OAA members must use the professional seal issued to them by the OAA in accordance with the rules governing the use of professional seals contained in the Ontario Regulation 27 (the regulations) under the Architects Act (the Act) and any applicable laws, regulations, and bylaws that may apply in a particular scenario.
An OAA seal is a representation to the public—including clients, other consultants, approval-granting entities such as local governments and authorities having jurisdiction, contractors, consultants, and sub-trades—that not only does the OAA member who applied it take responsibility for the document, but also the document was prepared by that OAA member or under their personal supervision and direction.
The seal is a solemn confirmation that a qualified, licensed member is sufficiently aware of the relevant considerations that went into the design such that, in the member’s opinion, the design is ready for publication and intended to be relied upon and used by others for the purposes intended.
The regulations establish an expectation the OAA member who prepared the documents requiring a seal—or who had direct knowledge, supervised, and controlled their preparation—must seal them. This means the member having comprehensive, coordinated knowledge of the documents, and who has exercised professional judgment that the documents are ready for publication and reliance by others, should be the one applying a seal—not a colleague (principal or otherwise) with inadequate knowledge of, or involvement with, a project.
Seals are issued by the OAA to certain members for their use while registered as members. As set out in Subsection 42(22) of the regulations, any person who ceases to be a member “must return the seal to the Registrar.” This statutory expectation applies upon:
- cancellation, revocation, or suspension of a licence, certificate of practice (CoP), CoP issued under Section 23 of the Act, or temporary licence;
- dissolution of a corporation or partnership;
- termination of a practice of architecture or project described in a temporary licence or CoP issued under Section 23 of the Act; or
- when no longer required to use a seal in their capacity as an employee.
The seal should be kept safely secured. Members are expected to advise the OAA promptly if the seal is lost, stolen, or compromised and to bring in a damaged seal to the OAA for replacement. The seal must never be altered for any reason.