How soon will right to practice come into play? (Updated)

• The PGA enables practice rights to be granted to all regulatory bodies governed by the Act.
• EGBC and FPBC have existing practice rights established under their previous legislation and these rights have been preserved under the PGA.

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

• OSPG has 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 are prepared to regulate these reserved practices.
• In the future any additional new reserved practices that are granted will 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.
• OSPG is also working with ASTTBC and EGBC to determine a process for getting to reserved practice for technologists and technicians.

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

• Advice and services as it relates to a regulated or reserved practice include all work done by a 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.

Will all government staff doing ‘technician’ work be expected to register with ASTTBC? (New)

• ASTTBC has not been granted reserved practice rights under the PGA at this time. Non-registrants may still perform work that falls within the regulated practice of the profession but may not use the reserved titles of applied science technologist’ or ‘certified technician’.
• Government staff doing technician work should determine if they are eligible to register with ASTTBC as there are benefits to being held accountable to the practice standards of a professional regulator.