validator declined. At PEO, APEGS and on the shared competency assessment system, a validator who declines must give a reason, but that reason and all validator feedback are confidential and not visible to you. Here is what to do in each situation, as of September 2026.

At a glance (as of September 2026)

Confidential: you will not see a validator's ratings, comments or reason for declining.
PEO: decline the validator and re-add or reassign their competencies before validation is complete. You cannot change your experience information once validators are notified.
APEGA: change validators yourself until all Validator Response Forms are in. Forms and references are due within 90 days of paying.
EGBC: resend the link or email competency@egbc.ca to add a validator. If no validator can be obtained, an interview may be needed (Policy 4.D).
APEGS: guide version 23 removed the discretion to accept validators who don't meet the rules, so line up spares.
Interim validation at EGBC, EGM, APEGNB, Engineers Nova Scotia and Engineers PEI lets you lock in validations before you lose touch with someone.

What you can and cannot see

Validators rate each example assigned to them from 0 to 5 and give overall feedback. APEGA keeps its validator forms confidential unless your application is refused and you request a Section 32 appeal. EGBC lets you see your validators' progress, so you know who has finished, but not what they wrote.

Two things follow. First, don't ask a validator to share or change their ratings; ratings are independent, and the assessor's rating decides the outcome. Second, don't read too much into a decline: replace the validator with someone else who knows the same work first-hand.

When a validator declines

Your replacement usually has to rate the examples you already wrote. At PEO you cannot change your experience information once validators are notified, and if a validator declines you must assign a new one to their competencies. APEGS locks example content and validator assignments once your submission goes to validation, so changes go through APEGS.

Engineers Nova Scotia also tells you to assign a new validator and adds validators on request. On the shared system, used by EGBC, APEGS, EGM, APEGNB, Engineers PEI and PEGNL, contact your regulator to add a validator: EGBC uses competency@egbc.ca, and PEGNL takes change requests, such as a corrected validator email, by email.

When a validator does not respond

APEGA is the only regulator that publishes a hard deadline for validator forms. Your reference questionnaires, Validator Response Forms and academic records are due within 90 days of paying the fee, or the application is withdrawn. Until all Validator Response Forms are in, you can change validators yourself by updating your Work Record Validator List and CBA tool and resubmitting. To have forms resent, email your assigned staff member; APEGA does not take these requests by phone or in person.

Other regulators publish no response deadline. APEGS says making sure validators take part in a timely manner is the candidate's responsibility, and EGBC lets you resend the validation link from the system. Before replacing anyone, check the email address, ask them to look in their spam folder, and find out whether they changed jobs.

When a validator retires or changes jobs

Retirement does not automatically disqualify a validator. PEO asks whether the validator was licensed as a P.Eng. in Canada when the work was carried out, and APEGS asks whether the professional who took responsibility was licensed when the work took place. A P.Eng. who has since retired can still meet those rules for work from when they held a licence.

APEGA is different. It judges a validator's acceptability as of the date the forms are completed, and for Canadian technical (Category 1) examples it expects a P.Eng. registered at the time of validation. A retired engineer who has given up their licence may no longer meet that expectation.

Retired validators often have only a personal email address. The shared system expects a business or professional address and asks for a written explanation when you use a personal one. Regulators may also contact and audit validators.

When a validator has died

Only EGBC publishes a rule. Policy 4.D (January 30, 2026) names deceased validators, and cases where no validator can be obtained, and says an interview may be needed; experience that cannot be validated may get no credit. PEO, APEGA, APEGS, EGM and the Atlantic regulators publish nothing specific, so contact the regulator and look for another person with first-hand knowledge of the same work, such as a colleague or client who reviewed it. If nobody else saw that work, you may need different examples.

Rules by regulator

Regulator	How to replace or add a validator	Timing and locks
PEO	Decline the validator, then re-add or reassign in the portal	Only before validation is complete; experience cannot change once validators are notified
APEGA (also NAPEG, Engineers Yukon)	Update the validator list and CBA tool, then resubmit; email your staff contact to resend forms	Until all Validator Response Forms are in; everything due within 90 days of paying
APEGS	Contact APEGS	Examples and validator assignments lock when released; no discretionary exceptions
EGBC	Resend the link; email competency@egbc.ca	Deceased or unobtainable validators: interview may be needed
EGM	Contact EGM	Interim validation available
Engineers Nova Scotia	Assign a new validator; ENS adds validators on request	Interim validation suggested if you may lose contact
APEGNB	Contact APEGNB	APEGNB may ask for a video call with a validator who has no business email address; no interim-validation option is published
Engineers PEI	Contact Engineers PEI	Interim submission at about one year (at least three competencies, one from Category 1)
PEGNL	Request changes by email	Validators may be contacted to verify identity and relationship
OIQ (supervisors)	Written request to change supervisor; apply to the committee if a supervisor refuses or cannot report	OIQ suggests closing the period and continuing with a new supervisor

Prevent problems before they start

Ask before you nominate. Confirm each person is willing, remembers the work and has time, and send them the regulator's validator guide.
Line up spares. PEO sets no maximum, and APEGS notes you may need more than four validators to cover four years. A spare who knows the same projects makes a replacement much easier. See how many validators each association requires.
Use interim validation. EGBC and EGM trainees can have competencies validated before final submission. Engineers Nova Scotia suggests it when you might lose contact with a validator, and Engineers PEI offers an interim submission at about one year.
Use business email addresses and keep a second way to reach each validator.
Stay out of the validator's process. Never open validator links or write, type or translate their responses. APEGS warns this may trigger a fraud review and a character evaluation, and impersonating a validator can lead to an investigation.

If your employer has no licensed engineer to fall back on, see how to get validated without a P.Eng. at work.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I find out why my validator declined?

No. The validator must give a reason, but the reason and all their feedback are confidential and not visible to you. Replace them with someone who knows the same work first-hand.

How long do validators have to respond?

Most regulators publish no deadline. APEGA is the exception: your forms and references are due within 90 days of paying the application fee, or the application is withdrawn. APEGS says keeping validators on schedule is your responsibility.

Can I change my examples when I replace a validator?

Usually not. PEO does not let you change experience information once validators are notified, and APEGS locks example content once your submission goes to validation. At APEGA, a competency you change at APEGA's request must be validated again.

Can a retired engineer still validate my work?

At PEO and APEGS, yes, if they were licensed when the work was done. At APEGA, a P.Eng. validating Canadian technical examples is expected to be registered at the time of validation. On the shared system, explain why you are using a personal email address.

Does a declined validation hurt my application?

The assessor's rating of your examples decides the result; validator ratings and feedback are inputs. A decline leaves those competencies without a validator, and your file is not complete until someone else validates them.