Associations

The P.Eng Brief: NPPE dates, a PEO fee rise and CBA rules

Published October 14, 2026

Every week we read every engineering regulator in Canada so you do not have to. This week (read October 13 and 14, 2026): registration for the January NPPE opens in Ontario on October 19, PEO has approved a licence fee increase, and British Columbia has set a date for its new practice seminar. Every item links to the regulator's own page. Check the date there before you act on it.

Dates to act on: the January 2027 NPPE

The next sitting is January 11 to 13, 2027. Each regulator sets its own registration deadline, so use the one for the regulator you are applying to.

PEO (Ontario): the registration portal is open from October 19 to November 27, 2026. Registration is done inside your application, so you need to start one first. PEO's NPPE schedule
APEGS (Saskatchewan): the application deadline is November 23, 2026. That is the earliest we found, and APEGS says its candidates must follow its dates and not the national ones. APEGS exam page
Engineers Nova Scotia: registration opens November 1 and applications are due November 25, 2026. Engineers Nova Scotia exam page
APEGA (Alberta): the registration deadline is November 27, 2026, and the booking window runs from December 11 to 27. APEGA does not accept late registrations. APEGA exam page
PEGNL (Newfoundland and Labrador): the registration deadline is November 27, 2026. PEGNL exam page

The national site lists all five 2027 sittings: January 11 to 13, March 22 to 24, June 7 to 9, August 23 to 25 and November 1 to 3. NPPE exam dates

We keep the dates for every regulator on our own page too: NPPE exam dates and deadlines.

Regulator updates

Ontario: PEO plans to raise licence fees in 2027

PEO Council met on October 2 and approved a five-year fee plan. Licence fees rise from $265 to $331 in 2027, then by three per cent in 2030 and again in 2031. PEO says it is the first increase since 2019. It is not final yet: staff still have to bring the bylaw amendments to Council, and the plan goes into the budget Council considers in November. The same update says transfers of a licence from another province are up almost 50 per cent this year. PEO Council update

British Columbia: a new seminar, and a date that matters

Engineers and Geoscientists BC has replaced its mandatory online seminar with the Professional Practice Online Seminar. If you are not registered as a professional before October 1, 2027, you must complete the new version before you can be registered. The old version counts until that date, and people who bought it get the new one at no cost. EGBC seminar page

EGBC's Board has also directed it to wind down the Designated Structural Engineer program over about two years. EGBC announcement

Alberta: working while your application is in progress

In a public statement, APEGA says internationally trained applicants can start work right away under the supervision and responsibility of a professional engineer while they complete licensure. It says a decision on a complete application is shared within six months, and that it removed its Canadian work experience requirement earlier this year. APEGA statement

If you are writing your competencies now, our guide explains how the competency-based assessment works.

Nova Scotia: AI guidance and this year's renewal

Engineers Nova Scotia has released interim guidance on using artificial intelligence in engineering practice. It covers professional responsibility, verifying AI results and confidentiality, and it states that AI does not replace professional judgment. Interim AI guidance

Annual renewal opens soon and will ask registrants for more detail about their employer and practice than in past years. No opening date is given yet. Renewal notice

New Brunswick and national

APEGNB is running a two-hour online session for its members on responsible AI use in practice on October 22, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. APEGNB session

Engineers Canada has posted the recording of its Licensure 101 webinar for students and recent graduates. Engineers Canada recording

How each regulator assesses your experience

We read each regulator's own competency-based assessment guide this week. The numbers below are theirs, and they differ more than most applicants expect.

EGBC (B.C.): 34 key competencies in 7 categories, each rated from 0 to 5. At least 4 validators covering at least four years, and one must be your supervisor. The guide prohibits using AI or third parties to create or embellish examples. EGBC competency assessment guide
APEGA (Alberta): 22 competencies in 6 categories, revised on July 18, 2026. At least 3 validators. APEGA asks you to complete the forms yourself and warns that AI content is often generic. APEGA CBA user guide
APEGS (Saskatchewan): 34 competencies. At least 4 validators, and at least two must be licensed in Canada. A zero on any competency fails its whole category. Its declaration makes you responsible for your submission whether or not AI tools helped. APEGS competency assessment guide
Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba: 34 competencies in 7 categories. At least 4 validators covering at least four years. AI use to create or embellish examples is prohibited. Manitoba CBA guide
PEO (Ontario): 34 competencies in 7 categories. Each competency gets one validator, and PEO sets no minimum number of validators. You certify that you prepared every example yourself. PEO applicant guide
Engineers Nova Scotia: 34 competencies in 7 categories, mandatory for new applicants since July 1, 2025. At least 4 validators, and two must be professional engineers. AI use to create or embellish examples is prohibited. Engineers Nova Scotia CBA guide
PEGNL (Newfoundland and Labrador): 34 competencies in 7 categories. At least 4 validators covering at least four years: two must be professional engineers and one your direct supervisor. The action section allows 1,200 characters. PEGNL competency assessment manual
Engineers PEI: the pan-Canadian model. At least 4 validators covering at least four years, and two must be professional engineers. AI use to create or embellish examples is prohibited. Competency assessment guide hosted by Engineers PEI

Not checked this week: APEGNB, Engineers Yukon, NAPEG and OIQ. Their sites did not let us read them, so we have not summarized their rules here.

You got your P.Eng, now what? Asking for a raise

A raise conversation goes better when it starts from a number you can show.

Find the published range first. In Saskatchewan's 2026 salary survey, the middle half of P.Eng. respondents reported between $112,438 and $174,000, with a median of $140,300. That is one province and 1,389 responses, so treat it as a reference point and look for your own regulator's or society's survey. APEGS 2026 salary survey summary
Know what predicts pay. The same survey names professional designation, supervision scope, and accident and health hazards as the three best predictors of salary. The first two are things you can put on paper.
List what changed since your pay was last set: the licence, the work you now take responsibility for, and the people you supervise.
Ask for a specific number and a date for the answer. If the answer is not now, ask what would change it and when it will be reviewed.

Next Monday: negotiating an offer when you change jobs.

Where the engineering work is

Transmission lines, coast to coast. Natural Resources Canada has named five interprovincial transmission projects it will prioritize, including a line of about 800 km between British Columbia and Yukon and new sub-sea cables between Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. The release says electricity demand is expected to double by 2050. It gives no hiring numbers. Natural Resources Canada release
Nova Scotia to New Brunswick. A 160 km, 345 kV line between Onslow and Salisbury is funded, with construction scheduled to finish in 2028. Canada Infrastructure Bank release
Civil engineering in Ontario. The federal Job Bank rates the outlook as moderate through 2027: a few new positions from growth, and a moderate number from retirements. Job Bank outlook
Looking in Ontario? The pay range is on the posting now. Since January 1, 2026, employers with 25 or more employees must show the expected pay or its range in public job postings, and they may not ask for Canadian experience. Ontario's job posting rules

More on finding work: help finding an engineering job. More licensing guides: P.Eng licensing guides.

CertNova is an independent company. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or acting for any engineering regulator. Dates, fees and rules change: confirm each one with your own regulator before you act on it.