Who made this year’s OAA Queen’s Park Picks?

A church in Guelph, a bridge in Ottawa, and Union Station in Toronto are among the nine recipients of the 2022 Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) sponsored Queen’s Park Picks.

Held every year to mark World Architecture Day, which this year fell on Oct. 1, the Queen’s Park Pick program is intended to highlight spectacular buildings.

Rather than architects, however, the buildings are chosen by the province’s MPPs who are invited by the OAA to nominate their favourite ones in their ridings.

KURTIS CHEN/COURTESY OAA — Even Premier Doug Ford got involved in this year’s Queen’s Park Picks. He nominated the Franklin Carmichael Art Centre Building in Toronto (Etobicoke). The architect is unknown.

Earlier this year the association sent out requests to Ontario Legislature members and received 40 nominations from across the province and from all parties including one from Premier Doug Ford and Green Party Leader MPP Mike Schreiner.

The MPPs did not have to give reasons for their selections.

An association design jury reviewed the submissions and then shortlisted them to the final nine. The OAA worked with researcher and architect Joël León to learn more about the projects.

Historically, Queen’s Park Picks has been held at Queen’s Park on World Architecture Day. However, as has been the case for the past two years, the 2022 selections were announced virtually because of the pandemic.

TONI HAFKENSCHEID/COURTESY OAA — The Abilities Centre in Whitby, designed by B+H Architects Corp. was also among the selections this year. It was nominated by MPP Lucille Coey.

The buildings are as follows:

Abilities Centre in Whitby, designed by B+H Architects Corp. and nominated by MPP Lucille Coey;
Adawe Bridge in Ottawa, designed by Stantec Architecture Ltd. and nominated by MPP Lucille Collard;
Franklin Carmichael Art Centre Building in Toronto (Etobicoke). The architect is unknown. Premier Doug Ford was the nominator;
Holy Protection of the Mother of God Ukrainian Catholic Church in Guelph. Designed by Evhen Gren, the church was nominated by Green Party Leader MPP Mike Schreiner;
Jeremiah McKay Kabayshewekamik in Sioux Lookout. It was designed by ft3 Architecture Landscape Interior Design in association with Manasc Isaac Architects (now Reimagine). The nominator was MPP Sol Mamakwa;
Place des Arts in Sudbury. The architects were Moriyama & Teshima Architects in joint venture with Yallowega Belanger Salach Architecture. Nominated by MPP Jamie West;
Victoria County Goal in Lindsay. Designed by Cumberland and Storm, it was nominated by MPP Laurie Scott;
Victoria Hall (Brockville City Hall) in Brockville. The architect was Henry H. Horsey and the Architect of Renovation as O. E. Liston. It was nominated by MPP Steve Clark;
Union Station in Toronto. Nominated by MPP Chris Glover, the original facility was designed by Ross and MacDonald, Hugh Jones (Assistant Chief Architect, Canadian Pacific Railway) and John M. Lyle. Architects of Renovation (2022) were: NORR Architects & Engineers Limited, EVOQ Architecture Inc., Zeidler Architecture, PARTISANS (interior), IBI Group (second platform).

“I am so thrilled that year after year, our members of provincial parliament join us in recognizing the marvelous examples of Ontario architecture found in all parts of our province,” says OAA president Susan Speigel.

“We must continue to respect and revere these beautiful places that form a crucial part of our social fabric.”

Although the MPPs did not have to adhere to a specific theme, the one which did emerge was community, says Speigel, who emphasized the important role community-centred buildings perform, especially as public health restrictions are easing and the public finds itself sharing spaces one again.