• New on-demand resource available: Marketing for Architects. The first lesson is available free for members. Register here. 

• Missed the webinar ‘A Celebration of the Accessibility Acts of Canada and the US’ presented by the RAIC and U.S. Embassy in Canada? Watch the recording here.   

• Members in the news: The RAIC Indigenous Task Force Chair, and the Truth and Reconciliation Task Force Co-Chair, Dr. Patrick Stewart, MRAIC, contributed to an article on how COVID-era school design can take lessons from Indigenous educators. Dr. Stewart also spoke on the topic here. 

The RAIC Truth and Reconciliation Task Force invites you to attend a live, virtual event to learn about the Task Force’s proposal requesting the RAIC membership adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (‘The Declaration’) at the 2021 Annual General Meeting on June 30, 2021. The adoption of The Declaration as a resolution by RAIC membership will serve as an important step for the RAIC on its path of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and address the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action 43 and 44.

The event will be hosted by Task Force co-chairs Dr. Patrick Stewart, MRAIC, Architect, AIBC and Alfred Waugh, MRAIC, Architect, AIBC—and will include a presentation on The Declaration, followed by a Q&A session. The event is free and open to all RAIC members. Registration is required in advance.

Date: Thursday, April 29, 2021

Time: 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. ET

Continuing education learning hours: 1 credit

Fueled by the desire to strengthen the presence of books on architecture for young readers in their local public library, the RAIC Halifax network is proud to partner with Halifax Public Libraries to envision a book sponsorship project. This collaboration aims to build a comprehensive collection about architecture, specifically targeted towards children, adolescents, and teens.  

Books are, above all, a vehicle for meaning and values, a medium for knowledge and imagination.  
-Rosi and Evans, 2005  

Get involved!  

You can support this program and help build this collection by sponsoring one or more books.  Each book sponsorship is $25 and includes a personalized bookplate.    
To acknowledge and recognize sponsorship, all contributors will have the option for an individual or firm name added as a bookplate (decorative label in the front page of the book).  

The RAIC International Indigenous Architecture and Design Symposium is hosted by the RAIC Indigenous Task Force. The Symposium focuses on Indigenous representation, narratives and collaborations.

The deadline to register for the best rates has been extended to April 30, 2021 (11:59 p.m. PT).

Join the latest conversations on RAIC Connects:

RAIC Member Community

• Question on Mass Timber
• Off-shore Architecture

Climate Action Community

• Taking Action: and Seth Klein's A Good War Mobilizing Canada for the Climate Emergency
• What skills do Architects need to address climate change?

Join the Health, Safety, and Accessibility stream at the RAIC 2021 Virtual Conference on Architecture to gain knowledge and skills in fire safety, healthy environments, accessibility, and the relationship between architecture and wellbeing. The sessions include:

Fire Safety – Presented by: Angie Ogino and Salvatore Ciarlo

Healthy Housing: An Evidence-Based Approach – Presented by: Yew-Thong Leong 

Accessible Architecture: Beyond the Ramp – Presented by: Ron Wickman

Building to Thrive: Design Strategies for Supporting Community Wellbeing and Individual Safety – Presented by: Cynthia Dovell and Lindsay Farr

To learn more about these sessions, and for a full list of sessions, click here.

Fees and Procurement Working Group

The key responsibility of the RAIC Fees and Procurement Working Group is to serve in an advisory capacity to the RAIC regarding the goals, objectives, activities, and resources as it relates to fees and procurement by engaging the knowledge and experience of RAIC members. The working group will assist architects and clients in determining appropriate fees in relation to architectural services and business risk; and to recommend and promote procurement practices for clients which encourage superior performance of architectural services, to the benefit of clients, architects and the public.

Long Term Care Design Working Group

The key responsibility of the LTC Design Working Group is to serve in an advisory capacity to the RAIC regarding the goals, objectives, activities, and resources as it relates to LTC design to improve health and wellbeing of residents by engaging the knowledge and experience of RAIC members. The working group will advise the RAIC about objectives and recommendations for architects, building code authorities and government health authorities for the design of residential settings for the elderly people in need of care to improve health and wellbeing of residents generally, and in response to pandemics.

We seek individuals who will contribute their unique skills to create a broad pool of knowledge and experience within the committee.

Duration of Term: 2 years

Meetings: 10-12 times per year

Deadline: April 30, 2021

The RAIC welcomes everyone to the organization. We are committed to equity and justice as well as inclusion across race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability and age and encourages anyone interested in the position to apply.

The Government of Canada has launched an Engagement Paper on Canada’s first National Infrastructure Assessment: “Building the Canada We Want in 2050.” It sets out the purpose and benefits of undertaking a National Infrastructure Assessment and seeks input from the public, Indigenous peoples, provinces, territories, municipalities, and stakeholders on three main priorities of the assessment:

1] Assessing Canada’s infrastructure needs and establishing a long-term vision;

2] Improving coordination among infrastructure owners and funders; and

3] Determining the best ways to fund and finance infrastructure.

The National Infrastructure Assessment, once in place, will help identify Canada’s evolving needs and priorities in the built environment and undertake evidence-based long-term planning toward a net-zero emissions future.

The RAIC is planning to respond to the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities engagement to help shape Canada’s first National Infrastructure Assessment. This engagement will give the RAIC the opportunity to provide feedback on the Assessment’s three priorities.

We want to hear from you to inform our response.

Please provide your feedback by May 31, 20215:00pm PST.

• Engaging Black People and Power – Created by placemaker, author, and Canadian Urban Institute’s Senior Fellow of Equity-Based Placemaking, Jay Pitter, in collaboration with students and scholars in York University’s Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, this publication highlights engagement practice and policy approaches for addressing spatialized anti-Blackness in cities across North America. The publication and related graduate course were spurred by the public execution of George Floyd and draws on the seminal scholarship and ancestral example of W.E.B. Du Bois. It features ten case studies, policy expert roundtable discussion highlights, practical templates and recommendations. This powerful resource is available at no cost and provides urbanists, community organizations, scholars, students, and policy experts with insights that transform recent and long-standing conversations toward action. Access your copy today.

• Watch RAIC board member Joanna Hurme, 5468796 Architecture, in a CUI Lightning Talk: Provocations on the Future of Downtowns.

• Dr. Richard B. Splane Lecture in Social Policy Presents “Mobilizing Canada for the Climate Emergency” with Seth Klein

• Listen to a recent interview with architect Douglas Cardinal on building harmony with nature

The Co-operative Education / Integrated Work Program is available to students in all disciplines (Architecture, City Planning, Environmental Design, Interior Design, and Landscape Architecture). 

Co-op work terms help students develop skills, broaden perspectives, and consider future career specialization. Work terms must be a minimum of 10-weeks, full-time, paid employment.  

Get a Co-op student working for you! Email: faumcoop@umanitoba.ca.   

The RAIC welcomes everyone to the organization. We are committed to equity and justice as well as inclusion across race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability and age.