With the year drawing to a close, the 2018 Annual Renewal Cycle is in full swing. The Firm Information Update was completed in October, and the Annual Registration Renewal invoices were sent to members during the week of November 20, 2017. Below are a few updates regarding invoice payments, firm information submissions and professional liability insurance.
2018 Annual Renewal of Registration
It has been just over two weeks since the renewal invoices were sent out, and already 14% of members have paid their fees! We would like to thank everyone who has submitted their payments. Your membership fees support ongoing initiatives and programming that allow the Institute to uphold high standards of governance and operations representative of institutional excellence. As a reminder, the deadline for annual renewal of registration is February 1, 2018.
Firm Information Update
The Firm Information Update concluded on October 13, 2017 with an 81% completion rate, which is over 900 firms! However, there are still more than 200 firms (approximately 19%) which did not complete this important regulatory requirement. It has been brought to the AIBC’s attention that Firm Administrators may have updated their firm’s information, but not clicked the “confirm” button on the bottom right-hand side of the firm’s online profile. By missing this step, the Firm Information Update was not submitted and therefore not completed.
Please ensure you check off all the boxes, and then click “confirm” to complete the Firm Information Update. You will know if you have successfully completed the process when you see the “Thank you for verifying your information and completing the Annual Firm Update” message.
As a reminder, the annual update is a requirement for all architectural firms, as prescribed in AIBC Bylaw 15.4 (PDF). In addition, Bylaw 34.5 (PDF), Council Rulings 34.5 (f) and (h) (PDF), require architects (and firms) to respond promptly to all AIBC communications requiring a response, and to provide accurate contact information. It is your firm’s professional responsibility to comply with these bylaws and rulings, if only to confirm that the information on record is correct. Those who fail to complete the Annual Firm Information Update may be subject to disciplinary action.
Professional Liability Insurance
This year, part of the Firm Information Update included several questions regarding Professional Liability Insurance (PLI). Out of the firms that responded, the majority of certificate of practice holders reported having PLI.
Proposed rules regarding insurance amounts, coverage and other aspects of the mandatory PLI requirement will be shared with members in early 2018. The expected minimum amount of PLI coverage would be $250,000 per claim, with an annual aggregate limit of not less than $500,000.
Please note that while the PLI Bylaws supported by members and honorary members are now in effect, compliance is not mandatory until the 2019 annual renewal cycle.
AIBC Contact
If you have any questions, please visit the AIBC Annual Renewal FAQ webpage or if you need assistance with firm updates, contact AIBC Licensing Coordinator Kim Underwood at firmupdates@aibc.ca.