ConEd cycle extended, provincial conferences canceled

The OAA, AAA and OAQ have extended the current Continuing Education (ConEd) cycle by six months to December 31, 2020. Their decision was made in coordination with the other regulators, who are maintaining efforts to harmonize ConEd programs across the country. Additionally, the OAA and AAA has lifted the cap on the number of hours carried forward from this cycle to the next. The OAQ is allowing for hours logged after July 1 to count towards the next cycle.

The AIBC is also planning to extend its ConEd cycle, although the exact dates are yet to be determined.

The provincial and territorial regulators, as well as the RAIC, are working on a number of additional initiatives to help architects amid the uncertainties of the COVID-19 situation.

The RAIC is transitioning all of its ConEd events and offerings to digital platforms, starting immediately and effective through May 30. Its next virtual workshop is Financial Management for Architects, running from March 20-21, 2020. The virtual workshop Leadership for Architects runs from April 3-4, 2020. RAIC members and non-members can register for these courses. The RAIC is also running a weekly Webday Wednesdays series of webinars, with a new theme each month.

The annual conferences of the OAA, OAQ and AIBC have been canceled, and the AAA’s biannual Banff Session has been postponed, with plans to reschedule in late 2020 or 2021.

The OAA is developing online versions of some of the courses from its canceled conference online, as well as preparing an online version of their course Fundamentals of Running an Architectural Practice. To help practices that may experience cash flow issues, they have extended the deadline for payment of Certificate of Practice fees until July 31.

 

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If you can, please stay at home. We all need to make an effort to help protect the more vulnerable people in our communities and try and break the chain of infection. ? The fact is that you might be carrying the virus without showing any symptoms, so it’s important to minimise contact with others even if you consider yourself healthy. These are difficult times for all of us, but especially for the less fortunate people in our society so it’s time we come together and show some compassion. ? Don’t be selfish, don’t stockpile, stay at home as much as you possibly can, and if you must go out please practice good hygiene and try and keep your distance. ? I’m hopeful that when all this is over, we will have learned something valuable about working together as a community.

A post shared by Sara Andreasson (@saraandreasson) on Mar 16, 2020 at 4:59am PDT

“In keeping with the recommendations of government and medical officials at municipal, provincial, and federal levels, it is important to remember that social distancing is one of the best measures for flattening the curve of the coronavirus. I urge all practices to host virtual meetings as well as pursue options for their staff to work remotely from home if they have not yet done so. There are many platforms available to facilitate this new approach to business,” wrote OAA President Kathleen Kurtin in a bulletin to members released yesterday.

“Now, more than ever, the architecture profession must adapt to these shifting paradigms and exhibit leadership and resiliency while taking good care.”

An earlier version of this article mistakenly stated that all of the provincial and territorial regulators had extended their ConEd cycles. 

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