The Ontario Court of Justice at Toronto has fined a Pickering-area man $6,000 for misrepresenting himself as a professional engineer.
On Monday, March 14, Cosimo Polidoro of Pickering was convicted of three counts of breaching section 40(2)(a) of the Professional Engineers Act for using the protected title “P.Eng.” in a resume and in two emails in response to an employment opportunity with a Toronto-area construction firm. The employer asked for confirmation of Polidoro’s licensure status on several occasions. The employer then checked with PEO, which informed the employer that Polidoro had never been licensed as a professional engineer in Ontario.
Justice Sisay Woldermichael levied a fine of $2,000 on each of the three counts after finding Polidoro guilty of holding himself out as a professional engineer on three different occasions.
Nick Hambleton, associate counsel, regulatory compliance, represented PEO in this matter.
How to verify licensure
To check whether an individual is licensed or a firm holds a Certificate of Authorization (C of A), search the directories of practitioners (licence and C of A holders) at www.peo.on.ca. To report unlicensed individuals and unauthorized companies, contact PEO’s enforcement hotline at 416-840-1444 or 1-800-339-3716, ext 1444, or email enforcement@peo.on.ca.