Dear Sir/Madam, I am an…

Dear Sir/Madam,
I am an architect, which means that I am a licensed member of the Ontario Association of Architects (OAA). As you know, the OAA is a self-regulating organization, governed by the Architects Act which is a statute of the Government of Ontario. Among its' duties, the OAA administers the Architects Act, in order that the public interest may be served and protected.
I am very concerned about the proposal for an ‘Administrative Authority’ which is identified in the document ‘Transforming and Modernizing the Delivery of Ontario’s Building Code’. It appears that the ‘Administrative Authority’ would duplicate the work of the OAA which is itself an Administrative Authority. It also appears that the formation of an ‘Administrative Authority’ and potential changes to the Building Code Act would give more power to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing including the ability to introduce and regulate a new breed of building professionals called ‘Co-ordinated Professionals’ and ‘Certified Professionals’. This has the very real potential of negatively affecting the ability for an architect in practice, such as myself, to be gainfully employed. I have been in private practice for a short while and have noticed that the public, whom I am to protect, have little knowledge of what an architect does. Contractors I have come across in my neighbourhood, who work on housing and renovating single family homes, appear to be ‘green’ and do not understand the role of an architect. I met a contractor a few years ago, who was quite busy, working on my neighbour’s house and many others, who did not know that an architect was exempt from obtaining a BCIN number. This contractor was also attempting to do construction work illegally. I have contacted building officials in Toronto many, many times over the past few years to alert them to what appeared to be illegal construction work being done in my neighbourhood. This illegal work seems to be done covertly and rampantly by people in the construction industry where an architect is not involved. Yet, I, as an architect, and other architects like me, are underemployed in a booming economy, driven by the construction industry. ‘ How is this possible?’ you might ask. Members of the public who are not architects, possibly not licenced and insured, and have not had the rigourous training that an architect has are offering services at a much reduced price and scope of work and the public is hiring them and simply unaware of the dangers involved. I have heard of people with a BCIN number who are charging members of the public $1/sf to design housing projects and obtain a building permit. Of course, this couldn’t possibly include a co-ordinated set of drawings by professional engineers. The public is unaware of what’s needed or required. Architects simply cannot compete with these low fees. The fees don’t even come close to comparing with the fees that are proposed by the RAIC (Royal Architectural Institute of Canada). Architects are continually updating their skill set as part of keeping up their licences. Architects are sustainability experts, building and design experts, lead consultants, planning experts, and many use the building code on a daily basis and are building code experts. They employ other professionals such as engineers, building code experts and energy modellers.
If the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing wishes to engage in “Transforming and Modernizing the Delivery of Ontario’s Building Code’ in order to support ‘an increase of housing supply, supporting jobs, and streamlining development approvals’ which it says are top priorities for the government, then it would certainly make a great deal of sense to work with the best professionals possible, the Ontario Association of Architects, in order to achieve this purpose. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing with its proposal entitled “Transforming and Modernizing the Delivery of Ontario’s Building Code” currently appears to be undermining the architectural profession and in possible conflict with a government statute, the Architects Act.
Architects are looking for ways to help society and solve societal problems such as the housing crisis and lack of proper architecture and infrastructure in indigenous communities. We would love to be part of the solution and help advise policy makers at the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. We can help municipalities and indeed many architects are dedicating thousands of hours of free labour to help guide municipalities. I have heard from an architect who has donated much of his time and hundreds of thousands of dollars of work to help the community of Saugeen Shores and the town of Southampton with their revised Master Plan. Unfortunately, this architect has not seen an increase in commissions in the area, or any commissions in the township, as a result. However, Southampton and Port Elgin are experiencing a building and housing boom with sub-urban type developments, of inferior building design which appear not to be sustainable or the most energy efficient and not designed by architects.
I would encourage the Ministry of Municipal Affairs & Housing to make funds available immediately to allow municipalities to hire CHIEF ARCHITECTS in addition to Chief Building Officials to help guide them through this unprecedented period of growth in Ontario, and to act as conduits between the Ministry, the OAA and the public. This position should not be taken up by a career bureaucrat but should be held by someone who is engaged in private practice. This can be done by making it a part time position or positions and/or making it a position with a limited term.
I would encourage the Ministry of Municipal Affairs & Housing to make funds available immediately to allow ‘stakeholders’ and other members of the public and business community to hire architects at fees according to those set out by the RAIC in order to help design and build strong, vibrant, sustainable communities.
I would encourage the Ministry of Municipal Affairs & Housing to immediately create a high level role for an architect whose job it would be to liason with the OAA and act as an advisor to the Minister.
This is a time to raise awareness about architects, their role in society and how architecture can improve the lives of all Ontarians. Will you join me and all Ontarian architects to achieve this endeavor?