Credentials Hearing Decision Notice
Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia, the regulator of professional engineers and geoscientists in BC, has granted Mathew A. Shufelt registration as a professional engineer.
This decision resulted from a credentials hearing convened after Mr. Shufelt applied for professional registration. Credentials hearings are regulatory proceedings adjudicated by the Registrar who acts impartially and with diligence to protect the public when deciding if the applicant is suitable for practice as a registered professional.
In keeping with the organization’s core values of transparency and accountability, Engineers and Geoscientists BC notes a pivotal issue for consideration was Mr. Shufelt’s conviction for a sexual assault, committed in 2015.
Sexual assault is a devastating and reprehensible crime that can have lasting impact and trauma for survivors.
Engineers and Geoscientists BC recognizes that while gender equity in engineering is growing, historically the profession has been practiced mainly by men. Creating safe, inclusive, and welcoming workplaces for women and other equity-deserving groups is imperative to the public interest and to the sustained wellbeing of the engineering and geoscience professions.
“It remains vitally important that women – and people who work as engineers and geoscientists, and with these professions – feel safe and welcome in their workplaces,” said Heidi Yang, P.Eng., CEO of Engineers and Geoscientists BC. “At the same time, we must weigh this absolute priority with fairness, impartiality, and the recognition that rehabilitation is possible. This person has served his sentence, and the hearing heard how he has worked to change his character and his life. This decision reflects these factors.”
Mr. Shufelt has expressed remorse, and the hearing found he has demonstrated significant improvement to his behaviour over the last nine years. These changes appear to have resulted from his sentencing and incarceration for seven months, his probation, his participation in ongoing counselling, and his continued alcohol abstinence and rehabilitation.
Mr. Shufelt agreed to several conditions, including mandatory anti-sexual harassment and respect in workplace training, absolute abstinence from alcohol, attendance at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and continued counselling.
The decision may be found here.
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