13 Guiding Principles

As we move close to the formal drafting process with government, we are able to share with the AAA membership the key policy decisions that will guide the next steps. The member vote on the 13 Guiding Principles informed the direction of this policy development.

In keeping with the format of the member consultations done to date, below is a list of policy decisions as per the 13 Guiding Principles voted on by the AAA membership in 2014.

Guiding Principle 1 - Liability Insurance

Member Approved?	Guiding Principle	Status/Comments
✓	Guiding Principle 1 AAA members who are actively practicing architecture or interior design in Alberta should be covered by professional liability insurance, and the firm/corporation should be required to carry professional liability insurance rather than the individual.	This principle will be a core element of the new legislation.

Guiding Principle 2 - Scope Exclusions

Guiding Principle 3 - Consistent definition of scope in Alberta Building Code

Guiding Principle 4 - Allied Professions

Guiding Principle 5 - Architectural Technologists and Interior Design Technologists

Guiding Principle 6 - Practice Support Program

Guiding Principle 7 - Role and Responsibility Clarification Between PRB, Complaints and Council

Guiding Principle 8 - Transparent Outcomes of Discipline Hearings

Guiding Principle 9 - Public Discipline Hearings

Guiding Principle 10 - Public Representation on Complaint Review Committee

Guiding Principle 11 - Dispute Resolution Process

Guiding Principle 12 - Naming of Practice Entities

Guiding Principle 13 - Protected Titles

AAA members and other stakeholders are invited to provide feedback on the policy recommendations noted on this website.

Send Legislation Review Feedback Back to Legislation Review Summary

Member Vote	Guiding Principle	Status/Comments
✕ NOTE: This principle was NOT supported by the membership.	Guiding Principle 9 Hold hearings of the Complaint Review Committee in public.	The AAA has requested that discipline hearings remain private under any new legislation. The Ministry of Labour and Immigration has expressed that such a provision would be against the general principles of transparency and public accountability which are the cornerstones of legislation for self-regulating professions. As a result, a request to keep discipline hearings private is unlikely to be approved. However, while the statutory default would be to hold a public hearing, legislative mechanisms will allow a party to request that a hearing or part of a hearing be held in private in circumstances where particularly sensitive or proprietary information is to be discussed.

Member Vote	Guiding Principle	Status/Comments
✓	Guiding Principle 2 Remove from both the Architects Act and the Alberta Building Code current exclusion from the requirement for an architect’s seal for: buildings of assembly, care and detention; high-hazard industrial and re-locatable camps; and residential occupancies that can be clearly demonstrated to require a seal in the interest of public health and safety.	More information to follow. We continue to work on this principle.

Member Vote	Guiding Principle	Status/Comments
✓	Guiding Principle 4 Include language in the Architects Act and General Regulation that allows for the creation of categories of membership within the regulations, and which may include allied professions.	We are working towards language in the Act and General Regulation that will give us as much flexibility as possible for categories of membership for allied professions, both in the short term and for many years to come.

Member Vote	Guiding Principle	Status/Comments
✓	Guiding Principle 5 Enact regulations that establish categories of AAA membership for architectural technologists and interior design technologists, and prescribe academic qualifications, training requirements, title protection and other conditions respecting their registration.	More information to follow. We continue to work on this principle. See note above re Guiding Principle 4.

Member Vote	Guiding Principle	Status/Comments
✓	Guiding Principle 6 Redefine practice reviews to shift towards a proactive, objectives-based and supportive program based on documented standards and resources	This principle is being incorporated. It is consistent with what is done in modern legislation for other self-regulatory professions to support continuing competence of the membership.