Nominations Open Until October 26 

Nominations for candidates in the election of OAA Council members are open until Monday, October 26. Emails with a dedicated link were sent last Monday, October 5 to all eligible nominators.

Voting begins in November for the successful candidates nominated this month. There are five Architect vacancies, one Licensed Technologist OAA vacancy, and one non-voting Intern Architect vacancy for the upcoming term on Council. Terms would commence on January 1, 2021.

Council sets policy direction, making critical decisions regarding the future of the profession and directly affecting practices and members. Serving on Council is an excellent opportunity to participate in the privilege and responsibility of self-governance that the provincial government entrusts to the profession. From developing educational requirements and expected standards of practice to Architects Act enforcement, Continuing Education, and government relations, you can help shape the future of the architecture profession. 

Please seriously consider running. An effective OAA Council must have diversity among its members and skills, and be representative of the profession. A good Councillor is able to:

• focus on the big picture and material issues;
• consider issues and make decisions without being influenced by pressure from external sources; and
• participate effectively at the Council table, which includes respecting alternative viewpoints.
  

Members of the current OAA Council recently participated in a self-assessment exercise that asked them to rate their knowledge, skills, and expertise in various areas of competencies. To complement the current Council, experience in the following areas has been identified as being particularly important:

• education and teaching;
• environment and ecology;
• marketing and communications;
• insurance; and
• large practices.

If you feel you have strength in any of these areas, please consider running for Council this fall.

In keeping with the OAA and Council’s position on equity, diversity, and inclusion, high value is also placed on additional cultural, racial, gender, and age diversity of membership.

Additional information can be found on the OAA Website and questions may be directed to the Office of the Registrar.