Standards of Practice

The College of Applied Biology Act (2002), sets out the mandate of the College and requirements of members’ practice according to principles of conduct and stewardship.  Members are accountable for meeting these standards set by the College. The following documents provide guidance and advice to members in meeting these obligations.

Code of Ethics

The College of Applied Biology Act has among its purposes the following:

 (iii)  ensuring the integrity, objectivity and expertise of its members,

The Code of Ethics, found in Schedule 2 of the Rules sets out 9 principles of conduct that members must follow to meet these purposes.  For each principle the Code provides information on the ways each can be met.

• Ethics Requirements
• Code of Ethics PDF
• Q and A for Ethics document

Principles of Stewardship

In addition, the Act charges members with:

(ii)  upholding the principles of stewardship of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and biological resources,

The College defines stewardship as the management of impacts on ecological systems and their components with the goal of maintaining healthy resilient ecosystems that provide ecological services into the future. The College has identified 6 Principles of Stewardship that when combined with the Code of Ethics, provide members with foundational standards to guide their practice.

• Q and A for Stewardship document

Practice Guidance for Members

On occasion, the College also provides guidance documents to assist members in understanding and complying with the mandatory Rules. Unlike the Rules, guidance documents do not set out rigorous, enforceable parameters; rather, they set general expectations for the practice of applied biology.

This resource provides guidance to members on conducting their practices in a professional manner through the lenses of competence, respectful regard, independence, integrity, business ethics, project management and due diligence.

Guidance for Members Employed in Formal Decision-Making Roles

This guidance document provides information for members who are concerned about meeting their professional duties (as outlined in the College of Applied Biology Act and the College of Applied Biology Code of Ethics), while also meeting their official duties when employed in a management or decision-making capacity.