Members of the former Canadian Architectural Licensing Authorities (CALA) have incorporated as a new not-for-profit group, the Regulatory Organizations of Architecture in Canada (ROAC).
As a unified body, ROAC includes the 11 provincial and territorial bodies responsible for regulating the practice of architecture. To serve the public interest, these regulators set qualifications and practice standards for entry into the profession, issuing registration and licences to those meeting them.
ROAC will continue the former CALA’s work on a national level. This includes the Examination for Architects in Canada (ExAC) and the Internship in Architecture Program (IAP), as well as serving as the conduit between the regulators and the Canadian Architectural Certification Board (CACB).
Headquartered in Vancouver, ROAC seeks to enhance the strength and diversity of the profession in the public interest, and to ensure modern, appropriate recognition of qualifications are maintained. The national body will continue developing nationally recognized standards and programs to meet regulatory responsibilities as well as the needs of the public and the architectural profession. This includes improving professional mobility throughout Canada and internationally using tools such as Mutual Recognition Agreements to honour architectural credentials and qualifications, and provide a path for obtaining registration across participating jurisdictions.
These regulatory bodies made the decision to incorporate as ROAC to more effectively continue the longstanding work historically conducted by CALA. Ian McDonald has been named the group’s inaugural chair.
“Several principles established by the CALA Incorporation Task Force were important for us to preserve,” he explains. “These include flexibility and efficiency, equality of voice, autonomy and decision-making, architectural voice, preserving working structure, and funding and administrative support. The principles were designed to ensure what was working well with CALA remains true in ROAC.”
Under the new not-for-profit’s governance structure, each member organization appoints a director to represent their jurisdiction on the ROAC Board of Directors. These directors will meet regularly to oversee the organization’s activities, while member meetings with the broader regulatory bodies will happen at least annually.
“The primary goal of the new ROAC and all of its member organizations is to protect the public interest,” says McDonald. “Working together under this new official structure allows us to enhance and strengthen the standards, programs, and opportunities within the architecture profession across Canada, while preserving the tradition of provincial and territorial regulatory autonomy.”
