Over the past several months, the provincial government has undertaken a consultation process on the reserved practice of the profession of architecture, as shared in June 2022. “Reserved practice” under the Professional Governance Act is the scope of practice reserved for registrants of a profession. It includes professional practice undertaken under the supervision of a registrant and allows for overlaps between professions and exceptions allowed by law. As a reminder, it is the provincial government that sets reserved practice, unlike bylaws.
The government asked the AIBC to provide recommendations on reserved practice to replace Section 60 of the Architects Act, which is also commonly known as the “exceptions”. The AIBC created a set of recommendations by convening a group of experienced industry stakeholders to examine the current reserved practice of architecture and suggest recommendations for language and scope improvement. The key objective of the recommendations was to align reserved practice with the BC Building Code and public safety regulations to the greatest extent possible, but in every case, to try to calibrate the legal requirements for an architect with public protection expectations in the modern built environment.
In summary, the key proposed recommendations included:
- Language written in the affirmative, clearly describing which buildings require the services of an architect;
- Modern calibration of building type and size to better align with the BC Building Code and public safety expectations of key stakeholders;
- Minimizing interpretive ambiguity for the public, including owner-developers and building officials; and,
- Helping ensure public safety, environmental protection and the right to access in the built environment.
After a second round of consultation that resulted in extensive feedback from primary stakeholders, including the Office of the Superintendent of Professional Governance, Building and Safety Standards Branch, Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia, and Building Officials’ Association of BC, the AIBC made some amendments to the original set of recommendations. The primary change was to revert to “five or more dwelling units” as the threshold for requiring an architect. While changes were made, the key objective of the recommendations remained the same: to close the gap between the BC Building Code and the current Section 60 of the Architects Act. Readers will also note that the recommendations maintain the status quo in most areas. The OSPG, the AIBC, and other stakeholders have expressed their commitment to continuing to review and more carefully calibrate the reserved practice in the public interest through 2023 and beyond.
Read the AIBC’s revised Reserved Practice Recommendations Chart (PDF)
The province is finalizing its review of the updated recommendations and stakeholder feedback, which will lead to the drafting of regulations for the profession of architecture under the PGA. If you have any questions about the AIBC’s transition to the PGA, please email pga@aibc.ca.
Learn more about the AIBC’s transition to the Professional Governance Act