This year has certainly been an unprecedented experience for us all.
In January, when I wrote to the membership promising that “This new year, and new decade, arrives as the OAA is at a turning point,” I could not have anticipated the truth of those words. At that time, the OAA was on the verge of launching a new logo and website, and had just returned to its newly renovated zero-carbon headquarters.
Council held its usual annual planning session a few weeks later, where climate stability in the built environment was named a key priority for 2020. From our previous year’s priorities, equity, diversity, and inclusivity became the lens through which all decisions would be made, and the continued importance of education and membership engagement would drive our success. We were poised to celebrate new beginnings with a grand reopening for members and the public alike.
And then the entire world shifted with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Quickly, we had to find ways to manage our professional lives while taking care of our families, friends, and colleagues, in addition to our own mental and physical health. We needed to face shifting paradigms and learn how to harness technology to allow us to continue doing our work.
As the regulator of the architecture profession, the OAA had to respond swiftly to continue to protect the public interest. We quickly pivoted to digital, ensuring our Council and Committees could continue to meet virtually and offer resources and information. Our Practice Advisory Services team developed a COVID-19 Updates page to provide up-to-the-minute strategies for navigating the pandemic.
Behind the scenes, we worked with all levels of government to encourage new approaches for overseeing permits and site inspections. After a rocky start, I now continue to see improvements in process and a willingness to move toward a more streamlined and consistent system across the province.
The OAA Conference as we knew it was cancelled, but its elements were transformed into reimagined programs. Our Annual General Meeting was hosted online in August, where members could vote safely and securely from across the province. Our Celebration of Excellence, which honours the work of Ontario practices and individuals, became a series of video vignettes and awards ceremony on YouTube, opening our event not only to all OAA members and their families, but also to the public.
The Conference’s Continuing Education sessions were adapted into a webinar series, which we are excited to expand in 2021. To ensure all Architects, Non-Practising Architects, and Licensed Technologists OAA could access educational opportunities in a physical-distancing world, the OAA and other Canadian regulators also extended the ConEd cycle until December 31 (you still have a few weeks to record your hours in your transcript!).
Despite the turbulence, the OAA stayed the course throughout the year. Our new website and logo were successfully launched as planned, as was the SHIFT 2021 Challenge, which has a particularly apt theme of resiliency.
With respect to climate stability, we debuted new criteria for our Design Excellence Awards, introducing a requirement for EUI data. The student awards and scholarships now recognize exceptional leadership in design excellence and innovation in sustainability. The OAA also joined Workforce 2030 to help fast-track the skills and occupations needed to build a low-carbon Ontario. Additionally, the OAA is currently developing a TEUI tool for the membership in addition to more ConEd programming about climate stability.
Our unique skills and knowledge are required to create a safe and resilient built environment that responds to the needs of the new ‘normal.’ As we come together to create our future, we must meet the climate crisis with thoughtful solutions for new and existing buildings alike.
This year, the OAA took concrete steps toward furthering inclusivity, equity, and diversity within the architecture profession. We made three webinars on the topic free to all members, with hundreds participating. Our new Reconciliation Working Group continues to address how the practice of architecture can be decolonized, and a series of facilitated roundtables allowed people to discuss their lived experiences in the profession. Work also continues on an important demographic survey that will allow the OAA to collect race-based and equity-relevant data in order to develop a long-term strategy that will be transparent and accessible.
In wrapping up my final year as president, I have toured the province’s Local Architectural Societies through Zoom and virtually visited a number of schools. I have heard from the membership that we still have much work to do, but I have also seen first-hand how our community—from students and intern architects to licensed professionals with decades of experience—have adapted. It has reminded me that those in our profession are resilient, strong, and willing to embrace the learnings from this pandemic.
It has been my pleasure and honour to serve as OAA President over the last two years. By the end of next month, I will have completed my term, and I look forward to continue working with the rest of OAA Council for the year ahead. There are many new faces joining us, and these Councillors will bring fresh experiences, perspectives, and skills to the critical work we do in the name of the profession and for the protection of the public interest.
And finally, I would like to acknowledge that none of this would have been possible without the dedication and hard work of staff under the leadership of our executive director, Kristi Doyle. I thank the whole OAA team on behalf of all the membership.
With 2020 drawing to a close, I wish you and yours the best for a healthy, happy, and prosperous new year.
Kathleen Kurtin
OAA, FRAIC
President