What reserved practice areas are currently in force and are there plans to implement further reserved practice areas?  

• The PGA enables regulated and reserved practice rights to be granted to all regulatory bodies governed by the Act. 

• EGBC, FPBC and AIBC were the only regulators with reserved practice rights established under their previous legislation and these rights were preserved under the PGA. 

• On September 13, 2021, the College of Applied Biologists (CAB) and the British Columbia Institute of Agrologists (BCIA) were granted reserved practice rights for their registrants through Order in Council 517/2021 with implementation following a year later to allow professions and practitioners to prepare. The order, which amended the Agrologists Regulation and the Applied Biologists Regulation, came into force fully on September 1, 2022. 

• OSPG worked closely with CAB and BCIA to articulate the aspects of their regulated practice that are reserved for registrants and to ensure that CAB and BCIA were prepared to regulate these reserved practices. This approach led to a successful implementation of these new reserved practice areas. 

• OSPG is currently working with ASTTBC and EGBC to develop a reserved practice for technology professionals. 

• Once the scope of the reserved practice for technology professionals is determined, the new reserved practice would also include a transition period focused on assisting practitioners and registrants through credentialling pathways and engaging registrants, employers and the public to raise understanding of the scope of the profession and the reserved practice. 

• On May 8, 2024, a joint statement was released by ASTTBC, EGBC and government that outlines the updates on the progress to reserved practice for technology professionals. 
• Depending on the scope practice government staff they may be required to register with ASTTBC if a reserved practice is implemented. 

How do I know what services and advice count as ‘professional practice’?  

• Advice and services as they relate to a regulated or reserved practice include all work done by professionals of a regulatory body in their professional capacity. 
• As part of the effort to better define regulated and reserved practice under the PGA, regulatory bodies are developing descriptive material for their registrants and the public to better define what professional practice entails.