Q&A with Lois Metcalfe By Harland Lindsay
ecently, I had the pleasure of having lunch with Lois Metcalfe. I would like to share some of our conversation shortly after the CIQS 2016 Congress, and the retirement dinner held in her honour.
Harland: And how do our budgets compare? Lois: $40,000, in 1978 vs. almost $700,000, today. Looking back, I really do not know how we managed.
Harland: Although you and I do not really see much of one another, we have been good friends for a long time. Where does time go? Lois: Yes, it was 40 years ago that you joined Olympia and York Developments, where I was one of two people working in the executive administration area. You and I shared the same boss, Keith Roberts.
Harland: How did you handle all that increased membership and responsibility? Lois: It was tough for quite a while but, in addition to my working full-time, I now have two full-time and two part-time assistants. I also have great support from a number of volunteer members. In retrospect, we should have staffed up earlier; it has made such a difference. In fact, it is only in the last year that I can go home at a reasonable time of day – and I can actually relax when I get there, knowing that everything is in good hands!
Harland: When did you start working with the CIQS? Lois: 1978, just after you left O&Y to join Parkin Architects. At the time, you were President of the CIQS and you stole me from O&Y. Harland: What made you leave O&Y? Lois: Basically, I was kind of bored. I did not have enough to do. I needed a new challenge. Harland: I guess you got more than you bargained for! Do you remember the CIQS office address, at that time? Lois: Yes. It was 43 Eglinton Avenue West. What a tiny little office that was – I think it was 388 SF. It is amazing when I think of how much got done there in that little space. Harland: That was quite a change from the 1,000 SF O&Y executive administration area. How busy were you, when you started? Lois: Very busy. I worked 50% for the CIQS and 50% for the OIQS (now CIQS – Ontario) Harland: I recall that you worked from home for a while. Lois: Yes. The CIQS was very short of funding, so we closed the office in the early 80s and moved all the file cabinets and equipment to my home, as a ‘temporary’ measure. Can you believe that situation lasted for 25 years?! Harland: How does the membership count compare between 1978 and 2016? Lois: We had 750 members, back then. Now, we are at almost 2,000.
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Harland: How many CIQS annual general meetings have you arranged and attended? Lois: Thirty-eight. I did miss attending one, in 1986 when my Dad died. Harland: I guess you must have suffered under many CIQS presidents? Lois: Yes, 35. And it is not always easy when having to work with a different president every year. Harland: What was your most exciting AGM, when and why? Lois: For me. It was the AGM of 1984, the CIQS 25th anniversary, held at the Delta Chelsea. It was our first big-time AGM, with a band, dancing, etc. It marked an important milestone for the CIQS. Mind you, the CIQS 50th anniversary in 2009 certainly matched the excitement of 1984. Harland: Can you list what you consider to be the greatest improvements made at the CIQS, since 1978? Lois: Technological advances, like our first computer, getting rid of onion skins, white-out, etc. Of course, there is the advent of emails and the Internet. I’m in two minds as to whether emails truly are an improvement; they are too often misinterpreted, resulting in the need for timeconsuming damage control.
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