At the July 12, 2016 council meeting, the AIBC Council dealt with the below items.
Governance Committee
- Council approved the Guidelines and Procedures for Council Committees, Task Forces and Working Groups; this concludes the extensive review of council and operational committees conducted by the Governance Committee. Review the updated Governance Chart. Updated Committee Terms of Reference will be posted on the AIBC website in due course.
- Council approved a motion to establish Monday, May 8, 2017 as next year’s annual meeting. The conference will be held, May 8-10, 2017. Please mark your calendars.
- Council approved for consideration the 2016 Annual Meeting’s Member Motion that seeks to delay the CES reporting deadline by two months after the June 30 CES deadline to those who have earned the requisite LUs within the reporting period. The Chief Executive Officer was directed to prepare a report on this topic for council’s review.
Finance Committee
- The AIBC continues to be in a comfortable financial position. Fee billing is complete, conference statements are wrapping up and the next major focus will be on CES fines.
- Ground floor suite 101 has been leased. The new tenants are currently undertaking renovations and will move in shortly. The second floor space is still available for rent.
- The Operating Reserve Fund amount was increased to $1 million, per Council Policy 2.5 / 1.13 Reserve Funds, approved through March 2015 motion.
Chief Executive Officer Report
External
- The Chief Executive Officer attended a number of events including the Vancouver Urban Design Awards, CALA Regulators’ Meeting and CALA Administrators Meeting, as well as AIBC’s Induction & Retirement Ceremony, the AIBC Annual Conference and Annual Council Retreat.
Internal
- The Professional Conduct & Illegal Practice department continues to pursue a significant number of illegal practice infractions/inquiries. Two items of note include buildings in the Interior (Kamloops and Vernon) where an architect was required but not hired. The AIBC is in contact with the owner and jurisdiction.
- Regarding professional conduct, seven complaints have been received in 2016 for a total of 10 active files (including carry-over from 2015); more than 60 potential matters have been received, slightly higher than last year at this time.
- Seven Consensual Resolution files have been completed. Of the 26 outstanding matters, 20 pertain to CES.
- The two-year CES reporting period ended on June 30. As of the deadline, more than 165 architects and architectural technologists were non-compliant, though the number is expected to decline as late reports are received. Mid-July, final numbers will be pulled and reviewed by staff. It is worthwhile to note that members who remain non-compliant are processed through the lengthy complaints mechanism. Review the CES FAQ or for more information, contact AIBC’s professional services staff at pd@aibc.ca.
- The Recognized Educational Provider Program (formerly called Registered Educational Provider Program) was rebranded and relaunched with the start of the 2016-18 CES cycle.
- This year’s annual conference was combined with the annual meeting. The annual meeting was well attended and combining the events was well received. Projected conference attendance was lower than anticipated, likely due to it being the third conference in two years. However, more than 80 per cent of delegates surveyed rated the conference as “very good” or “excellent”.
- Through the great work of JOSH (Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee), several staff members have been trained in First Aid, including the use of the recently purchased AED (Automated External Defibrillator).
- The end of June saw the loss of self-regulation for the BC Real Estate Council. In the words of Premier Christy Clark, “Self-regulation is very much a privilege that is granted on behalf of the public by government to professions that say they can do the job and prove that they can do the job.”
Bylaw Review
- Council approved, in principle, the associate bylaws and, supporting rules as recommended by the Bylaw Review Committee. In addition, council approved starting the consultation process. Consultation session details, supporting documentation, and updates will be communicated regularly to AIBC registrants via eNews and eBlasts. For ease of access and reference, a dedicated section of the website will house the material supporting this initiative.
- Of note, 97 per cent of voters cast their ballot in favour of the proposed Investigations and Discipline Bylaws; the voting period ran June 13-July 8. The bylaws now await the passing of the 45-day legislative disallowance period. Members and other registrants will be notified of the final bylaw status in due course.
Other Business
- Motions were passed for council committee changes, examination results and register amendments as well as terms of reference.
- Ongoing policy compliance reporting continues to be submitted to council for review. No non-compliant issues identified thus far.
Read adopted May 10 and 16 council meeting minutes.
The next regular meeting of AIBC Council is scheduled for September 13, 2016. It will be held at the AIBC office between 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. For those interested in attending an AIBC Council Meeting, please confirm your attendance in advance by email to ttough@aibc.ca.