What we do

Founded in 1889, the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) is an independent regulatory body that serves and protects the public interest by overseeing the architectural profession in Ontario, as mandated by the Architects Act. The Association licenses Architects and Licensed Technologists (OAA members), establishes and enforces standards for professional practice and ethics, and ensures ongoing education to maintain competency. By upholding stringent qualification standards and supporting continuous professional development, the OAA helps ensure its members create safe, accessible, and functional buildings that meet the needs of a diverse society.

Through the accountability it requires and the guidance it provides to its members, the OAA helps shape sustainable, vibrant, and resilient communities across the province. In its commitment to fairness, responsive regulation, and the protection of the public interest, the Association inspires excellence in architecture that serves society.

At the end of 2024, there were 5,053 Architects and 1,967 practices in Ontario. Additionally, 2,006 Intern Architects, 576 Student Associates, and 252 Retired Members held status with the OAA.

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

The principal object of the OAA is to regulate the practice of architecture and to govern its members, holders of certificates of practice (CoPs), and holders of temporary licences in accordance with the Architecture Act (the Act), Regulation 27 (the regulations), and the OAA Bylaws in order that the public interest may be served and protected.

For the purpose of carrying out its principal object, the Association has the following additional objects:

1. To establish, maintain, and develop standards of knowledge and skill among its members.
2. To establish, maintain, and develop standards of qualification and standards of practice for the practice of architecture.
3. To establish, maintain, and develop standards of professional ethics among its members.
4. To establish and maintain, or to assist in the establishment and maintenance of, classes, schools, exhibitions or lectures in, and to promote public appreciation of, architecture and the allied arts and sciences.
5. To perform such other duties and exercise such other powers as are imposed or conferred on the Association by or under any Act.

Strategic Plan

The OAA's current five-year Strategic Plan is in place from 2022 to 2027. It has four clear foundational goals—Regulatory Leadership, Governance and Operations, Member Competency, and Public Education—that each includes a statement defining what successful progress looks like, along with the important initiatives being pursued. Every goal also has a set of measurable targets to allow continual monitoring or progress. The Strategic Plan also includes the OAA’s commitment to address two very important environmental and social governance themes—Climate Action and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion—that act as lenses through which the OAA view its work in order to ensure it positively aligns with the principles.

This initial Strategic Plan was developed in response to recommendations from the OAA’s 2021 operational review. The Association engaged the firm of Kathy McLaughlin & Associates to develop the plan through a process that began with detailed consultation, 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, OAA Council also 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 Council committed to leveraging its investment in the Strategic Plan by operationalizing it through 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, with the plan reviewed annually to ensure it remains current and relevant. To learn more, click here.