Chamber of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Photo by Scazon via Flickr
As of November 26, 2020, the Architectural Institute of British Columbia (AIBC) is officially part of the Ministry of Attorney General. The change was announced on December 1 in a letter from the Office of the Superintendent of Professional Governance (OSPG).
Previously, the AIBC was under the Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills and Training. The transition of ministries is consistent with a July 14 letter from the Government of British Columbia to the AIBC.
“Over the past three years, Government has shared your concerns about deficiencies identified in the legislation that governs the profession of architecture,” says the July 14 letter. “Specifically, the Architects Act does not provide the legislative tools the AIBC requires, including the lack of a Duties & Responsibilities section, restricted disciplinary options, and static qualification requirements.” “At the same time, Government has invested significant resources and effort to create modern professional governance framework including legislation and oversight to provide greater tools and support to other regulators currently under the Professional Governance Act (PGA) within the natural and built environment. Recognizing Government?s investment in the Professional Governance Act (PGA) as the oversight legislation, and the supporting Office of the Superintendent of Professional Governance (OSPG) ...