The OAA’s governing Council met in Toronto on Friday, November 28 to discuss a variety of topics, from confirming Committee appointments and Conference programming to approving budgets, a new Practice Tip on CCDC Construction Management Contracts, and updated funding criteria and support related to the Local Architectural Societies.

Joining the open session remotely as an observer was Licensed Technologist Nicola Russo, who will assume the new limited licence seat on the Association’s board of directors next month, along with Andrew Chau and returning Councillors Loloa Alkasawat, Natasha Krickhan, Settimo Vilardi, and Thomas Yeung. (To learn more about the election results, click here.) The meeting also served as a farewell to Councillor Marek Zawadzki who completed his term.

As always, the agendas, minutes, and meeting packages for past Council meetings can be found on the OAA Website.

OAA Draft 2026 Operating and Capital Budgets

Council approved the OAA’s draft 2026 operating and capital budgets for the new fiscal year. This included a 1.25% increase for all membership and certificate of practice (CoP) fees, as well as application fees. Also added was a $500 application fee for U.S. architects applying in accordance with the update Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) between the U.S. National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) and the Regulatory Organizations of Architecture in Canada (ROAC).

Schedule A of the OAA Bylaws is amended and these updates are now in force; they are subject to ratification by the members at the next Annual General Meeting of Members (AGM), which will be held virtually on April 15, 2026.

Appointments to Committees

Council approved the reappointment or appointment of individuals to various statutory and standing OAA Committees, after a successful call for new volunteers was held over the summer. Groups with forthcoming new members include:

• Communications & Public Education Committee (CPEC);
• Complaints Committee;
• Experience Requirements Committee;
• Policy Advisory Coordination Team (PACT);
• Practice Resource Committee (PRC); and
• Registration Committee.

OAA staff are now contacting those who put their names forth to volunteer on these committees. .Listings on the OAA Website will be updated in the new year, once all new chairs are also confirmed after the January Council meeting.

Election of Life Members and Long Standing

A Life Member is a person who has resigned their OAA membership in good standing, currently holds the status of Retired Member, has reached the age of 75, and has been appointed as such by OAA Council. (They do not pay the Retired Member fee.) Similarly, Members of Long Standing are individuals who have reached the milestone of 50 years of membership with the OAA as part of Ontario’s architecture profession.

At the meeting, Council approved all the new candidates for the coming year. They are now being contacted by OAA staff and will be celebrated at the virtual AGM in April.

You can see a list of recent Members of Long Standing on the Blog.

Roster of Continuing Education for OAA Conference 2026

As recommended by the Continuing Education Advisory Committee, Council approved the roster of topics and speakers at next year’s Conference, subject to minor changes based on availability and budget.

The event, themed Collaboration Powering Innovation, will take place in the Kitchener-Waterloo Region in May, exploring how collaboration thrives in the Grand Valley, with its mid-sized cities and architectural gems. The climate crisis, housing shortages, and anxieties around economies and supply chains mean the need for collaboration. In Ontario’s Silicon Valley, the opportunities and challenges posed by AI, automation, and energy modelling will be explored.

The OAA collected more than 100 proposals from industry experts, OAA members, and allied stakeholders, and independently reviewed and assessed them according to the following criteria:

• educational value and learning outcomes of the presentation;
• speakers’ credentials, expertise, and public speaking skills;
• relevance to the Conference theme;
• ensuring speakers and topics are aligned with the OAA’s commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Climate Action, and ongoing Reconciliation with Indigenous communities.

Based on the Committees’ assessments, the proposals were shortlisted to 26 in-class sessions and 12 Experiential Learning to be recommended for the upcoming OAA Conference. More information will be shared in the new year.

Local Architectural Societies

Over the course of the last year, the OAA’s Governance and Finance & Audit Committee had been reviewing specific aspects of the funding provided to the Local Architectural Societies by the OAA. In response to feedback from the Society Chairs, one of the components of those discussions was the need for greater clarity and guidance from the Association regarding administration and management of finances by each Society, while still recognizing the variation in size, composition, and function of each of the 14 groups.

As a result, a new policy has been approved by Council to serve as a supportive tool and framework for budgeting, accounting, investing, and financial reporting while promoting consistency and accountability in financial practices.

Also approved was a set of administrative changes and updates to Special Project Funding program, as suggested by CPEC. It includes refined evaluation criteria, revised deadlines for submission, and updated guidelines.

Update to Practice Tip 23.2 on CCDC Construction Management Contracts

In June 2025, the Canadian Construction Documents Committee (CCDC) released updated versions of its construction management standard contracts—CCDC 5A (Construction Management for Services), CCDC 5B (Construction Management for Services and Construction), and CCDC 17 (Stipulated Price Contract Between Owner and Trade Contractor). These revisions, which replace the 2010 editions, reflect evolving industry practices and regulatory developments, and their release has prompted a comprehensive review and update of several OAA resources.

The OAA’s Practice Tips are written primarily for Architects and Licensed Technologists, but are also a reference for clients, lawyers, and other industry professionals. Practice Tip PT.23.2, CCDC Construction Management Contracts, was originally published in 2012 to provide members with an overview of the various CCDC standard forms of contracts on construction management (CCDC 5A, 5B and 17-2010). It required updates in relation to these CCDC changes, which were then coordinated by the OAA’s Practice Resource Committee (PRC), working with legal counsel and Pro-Demnity Insurance Co. The new version will be available shortly.

Next Meeting

The first Council meeting of the new year will take place on Thursday, January 22 at the OAA Headquarters in Toronto. This will include the election of officers for 2026, including vice presidents and president. It also kicks off the OAA Strategic Plan Review and Council Governance Workshop Planning Session for the year.

For those interested in attending the open session virtually, contact the Association’s Tina Carfa for more information.