PEO lays charges in connection with an unlicensed crane and lifting device safety inspections

adjudicationissues

Ontario Construction News staff writer

Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) laid 352 charges against Jay Lawrence Harding (also known as Jaye Lawrence Harding) under the Professional Engineers Act and the Provincial Offences Act last week, for falsely representing himself as a professional engineer in the Kitchener-Waterloo area.

Harding is charged with using a forged seal and the title of a licensed professional engineer under the name AJ Ontario Hoist Inspections while performing at least 80 “inspections” and “non-destructive tests” of cranes and lifting devices in the Region of Waterloo in 2021.

According to PEO’s member registry, Harding is not presently and has never been licensed as a professional engineer in Ontario. PEO also understands that Mr. Harding does not hold a non-destructive testing certification.

In a news release, PEO said Harding “may have falsely represented himself as a professional engineer in respect of crane and lifting device inspections for other entities, posing a broader risk to public safety.”

Also, PEO noted that in 2022 the accused relocated to New Brunswick and incorporated a new sole proprietorship named AJ Hoist Inspections and may “continue to falsely represent himself as a professional engineer.”

The investigation is continuing, and PEO warns “anyone in possession of a sealed or stamped document or certification bearing the name J.L. Harding, J. Harding, Jay Harding, AJ Ontario Hoist Inspections or AJ Hoist Inspections, or who has engaged any of them for professional engineering or inspection services, should contact PEO’s enforcement hotline at 416-840-1444 or 1-800-339-3716 ext 1444, or by writing to us at enforcement@peo.on.ca.

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 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.

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