Discussions from the May 10 Gathering in Toronto
On May 10, OAA Council met in-person for the first time in more than two years, gathering at a Hotel X meeting room in downtown Toronto to discuss issues of importance to the Association and Ontario’s architecture profession. Among the topics were the Association’s submission to the Canadian Architectural Certification Board (CACB), the second Demographic Survey, important potential changes to Licensed Technologists OAA and participants of the OAA Technology Program, Continuing Education policies, and the themes for the 2023 Conference and SHIFT Challenge.
Council will hold its next meeting on Thursday, June 23. For information on how to attend the open session in-person or virtually, contact Tina Carfa, Executive Assistant, Executive Services.
OAA Submission to CACB National Conference
At its September 2021 meeting, Council endorsed the Comprehensive Education Committee’s proposed topic for the OAA’s submission to the Canadian Architectural Certification Board (CACB) National Conference taking place in Ottawa this October. The paper, “Assessing Efficacy of Exposure to the Profession During Architecture School in Canada,” will focus on the question of whether architecture students are currently offered adequate exposure to the practice of architecture, ensuring a reasonable transition from school to practice.
The OAA paper relies on anecdotal evidence, as well as the data and research found in numerous sources. Its intention is not to provide an answer or solution to this issue, but rather to highlight it to make way for a national discussion with CACB and its collateral organizations on how this issue might be further examined and addressed moving forward.
Results from Second Demographic Survey
The issuance of the second annual Demographics Survey was associated with the individual fees renewal timeline and process. Like the inaugural version, it was administered by the research firm Stratcom, and participation remained voluntary and confidential.
Given the second demographics survey was administered less than a year from the first, it is unsurprising there is very little difference in the data between the two surveys. One item to note is the survey question, “At my current or most recent workplace, I feel included.” About 74 per cent agree they feel included at their current or most recent workplace, which is an increase from the 67 per cent reported in 2021. As a measure of the OAA’s efforts regarding equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives, including mandatory Continuing Education training, this could be seen as a metric in terms of making incremental improvements.
The information in the second annual demographic survey will be important as the OAA continues to develop programs and policies. As with the first set of survey results, a summary report will be made available to the membership via the Website and the next edition of OAA News.
Updates Related to Licensed Technologists OAA and the OAA Technology Program
Under Council’s direction, the OAA will issue an RFP to identify a qualified consultant to examine the request to expand the scope of practice for Licensed Technologists OAA.
The chosen consultant will conduct their work in a fair, equitable, and transparent manner and will include opportunities for consultation from identified stakeholders, including Licensed Technologists OAA, the OAA Technology Program Integration Committee, the provincial government and the Ministry of the Attorney General, and the membership at large. The review, assessment, and recommendations will take into account public need, competence, risk of harm, and impact on the OAA.
Additionally, individuals enrolled in the OAA Technology program (formerly administered by the Ontario Association for Applied Architectural Sciences [OAAAS]) need to be acknowledged as now holding status with the OAA as part of the integration of their certification program into the Association’s operations. In the absence of definition within the Architects Act and its Regulation, Council approved the following under a new Policy:
- Intern Technologist: an applicant admitted and actively enrolled in the OAA Technology Program, complying with all appropriate rules and regulations; and
- Student Technologist: a student enrolled in a three-year architectural technology program,
who has completed two semesters, in the OAA Technology Program.
Intern Technologists and Student Technologists are entitled to receive general information issued by the OAA and to attend the Annual General Meeting (AGM), but are not entitled to vote at any meeting.
Amended Policies for Continuing Education
Failures to comply with the OAA’s mandatory Continuing Education Program is a serious matter and could result in a finding of professional misconduct. The OAA requires a streamlined, efficient, and responsive process to the exigencies of right-touch regulation, so as to be aligned with its recently approved five-year strategic plan.
Council approved changes to policies that will reduce the number of members being referred to the Complaints Committee and Discipline Committee, shifting administrative decisions to the Office of the Registrar in accordance with a Council-approved decision matrix. Only those members who are persistently non-compliant and who had not remedied their non-compliance will be prosecuted, ensuring resources are allocated to more serious breaches of the Architects Act, proportionate to the risk posed to the public. These changes will allow for a significant reduction in the time and resources spent on the handling of these matters—from 18 months to between four and six.
Greater clarity on how to address members who identify extenuating circumstances has been added to the policies. These revisions are part of the OAA’s desire to update its processes to align with the requirements of being a modern regulator. They improve transparency, defensibility, and objectivity by clarifying previously informal processes, eliminate undue delay, and confirm a procedurally fair process. Further, they address gaps in the process that could pose legal and reputational risk.
Conference and SHIFT Themes for 2023
The OAA Communications Committee had been tasked with developing the theme for the 2023 OAA Conference, being hosted in Sudbury. In addition to a distinctive Franco-Ontarian culture and being the long-established territory of the Atikameksheng Anishnawbek, the city is home to Laurentian University’s McEwen School of Architecture—the first school of architecture built in Canada in more than 40 years.
Hosting the 2023 OAA Conference in Sudbury offers exciting opportunities, which include the ability to connect with students and to embrace the membership community outside the OAA's traditional programming along the shores of Lake Ontario. Council approved the following theme for next year’s multi-day event.
Designing for Dignity
Ontario’s architecture profession has the skills, education, and perspective to shape the built environments in which we all live and thrive, and this extends beyond cities and suburbs. For the first time, the OAA is holding its annual conference in the North—a place of resource extraction and regeneration, of remoteness and richness, of communities and challenges. The setting prompts us to have new conversations as well as learn from and collaborate with local communities about the role the profession must play in providing dignity.
This Conference will acknowledge those who call Sudbury home, from diverse Indigenous groups and Franco-Ontarians to urbanites, students, and those living in isolated areas. Throughout the province and around the world, it will explore how the architecture profession can better accommodate human needs by listening to local communities. It examines the imperative of respecting the land and planning for several generations... while also considering the need for safe housing, healthy spaces, and inspiring projects here and now.
Additionally, Council approved the Communications Committee’s following proposal for a theme for the third iteration of the OAA’s SHIFT Challenge.
SHIFT2023 Theme: Architecture Assisting Health
As the world strives to emerge from a global pandemic, and Canada reflects on its current approaches to long-term care and other health spaces, architecture’s impacts—negative and positive—on human well-being have taken centre stage.
From considering indoor environmental effects on our bodies and minds to designing truly inclusive and accessible spaces, what role does the architecture profession play in supporting human health, both here in Ontario and around the world?
The SHIFT2023 Challenge asks the profession to explore the intersection of architecture and human health, and examine how innovative ideas could improve happiness and well-being. At scales ranging from a room to a building to an entire city (or beyond), how can new architectural approaches offer better outcomes?
More information on the theme, the goals of this biennial award program, and how to participate will be shared with the membership in the weeks to come.