08/12/2019
CSLA Bulletin – August 2019
| MORE NEWS……. The Government of Canada is seeking the views of Canadian professional associations in the context of two potential distinct Canadian initiatives. World Trade Organization (WTO) General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) discussions on market access for professional services; and The Professional Services Working Group enacted by the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE NATIONAL (CSLA) RESPONSE TO THESE INITIATIVES, PLEASE CONTACT MICHELLE LEGAULT AT executive-director@csla-aapc.ca BY AUGUST 15TH, 2019. Information on the Consultations Consultation 1: WTO GATS Market Access Discussions The Government of Canada is interested in receiving views from Canadian associations involved in the area of Professional Services, in order to better understand barriers and challenges faced by the industry while doing, or seeking to do, business abroad. Since 1995, Canada has been participating in WTO GATS negotiations in order to promote better market access for Canadian companies in other WTO markets. However, the Doha Round, the latest round of trade negotiations among the WTO Membership, is currently at an impasse and some WTO Members, including Canada, are exploring various ways to re-ignite the discussions on market access in several sectors, including the Professional Services sector. The Professional Services sector constitutes an important priority for Canada, as we are one of the top exporters globally. While Canada’s firms are already active around the world, the sector has further potential to grow as the vast majority of services firms are SMEs, and a stable and predictable global trade environment is necessary for them to pursue new markets. While extensive consultations were undertaken when the Doha Round was launched in the early 2000s, a significant period of time has elapsed since then and interests/issues may have evolved. In this context, our team is now consulting Canadian stakeholders in order to better understand the opportunities and challenges currently faced by your industry. For that reason, we would welcome your views on issues your members are facing, such as: Any barriers or experiences faced by the Professional services industry, including: Identification of barriers to the temporary entry and stay of business persons faced by Canadian service providers in foreign countries, such as impediments to entering or working in a country on a temporary basis, including licensing, certification, work permit and other work authorization requirements. Identification of investment barriers faced by Canadian service providers in foreign countries, including restrictions imposed on foreign ownership or entry to market, questions of transparency of regulation, performance requirements (e.g. local content requirements, use of local labour and services), and any other impediments/barriers. Experiences regarding barriers to services provided electronically by Canadian service providers, such as licensing or residency requirements. Other barriers (e.g. availability and transparency of information) when selling or attempting to sell services in other countries. Consultation 2: CPTPP Professional Services Working Group Discussions The CPTPP entered into force in December 2018 and under this Agreement Parties established a Professional Services Working Group to facilitate further collaboration on issues such as the recognition of qualifications, licensing or registration. I have attached a copy of the CPTPP Professional Services Annex, for your reference. A meeting of the Professional Services Working Group could take place as early as fall 2019. This meeting would present an opportunity for Canada to propose ideas and discuss potential partnerships regarding professional services trade beyond the bound obligations of the CPTPP. For example, one idea could be a non-binding guidelines document to facilitate the drafting of Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) by regulatory authorities, similar to those that were included in the recent Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) outcome. |
07/25/2019
CANWest Horticulture EXPO 2019
Visit https://reg.conexsys.com/cwhe19 to register for CanWest 2019 today! For more info on CanWest 2019, download our brochure: click the button below.
07/25/2019
CSLA Bulletin – July 2019
Read the latest CSLA news here.
06/26/2019
PRESS RELEASE: Two award-winning design firms merge after more than two decades of collaboration
When Rob Leblanc started two companies 24 years ago, they were so different it only made sense to have separate names. At the time, the internet was brand new and Form:Media was focused on bridging graphic design with electronic media. Ekistics Planning & Design specialized in landscape architecture and urban planning. There was very little overlap in services and clients.
Over the years, the companies have grown closer and closer with significantly more overlap in design services and the cross-pollination of different design professions.
Rob Leblanc explains, “We have become a design ‘collective’ with a wide range of design and planning services. We believe a collective group across diverse specialties will always be more powerful when developing solutions to complex problems. Different design perspectives bring new approaches and better ways of solving design challenges.”
And so here we here, celebrating the birth of a new firm. On June 26, 2019, Form:Media and Ekistics Plan & Design will merge into one company:
Fathom Studio
The new name is uniquely maritime and reinforces the depth of services and knowledge the Fathom team brings to every project. The name also reflects the commitment to understand a difficult problem after much collective discussion and thought, which is the hallmark of the team’s approach. The divisions include architecture, landscape architecture, planning, transportation engineering, signage & wayfinding, interpretive planning and place branding with 28 full-time staff.
