Edited By JasonB on 05/11/2016 10:06:24

Isn't there some ritual involving pigs at one of your universities?

A few of my engineers in Vancouver had this. It all seemed rather bizarre to me, rather like a cross between the silly Mercan college fraternaties (phi kappa beta? – wow) and the self-propagating institutions we have the the UK.

Of course, you are supposed to be a formally registered engineer before you can actually call yourself an engineer in Canada. Which meant I couldn't (no problem, I was the engineering director) – and those jobs that didn't require an engineering degree actually had sensible names. So you had titles like "millwright" for a guy who could cut, bend, weld, repair etc metal and machinery and "technician" for somebody who was trained to do technical work. As you know, in the UK even somebody who repairs toilets or washing machines is an engineer. Registered engineers in Canada are supposed to display their certificates prominently on their desks and can get in trouble if they don't. That's no guarantee they are any good of course….

The honourable order of the iron ringpiece…

I do have a Seiko watch I always wear as a nod to nice reliable functional engineering, both my grandfather and uncle wore an auto-wind seiko and I got one for myself within a year of leaving school and starting work, it was the watch that working stiffs wore back in the 70s

It dropped off my wrist somewhere in the Highlands on a hillwalk one day 15 years later and I remember looking at that huge hillside and seriously considering going back and searching for my pal, he'd survived diesel oil, hydraulic oil, salt water, multiple bashes and even being dropped 70 feet down into a pumproom bilge one time when he fell off my wrist, he must have landed on the strap to survive that one. I only went down there to retrieve his dead body and he was fine, unbelievable.

I left seiko 1 in the highlands with a heavy heart and got a nice plain looking seiko solar titanium about 10 years ago to replace him, I have never worn any other jewellery (I don't like rings)

Edited By Ady1 on 05/11/2016 11:48:41

This explains all the grown men wearing ear rings – they're audio engineers.

As Apprentices at Rolls Royce we were forbidden to wear rings, on the grounds of safety. To convince us, we were shown pictures of a man with a finger lost as he slipped down a ladder.

I have my late Grandfathers Signet ring, but have never worn it and will soon pass it to my Grandson, purely as a heirloom.

Once I managed to short a car battery to earth with my metal watchstrap. Luckily, the only injury was to my wallet, for the cost of a new wristband! If anyone doubts this, just remember that a 12 volt car battery can deliver about 300 Amps when cranking the engine.

Howard

The iron ring was originally supposed to have been made from iron taken from a bridge that collapsed shortly after construction due to design flaws. It is intended to be a salutary reminder to Professional Engineers. It is only available to Professional Engineers who graduated from a Canadian University. (I never had one since I graduated in the UK).

And yes, the designation "Engineer" is protected in all Provinces and reserved for use by Professional Engineers registered with the Provincial associations. The only exception that I know of is the "Engineer" on a Locomotive which has historical use and is probably falling into disuse anyway these days.

In Canada you might (might) get away with calling yourself a "Model Engineer" but dropping the "Model" – as often happens here – would be a problem.

As far as "Registered engineers in Canada are supposed to display their certificates prominently on their desks and can get in trouble if they don't." I don't know what happens in BC – I never practised there – but certainly here in Ontario there was never any such compulsion during my career. A recommendation, certainly, but that's all. (The regulation of Professional Engineers in Canada is pretty much the exclusive territory of the Provinces – the Feds have very little to do with it – and the rules vary a little from province to province).

Yes, as I recall that was the one – it's been years since I heard the details.

Political dealings?
In a construction project?
In Quebec Province?

Surely not