We all have a role to play in society in order to minimize the impacts of climate change caused by the industrial developments of the last decade. Often, it is the poorest populations who have not even contributed to the current situation of the planet who pay the price. Hurricanes, tsunamis, floods, earthquakes, landslides, droughts, etc, affect these poor and fragile populations. Emergency Architects of Canada was established in order to mobilize populations and to help those suffering from the consequences of the inaction and reckless behaviour of the last decades. Also, these consequences are hitting more and more the richer populations of the globe, including Canada, and preparation and responsibility for emergency intervention is unavoidable. It is in this light that Emergency Architects of Canada was established in October 2007. Our mission is to help those that suffer from natural disasters and to contribute to their prevention and to sustainable development.

Emergency Architects is a humanitarian association, recognized by the UN, whose objective is to provide advice, assistance, and education to populations stricken by natural, technological or humanitarian disasters. Emergency Architects takes advantage of the unique expertise of architects to plan and implement reconstruction programs.



In existence since 2001, Emergency Architects has worked in many types of disasters (floods, earthquakes, chemical plant explosion) during the rescue of people, evaluation and reconstruction phases, throughout many regions of the world, notably in the following countries : Indonesia, Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, France, Granada, Haiti, Iran, Lebanon, Madagascar, Morocco, Pakistan, Czech Republic, Romania, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Peru and Sudan.

In partnership with the Order of Architects of Quebec (OAQ), Emergency Architects has been established in Quebec in order to contribute to the actions of the International Grouping of Emergency Architects on Canadian soil. The Canadian division is organizing the collection of funds and the recruitment of Canadian personnel for specific Emergency Architects operations. Emergency Architects of Canada is also developing their own humanitarian missions, adapted to the specific needs of Canada and the Americas. Its mission is to maintain a pool of Canadian experts in the field of emergency interventions and to promote sustainable development.

Emergency Architects sets itself apart from other humanitarian organizations by its concrete involvement in the field in construction and reconstruction projects in disaster zones, while maintaining a sustainable development perspective.

Architectes de l’urgence se distingue des autres organisations humanitaires par son implication concrète, sur le terrain, dans des projets de construction et de reconstruction de zones sinistrées, dans une perspective de développement durable.

The board of directors of EMERGENCY ARCHITECTS OF CANADA consists of persons recognized for their involvement in their respective professions, or in their humanitarian involvement in similar areas of intervention.

You are invited to join this humanitarian movement and fight in the battle against climate change!

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Mission

• Emergency Architects is a non-profit organization whose goal is to bring advice and assistance to populations stricken by natural, technological or human catastrophes.
• Emergency Architects bring their professional experience to the service of endangered populations.
• All members, volunteer and salaried, commit on an individual basis and in the respect of the founding principles of the association.
• Emergency Architects aims to contribute and develop the expertise of Canadian architects in the area of disaster management, respect of individuals and the environment, without distinction based on race, religion or political beliefs, within a sustainable development perspective.
• Emergency Architects encourages Canadian participation in fundraising for projects initiated by the organization, or for regional projects initiated by the Canadian organization.

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Objectives

The objectives of Emergency Architects of Canada are to:

• Promote sustainable development and respect of the environment.
• Organize fundraising activities for Emergency Architects’ humanitarian missions, in partnership with other Canadian NGOs.
• Recruit Canadian personnel to participate in Emergency Architects missions.
• Coordinate and organize humanitarian missions during natural disasters or in conflict situations.
• Develop specialized training for emergency architecture for professionals needing to act in humanitarian catastrophe situations.

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History

Emergency Architects have followed the lead of other professionals (medical professionals, fire and civil security, journalists, etc.) and banded together as professionals to be socially responsible in the event of a major crisis. Emergency Architects has been in existence in France, Switzerland and Australia for seven years. Emergency Architects work on behalf of those who have lost everything, in order to help them get back on their feet, and live a normal life. Earthquake, flood, or war, our teams intervene in all four corners of the world and help any person in distress, victims of natural, technological or humanitarian disasters.

• Floods in France: The Somme in 2001, the Gard in 2002 and 2003
• Floods in central Europe in 2002
• Floods in Bangladesh in 2004
• Chemical plant explosion (AZF) in France in 2001
• Earthquakes in Afghanistan, in 2002, in Algeria, in Turkey, in Iran in 2003, in Morocco in 2004, in Pakistan in 2005 and in Java in 2006
• Cyclones in Madagascar, Granada and Haiti, in 2004
• Creation of a workshop in Kabul to train young Afghan professionals and students in 2004.
• Devastating Tsunamis in southern Asia in 2004
• Armed conflict in Lebanon in 2006
• Construction of schools in Chad, in 2007-2008

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Architect’s Role

Following an earthquake or a catastrophe, who better than an architect to evaluate whether a home is still fit for human habitation or whether it has become dangerous?