Company ownership and values remain unchanged as Fathom Studio welcomes a new generation of architects and designers. Rob Leblanc says it best: “Fathom Studio is wholly committed to making our region a better place to live, grow and prosper and we are excited to work with like-minded organizations that share our optimism for the future.”
Contact Information:
Rob Leblanc
Fathom Studios
Rob.leblanc@fathomstudio.ca
06/26/2019
Save the Date: 2019 APALA Annual General Meeting
APALA is holding their Annual General Meeting on Friday, October 25, 2019 at the Dalhousie Campus in Bible Hill, NS.
We look forward to sharing further details about the program and speakers, etc. in the near future.
06/26/2019
CSLA Launches a Federal Election Toolkit and Undertakes a Political Engagement Campaign
Election Toolkit
CLICK HERE to view the CSLA’s federal election toolkit
During the 2019 federal election campaign, CSLA members have an opportunity to raise awareness of issues related to landscape architecture. This election toolkit is designed to help CSLA members advocate for better communities by engaging with their candidates. The toolkit also contains useful links to help you find out quickly if you are registered to vote, your electoral constituency or riding, the candidates in your riding and their party’s platform. There are also sample letters as well as sample questions for members to use. These basic tools can also be tailored and customized to more closely address issues in your federal constituency. The CSLA encourages its members to question candidates and to compare their positions on specific issues and educate them on important policy issues that may not be addressed otherwise.
CSLA’s Political Engagement Campaign
In May 2019, the CSLA Board decided to hire Brown & Cohen Communications & Public Affairs to undertake a 60-day campaign to raise the profile of the profession of landscape architecture on Parliament Hill.
On June 10th and 11th, Glenn O’Connor, OALA, FCSLA, ASLA (CSLA President), Michelle Legault (CSLA Executive Director) Howard Brown (Brown and Cohen Communications and Public Affairs) with the support of Colleen Mercer Clarke, APALA, FCSLA (Chair of the CSLA’s Committee on Climate Adaptation) and Chris Grosset, NuALA, FCSLA (Chair of the CSLA’s Reconciliation Advisory Committee), met with a number of MPs and senior staff on Parliament Hill with the objectives of:
06/20/2019
CSLA’s DRAFT Statement on Landscape Architecture and Reconciliation
The deadline for feedback is August 15th, 2019
At the recent 2019 CSLA Congress in Vancouver, the CSLA’s Reconciliation Advisory Committee heard important messages about the profession and reconciliation. The RAC sees opportunity for getting feedback on, and improving, the CSLA’s DRAFT Statement on Landscape Architecture and Reconciliation. Please help us strengthen this statement by contributing to the discussion.
Learn more about the Reconciliation Advisory Committee
Thank you! The Reconciliation Advisory Committee (Chris Grosset, Chair, Grant Fahlgren, James Thomas and Michelle Legault)
06/17/2019
CSLA Bulletin – June 2019
In this edition:
• View pictures from the 2019 CSLA Congress
• View the winning video from the 2019 World Landscape Architecture Month Video Competition
• Contribute to the CSA’s review of the Flood Resilient Design Standard Lire le bulletin de l’AAPC
Dans cette édition:
• Voir les photos du Congrès AAPC 2019
• Consulter la vidéo gagnante de la compétition du Mois mondial d’architecture de paysage
• Contribuer à l’examen public de la norme de Conception résiliente aux inondations de l’ACN.
View the bulletin here.
05/14/2019
News from the LACF
Click here to read the latest news from the LACF and to view their new website.
05/14/2019
2019 Essay Competition Update
APALA is pleased to announce that Rachael Fitkowski is the recipient of the 2019 Essay Competition!
Rachael wrote about Connecting
the Continents: The Transatlantic Park in Heart’s Content, Newfoundland,
the location of the landing site of the first telegraphic cable that
crossed the Atlantic Ocean. Her essay, along with photos, can be found on
our website here.
A component organization of
CSLA: Canadian Society of Lnadscape Architects AAPC: L'Association des architects paysagistes du Canada