Standards of Practice

The purpose of the College of Applied Biologists is to protect the public interest by ensuring that its registrants: meet a specific standard of education, training and experience before being admitted to the College; remain competent throughout their career; and adhere to a high standard of ethical and professional conduct. The College requires registrants to adhere to and meet the following:

  • Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (Bylaws - Schedule 1)
  • Principles of Stewardship (Bylaws - Schedule 1)
  • Professional Practice Competencies and Competence (Bylaws – Part 7 Standards of Conduct and Competence)

Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct

The College’s Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct sets out 9 principles of conduct that registrants must follow.  Each principle has information that outlines what a registrant must do to meet the principle.

Principles of Stewardship

In addition to adhering to the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, the College’s bylaws require a registrant with upholding the principles of stewardship of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and biological resources as outlined in preamble of Schedule 1 of the Bylaws.

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 and Professional Conduct, provides registrants with foundational standards to guide their practice.

Professional Practice Competencies and Competence

Fundamental principles of professional reliance are that all applied biology professionals in addition to meeting ethical and professional conduct standards must also meet high professional standards of competence. A competency is more comprehensive than skill set(s) alone, it is measurable, assessable and verifiable.

The College has a framework of professional competency in place that is required for all practicing members. This framework is incorporated into the credentialling, audit and practice review programs, and requires registrants to demonstrate a level of competence.

The following Standards apply to the Professional Practice Competencies and Competence:

  • Credentialing Standard
  • Continuing Professional Development Standard