Updates From the September 2022 Meeting

On September 22, OAA Council met in-person at the OAA Headquarters, with some members joining virtually over Zoom. Executive, Committee Chairs, and Association staff presented updates on various programs and activities, and decisions were made on a range of topics.

K–12 Education

In 2020, the OAA Comprehensive Education Committee (CEC) initiated a project focused on the creation of a K–12 education resource guide, “Architecture Education for Students: An Educator’s Guide to Teaching Architectural Concepts.” Given the urgency of learning about the relationship between climate action and building sustainability, as well as the renewed appreciation for STEAM programming, such a resource has important potential for educators and students.

Council recognizes curriculum development is a specialized field and the OAA cannot advance a project like this on its own. Therefore, the Association will now work to host a ‘Big Think’ roundtable session on Grades K–12 architectural education in Ontario in the late fall 2022/winter 2023 to determine next steps; stakeholders are currently being identified for participation.

Further, OAA President Susan Speigel will write to the Minister of Education, advancing the recommendation the K-12 Ontario curriculum include architectural programming/content.

Conferences

The OAA Conference, “Designing for Dignity,” is scheduled for Sudbury from June 21 to 23, 2023. A brainstorming session was hosted at the OAA in July to gather ideas regarding all aspects of conference including special events, programming, educational content, tours, as well as local activities. One of the foundational principles that resonated from this meeting was the desire to take an experiential approach through the lens of the unique location and theme. There was consensus Conference should focus on getting out in the community, learning about the local environment adjacent to urban issues, and hearing about local challenges related to architecture. Case studies and educational tours were also a strong recommendation.

A draft schedule, developed by Vice President Practice Ted Wilson and Northern Ontario Society of Architects (NOSA) Chair Amber Salach, was further refined by OAA staff and consultant MCC. This draft schedule, along with plans for a special “best-of-Sudbury” virtual event in the fall, were approved by Council, with more information to be released in the weeks to come.

In other Conference-related news, the location for the 2025 event has now been confirmed as Ottawa. (The 2024 edition will be in Niagara Falls.)

Venice Biennale

Council agreed to offer financial sponsorship of Canada’s entry for the 2023 Venice Biennale, “Not for Sale!,” which focuses on the country’s housing crisis. Architects Against Housing Alienation (AAHA) was awarded the commission to represent Canada at the Biennale by the Canada Council for the Arts. With a goal of transforming the Canada Pavilion into a headquarters for equitable housing, the group will collaborate with various activist organizations, housing advocates, and architects to develop demands and create projects to address housing alienation. The teams of organizations will host online events and in-person events in Canada to encourage a call for safe, healthy, and more equitable housing.

Technologist Scholarships

Council agreed with the OAA Technology Program Integration Committee’s suggestion to fold the  OAAAS Student Awards Program into the Association’s existing Scholarship Program. This would continue to recognize exceptional work and effort by students in the technology programs, as well as expand the number of students and schools that would benefit from the award and financial support.

More details will be shared regarding the program, but the 11 colleges with architectural technology programs in Ontario would each receive two scholarships to bestow, based on OAA criteria that includes excellence in design related to climate action, as well as equity, diversity, and inclusion, and truth and Reconciliation.

In other news related to the OAA Technology Program, some minor wording edits have occurred in Council Policy documents and Regulatory Notices to reflect the sunsetting of OAAAS.

Exemption Requests to Council

One of the strategies of the OAA’s strategic plan is to increase transparency, fairness, objectivity, and impartiality of the OAA registration and regulatory processes. With this in mind, staff has been reviewing the procedures related to the Exemption Requests to Council process. It was recommended by OAA’s legal counsel that some additional procedural steps should be added, including the opportunity for the applicant to submit a response to the Experience Requirements Committee (ERC) recommendation as well as the procedural incorporation of written Council Reasons setting out the rationale the Council Decision.

Taking a consistent approach/process ensures necessary issues are addressed, mitigating risk for Council and the OAA while also providing a record of past approaches. Other changes to the policy were approved by Council to ensure meaning is consistent with the Architects Act.

FARPACTA

Review of the aforementioned Exemption Requests procedures is also aligned with work being done in conjunction with the Office of the Fairness Commissioner (OFC)—specifically, alternative paths to licensure.

The OFC assesses the registration practices of regulated professions and trades in Ontario to ensure they are transparent, objective, impartial, and fair for anyone applying to practise in Ontario. It supports the Fairness Commissioner in acting on the mandate set out in the Fair Access to Regulated Professions and Compulsory Trades Act, 2006 (FARPACTA) and the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA).

New legislative changes to FARPACTA are complete and have an impact with respect to Canadian Experience Requirements (CER) on the path to licensure in this province. Council has directed the Registrar to draft a work plan related to the Association requesting an exemption from the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training, and Skills Development regarding these requirements. More information will be shared as this develops.

Appointments and Reappointments

Former OAA Councillor Jeff Laberge was reappointed to be the Association’s representative to the national Committee for the Examination for Architects in Canada (CExAC). Additionally, OAA member Chris Montgomery has been appointed as the representative to the University of Toronto’s John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design School Council.

Councillor Clayton Payer will be nominated as the Ontario representative to the for the Regulatory Organizations of Architecture in Canada (ROAC) International Relations Committee.

Next Meeting