The fundamental question of security calls upon knowledge that is technical, social, financial, environmental, psychological and political. All stakeholders, specialists in their domains, structural engineers, hydrological engineers, geologists, specialists in plate tectonics, excavation or avalanche specialists, insurance specialists, political members, inspectors, psychologists and not forgetting the family in distress, hold a part of the answer.

Architects are used to working with all stakeholders, technicians, engineers, users, tenants or owners, project managers, contract authorities, independent engineers and engineers from the inspector’s office, elected or administrative.

• They understand the issues and consequences of their decisions.
• They have experience with these practices.
• They are used to communicating with the users.
• They have social know-how.
• They have technical know-how, and in particular, they know what is disorder, crisis, a crack, if it is contractual, serious, structural, if it is acceptable or not, if it affects the structural stability of the works or just the waterproofing of the façade. Architects understand dismay and are able to comprehend, thanks to their experience and practice, the rifting of social, family or political systems, or more literally, physical cracks in a structure.

Architects have maintained their historical role of builders, yet, for the last twenty years, their field of action has enlarged to include interventions in urban geography, sustainable development, urban sociology, social psychology and emergency situations.

The recognition of the status of an architect in society will be essentially linked to this multiplicity of competences and modes of interventions. The Médecins du Monde (Doctors of the World) and other organizations “without borders” have largely contributed to the social image of their profession in the collective conscience of society, as Emergency Architects is doing for architects.

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Founding Principles

All subscribe to the honour of the following principles :

1. Its vocation is to mobilize the competencies of architects and building technicians, to come to the assistance of populations in distress, to the victims of natural, technological or humanitarian disaster, situations of belligerence, without any discrimination based on race, religion, politics or philosophy.
2. Emergency Architects intervenes in all countries of the world, bringing together international architects through its founding principles.
3. All commit to respect the ethics of their profession, and in particular to not receive any financial contribution other than that allocated by the association for which the service was rendered.
4. The services of Emergency Architects are free for victims, independent with respect to all economic, political or religious power and force.
5. They intervene at the request of the authorities responsible for security, the victims themselves, or of their own initiative when their conscience and professionalism in terms of safety of the people dictates it.
6. Emergency Architects will not manage projects that have been entrusted to them by the association.

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Board of Directors

The Board of Directors of EMERGENCY ARCHITECTS OF CANADA consists of persons recognized for their involvement in their respective professions, or in their humanitarian involvement in similar areas of intervention. The Board of Directors has nine members while the Executive Committee consists of the five following members:

• Bernard McNamara, Architect, President, has always been actively involved in his professional order. He is a member of the Bureau (Board) of the OAQ, former president of the OAQ and former president of the Professional Responsibility Insurance Fund . Mr. McNamara is also the Executive Director of a Canadian enterprise that designs, develops and markets techniques for construction systems that operates on an international level.
  
  
• Paul-André Tétreault, Architect, Vice-President, was a long-time associate of one of the most important Architectural firms in Canada. Mr. Tétreault was the president of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, president of the OAQ as well as president of the Committee of Canadian Architectural Councils. He is currently on the board of the International Council of Architects.
  
  
• Gilles Emond, Chartered Accountant, Treasurer, was a member of an important international accounting firm and acts now as the treasurer for several charitable organizations such as Centraide and Foundation of Greater Montreal.
  
  
• Diane Simard, Architect, Vice-President, worked for many years overseas on regional planning and urban restoration projects.  She was an associate in an architectural firm, sat on the board of the OAQ, and occupied positions of responsibility in public administration and real estate management. She is currently working in project management.
  
  
• Guillaume Lévesque, Architect, project manager - Kitcisakik, Québec, first mission of Emergency Architects Canada.
  
  
• Michel Verret, Director of Financing, Communications and Marketing, Oxfam Quebec, representative for Oxfam-Quebec on the Board of Directors.
  
  
• Patrick Coulombel, representative of Fondation des Architectes de l’urgence, France.

Permanent Staff

The Canadian organization appointed Ms. Chantal Giard as Executive Director. She is a lawyer and holds an MBA in International Management. She has a wide range of experience in the execution of international construction projects and is pursuing continuing education in the field of philanthropy.

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