The P.Eng Brief: January NPPE open, Ontario offer rules

Regulator updates

Quebec: OIQ November exam dates confirmed

The OIQ confirmed two November exam sessions. The November 14, 2026 session takes place in Rimouski at 1 p.m. The November 21, 2026 session takes place in Montréal at 9 a.m.; registration for the Montréal session closed October 20. The OIQ notes that the 2027 session dates will be posted on its site in mid-November. OIQ professional exam page

New Brunswick: free building code training November 4

APEGNB is running a free online session on November 4, 2026 from 12 to 2:30 p.m. ET covering the key changes in the 2025 National Building Code of Canada and National Energy Code for Buildings. Topics include structural design, fire and life safety, accessibility, building envelope performance, and energy efficiency. Registration is required. APEGNB building code session

British Columbia: firm title compliance rules now in effect

Engineers and Geoscientists BC began enforcing compliance for firm use of professional titles on January 1. Firms must confirm that titles containing restricted words such as engineer or geoscientist have not been assigned to non-registrants. The obligation was extended to firms through bylaw amendments approved November 29, 2024. Firms must address this in their Professional Practice Management Plan, and any PPMP that predates October 17, 2025 must be updated. EGBC enforcement notice

Individual title-use requirements for registrants have not changed. EGBC guidance for firms

EGBC appointed Jason Ong as its Chief Regulatory Officer and Registrar, effective February 24, 2026. Ong joined EGBC in 2008, moved to the management team in 2012, and served as Acting CRO since July 2025. He oversees registration, practice standards, enforcement, legislation, and investigation and discipline, and led the introduction of competency-based assessment. EGBC announcement

You got your P.Eng, now what? Negotiating an offer when you change jobs

In Ontario the pay range is on the job posting before your first call with the employer. That changes how a negotiation starts.

1. Read the range on the posting first. Since January 1, 2026, Ontario employers with 25 or more employees must include the expected compensation or its range in publicly advertised job postings.
2. No Canadian experience question. A posting or application form in Ontario may not include any requirement for Canadian experience. If you trained abroad, that question should not appear.
3. Decide where in the range to ask. Check a salary survey for your designation and discipline, then bring it to the conversation. The goal is to place yourself where your experience and scope of work belong.
4. Negotiate the full package. Base pay, vacation, professional dues and development, the title, and the level of responsibility all belong in the conversation.
5. Use the 45-day rule. After an interview, an Ontario employer must tell you within 45 days whether a hiring decision has been made. That window can help you time a follow-up.
6. Rules differ by province. Outside Ontario, check what your province requires employers to disclose before the negotiation.

Source: Ontario Employment Standards Act guidance

More on finding work as a licensed engineer: help finding an engineering job

Where the engineering work is

Canada's 2026 job picture. Canada lost a net 41,200 jobs in the first three quarters of 2026, with manufacturing accounting for 12,700 of those losses. Reuters via BNN Bloomberg

Nova Scotia offshore wind: $100 million committed. Natural Resources Canada committed $100 million on October 15, 2026 to advance offshore wind development in Nova Scotia through the Wind West initiative, with a call for bids planned for winter 2027. The release cites a general figure of about 17,500 jobs per GW of offshore wind capacity over the full lifetime of a project; it gives no capacity figure or project-specific headcount for Wind West. Natural Resources Canada

New Brunswick: $219 million for Mactaquac site development. The Canada Infrastructure Bank reached financial close with NB Power on a $219 million loan for early site development at the 672 MW Mactaquac generating station on October 13, 2026. The work covers engineering and environmental investigations, regulatory reviews, and early supply activities. The release gives no specific jobs figure. Canada Infrastructure Bank

British Columbia: North Coast Transmission Line under construction. In September 2026, Canada and BC broke ground on Phase 1 of the North Coast Transmission Line, a 165 km, 500 kV segment from Williston Substation near Prince George to Glenannan Substation near Fraser Lake. The federal and provincial governments committed $3.9 billion for phases 1 and 2. The release projects approximately 10,000 jobs across both phases, including direct and indirect jobs; no breakdown by role is given. Natural Resources Canada

National: one million home retrofits. The federal government announced a $2 billion investment over eight years to fund one million home energy retrofits, including heat pump rebates and deep retrofit support. No specific engineering jobs figure is given. Environment and Climate Change Canada

Job Bank outlooks for 2025 to 2027:

• BC electrical and electronics engineers (NOC 21310): Moderate outlook. About 5,200 work in the occupation province-wide. Employment growth and retirements are both expected to open a moderate number of positions. Job Bank
• Alberta mechanical engineers: Moderate outlook. About 5,400 work in the occupation; 44 per cent in architectural, engineering and design services and 15 per cent in oil and gas extraction. Job Bank
• Alberta civil engineers: Moderate outlook. About 9,900 work in the occupation province-wide; 55 per cent hold a bachelor's degree and 31 per cent hold higher credentials. Job Bank
• BC mining engineers: Moderate outlook. About 700 work in the occupation province-wide. Key driver: demand for critical minerals for electric vehicles and green technologies, including lithium and copper. Job Bank

Alberta: no salary benchmark available. APEGA stopped publishing its annual salary survey in March 2025, following Competition Act amendments that criminalize wage-sharing agreements between employers. No future surveys are planned. For Alberta, no regulator-published engineering salary benchmark is now available. APEGA salary survey page

More licensing guides: P.Eng licensing guides

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