Vision
An Ontario in which architects are valued contributors to society, by creating a safe and healthy built environment that performs at the highest levels and elevates the human spirit.
Mandate
To regulate and govern the practice of architecture in Ontario in the service and protection of the public interest in accordance with the Architects Act, its Regulations and By-laws; to develop and uphold standards of skill, knowledge, qualification, practice, and professional ethics among architects; and, to promote the appreciation of architecture within the broader society.
Strategic Plan
In response to the recommendations of the OAA’s 2021 operational review, the OAA engaged the firm of Kathy McLaughlin & Associates to develop a five-year strategic plan for the Association and its governing Council. This process began with a detailed consultation process, which produced a situation analysis that confirmed the OAA’s mandate, clarified its vision, and allowed for the creative work of identifying strategic goals and priorities for the coming years.
In reviewing the OAA’s mandate, Council reconfirmed a clear commitment to focus on the primary objective of the OAA as a professional regulator—a mandate legislated for provincial regulators like the OAA by the provincial government and coming directly from the Architects Act.
The five-year strategic plan includes the OAA’s commitment to address two very important environmental and social governance themes over the next five years (to 2027): Climate Action and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. These will act as lenses through which the OAA’s work will be viewed in order to ensure it positively aligns with the principles.
The plan also has four clear foundational goals that will be pursued over the coming years: Regulatory Leadership, Governance and Operations, Member Competency, and Public Education. Each goal has a statement defining what successful progress will look like, along with the important initiatives that will be pursued to get there. Each goal has a set of measurable targets to allow continual monitoring or progress.
OAA Council has committed to leveraging its investment in this new strategic plan by adopting a discipline to operationalize the plan by aligning staff and Committee work, as well as all new initiatives, toward these strategic goals. A new decision-making framework has been adopted to ensure continued alignment. This strategic plan will be reviewed annually to ensure it remains current and relevant. To learn more, click here.
Last updated: January 2024