COVID-19 Updates

NSAA's COVID-19 Policy

On March 21, 2022, the NSAA revised its COVID-19 Policy.

ExAC

Important message from the National Committee for the ExAC, regarding the administration of the 2020 ExAC

NSAA

Until further notice, the NSAA will continue to operate with the following measures.  As of March 16, 2020, the office was closed to the public.  The Executive Director is splitting her time between working remotely and being on-site for mail and answering telephone messages.  Prior to the public health directives, the Interim Executive Assistant was on a leave of absence which has been extended until the "stay at home" directive has been lifted. This situation may cause certain delays in regular operations.  At this time, no committee meetings will be held at Stoddard House.  Your patience and understanding is greatly appreciated in this regard.  The NSAA will continue to monitor information from our federal and provincial health officials and this may change our operations.

The President of the NSAA will be issuing periodic messages to the membership during this time.  The latest message will be posted at the bottom of this page.

2020 Annual General Meeting and Spring Forum

Due to concerns related to COVID-19, the NSAA is rescheduling its 2020 Annual General Meeting and all events related to Spring Forum 2020.  The health and safety of our attendees, sponsors, presenters, and stakeholders is our highest priority.

The new dates are set for November 16 and 17, 2020 at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.

In the coming weeks, we shall provide further updates.

Latest Message from the President, April 15, 2020

The challenges that the world is facing during this global pandemic are unprecedented, and have profoundly impacted our families, clients, colleagues, and professional community.  Without warning, we have had to transition our practices into remote, isolated workplaces.  Safety protocols are rapidly changing and evolving.  We are being inundated daily with information regarding the current COVID-19 Pandemic.  Many of us have been dealing with the challenges of working remotely, isolation parenting, homeschooling, and caregiving, while still practicing architecture and managing the complex logistics of working remotely with our teams and our clients.  The pandemic has affected us socially, mentally, and financially.

We are being forced to enter a new era of workplace culture.  We are now facing the formidable task of learning how to manage our studios and our practices virtually.  For many of us, it is daunting, as it is uncharted territory, and requires openness to new ideas and change; however, transitioning entirely into online practice is within our reach, now, more than ever before.

It is vital that we be mindful to communicate, share, and collaborate with our teams and our clients, and maintain open channels to allow and encourage much needed synergy to adapt to change.

The execution of construction and contract administration services has become more challenging under the new and evolving public-health protocols.  Two helpful resources that provide updated safety information regarding COVID-19 Safety and Prevention Measures include BuildRightNS and the Canadian Construction Association.

It is every architect’s professional responsibility to use whatever options and tools are available to gather all the necessary information required to effectively and safely fulfill our professional obligations to our clients and the public.  Working within the new public-health guidelines has presented challenges for us, for our clients, and for our teams.  It also provides opportunities for us to discover new ways to communicate and work collaboratively to fulfill our professional obligations, and to provide what is expected of us as architects.

As we strive to fulfill our obligations, I believe that our unique skills and natural curiosity as architects will serve us in good stead as we transcend this difficult time.

As a regulator, the NSAA is committed to ensuring that the interests of the public will be met, while members adapt to carrying out their duties in new ways.

The NSAA will do its best to keep you informed of upcoming developments.  Please email Margo Dauphinee at mdauphinee@nsaa.ns.ca if you have any questions.

It is crucial that we support each another during this difficult time.  Please stay safe and be well.

Spyro Trifos,
President

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