Practice in Canada

Being a P.Geo. places you under a code of ethics and makes you individually accountable for all the geoscience work you undertake. To practice geoscience in Canada, you must register with the regulatory body – professional association – in the province or territory in which you work. Those whose practice extends to more than one province or territory may have to carry multiple registrations. Becoming registered entitles you to practice in that jurisdiction and it allows you to use the designation Professional Geoscientist (P.Geo.).

Depending on local legislation, it may also be necessary for the firm or company you work for to be registered with a regulatory authority. These corporate licenses are called Certificates of Authorization or Permits to Practice. While these licenses are issued to the entity, they also identify senior individual P.Geo’s within the organization who are responsible for the corporate licence.

Except in BC and Quebec, all organizations offering geoscience services to the public (i.e. consulting and contracting firms) are required to hold a corporate license. Corporations that undertake geoscience in order to generate product for sale (i.e. extractive resources companies, like operating mining companies and energy producers) may not need a corporate license. Corporations should check provincial requirements, as they do vary between jurisdictions. Learn more here