2021 Annual Report
Aaniin, Boozhoo! Ullakut! Hello, Bonjour!
The Canadian Institute of Planners’ office is located on the unsurrendered territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation, whose presence on these lands reaches back to time immemorial. With a membership that spans Turtle Island, CIP values the ongoing stewardship of all First Nations, Inuit, and Métis, where we enjoy the opportunity to live, work, and study.
Letter From Our President, Dan Huang RPP, MCIP
I am honoured to be sending greetings to you all from Victoria, British Columbia, located on the traditional territories of the Lekwungen people, represented today by the Esquimalt and Songhees Nations. While we continue to try and figure out what this “new normal” looks like, many challenges still remain in our communities as we adjust to the return-to-office commute, personal and career transitions due to the pandemic, and the continued and exacerbated impacts due to climate change and the housing crisis.
It has been a busy and pivotal year indeed for my fellow Board colleagues and for CIP staff. As a result of our efforts, we are especially pleased to be able to present a new Strategic Plan to the membership in 2022, which we hope will guide the organization and our profession through the next few years of this Decade of Action and beyond.
In 2021, we conducted and released the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Insight Survey, which highlighted the importance and need to make our profession and the communities we serve more socially inclusive and welcoming. Our online presence continues to be strong, with CIP’s webinar series attracting over 1,300 attendees in 2021 on a variety of topics including Climate Change, Active Transportation, Indigenous Planning, and Ethics in Planning. Our Emerging Leaders Program launched, an online program designed for aspiring and early-career stage planning professionals to help provide enhanced learning and networking opportunities over a ten-month period (from September 2021 to June 2022).
We continue to work with our planning colleagues across the country with the Provincial and Territorial Institutes and Associations (PTIAs), the Professional Standards Board (PSB), and the Standards Committee (SC). We are particularly pleased to be supporting the SC in updating the National Competencies Profile to ensure professional excellence and portability across Canada.
On the international front, CIP continues to support the Commonwealth Association of Planners (CAP) in its Call to Action for Sustainable Urbanism, and in November 2021, we participated in the Canada-UK Roundtable on Net Zero Cities. CIP is also a member of the Global Planners Network (GPN) and together, we benefit from information sharing and promoting the planning profession through World Town Planning Day.
I would like to take this opportunity to especially thank all of our amazing CIP staff, led by our CEO Beth McMahon. The staff team works closely with the Board and our members with professionalism and tenacity, in order to keep our many CIP initiatives moving forward. I would also like thank all of my colleagues on the CIP Board, especially to those Directors whose terms are expiring in 2022 – Preethi Anbalagan, Nancy Griffiths, Ann Joyner, Sahar Khelifa, and Jenna Schroeder. Your contributions have been instrumental over the years in both weathering the storm through the pandemic, as well as steering our profession towards the future with our renewed Strategic Plan. My current term on the Board is also expiring, and I hope that am I fortunate enough to continue to serve the members for another three-year term.
As a final word of thanks, I would like to acknowledge with gratitude all of the volunteers who served in a variety of capacities, including but not limited to: committees (for CIP and allied professions), Professional Standards Board, Standards Committee, College of Fellows, and the CIP/ICU Planning Student Trust Fund. Without our many volunteers, we would not be able to achieve a fraction of our goals and objectives in raising the profile of our profession, by providing our expertise on so many important topics that impact our communities and regions across the country.
Respectfully Submitted,
Dan Huang RPP, MCIP President
2021 Accomplishments
- Strategic Planning
- Commitment to Carbon Neutrality
- World Town Planning Day
Recognizing the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation
CIP honoured the first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation (September 30, 2021), acknowledging that there is much work to be done by the Institute to further reconciliation. The Institute provided additional resources and encouraged members to take time to reflect on the process of reconciliation. CIP staff participated in additional training, including completion of the online course, Indigenous Awareness Introduction, provided by Indigenous Awareness Canada.
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Insight Survey
CIP announced the findings of its inaugural Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Insight Survey in October 2021, which looked at members’ experiences and opinions on inclusion and belonging, as well as current demographic information of the Canadian planning profession. The questions focused on the five key constructs of inclusion and inclusive environments: belonging, fairness, support, voice, and leadership commitment. Building on the commitments laid out in the CIP Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Roadmap, the findings of the Insight Survey demonstrate that there are specific areas of strength in our profession, as well as areas that require attention.
New: Emerging Leaders Program
The Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) launched in September 2021, welcoming 25 participants from across the country. Developed to support aspiring and early-career stage planners, CIP’s volunteer program lead, Natalie Persaud RPP, MCIP, crafted the eight ELP modules to help participants build skills and learn concepts related to meaningful leadership, personal growth, and career success. A guest presenter led each module, and all resources and summaries were published on the Careers for Planning blog.
Celebrating Our Volunteers
CIP’s accomplishments are a testament to its volunteers who ensure its governance, programs, and extensive networks are robust and effective. Thank you for your dedication and service!
CIP’s Representatives on External Bodies
CIP also recognizes its members who represent the Institute on external bodies:
| Organization | Representative(s) |
|---|---|
| Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) Planning Research Advisory Board | Lilian Chau RPP, MCIP |
| Transportation Association of Canada (TAC) Autonomous Vehicles Task Force | Victor Ngo RPP, MCIP |
| Central Experimental Farm Advisory Council (CEFAC) | Rajbir Sian, RPP, MCIP |
| Commonwealth Association of Planners (CAP) | Jihad Bitar, PhD, RPP, MCIP |
| Federation Of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Municipal Asset Management Program (MAMP) Technical Working Group | Christine Callihoo RPP, MCIP |
| Professional Standards Board For The Planning Profession in Canada | Greg Birch RPP, MCIP |
| CAP Young Planners Network Steering Group | Champa Maduranayagam RPP, MCIP Devin Husk |
| National Urban Design Awards Jury | Audrey Alemao RPP, MCIP Karen Russell RPP, FCIP (Professional Advisor) |
| Global Earthquake Model Canada – National Steering Committee | Laurent Mougeot |
| Standards Committee | Nina Maher RPP, MCIP |
What Our Members Say
According to the 2021 membership survey, the two most important CIP services for members are the MCIP® title and CIP’s advocacy on behalf of the profession, and Plan Canada magazine is the highest rated membership benefit.
MCIP®
MCIP® is a registered trademark of the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP). Only individuals who have met all the professional requirements of their Provincial and Territorial Institute and Association (PTIA), and are members in good standing with their PTIA and CIP, are permitted to use MCIP in their professional title.
Plan Canada Magazine
Plan Canada is the premier planning magazine in Canada and the official magazine of the Canadian Institute of Planners. It is published quarterly and features informative and beautifully presented articles on innovative projects and best practices in Canadian planning, as well as original research by practitioners and academics. Each edition explores one theme in the planning world.
PLACE21: Canadian Planning & Geography Student Conference
PLACE21: EMERGE was the third annual Canadian Planning & Geography Student Conference held virtually on November 4 and 5, 2021. Organized by students from Vancouver Island University, with operational support by CIP, the conference welcomed 227 attendees for over 20 sessions, with a featured keynote by Larry Beasley C.M. FCIP.
PLACE21 was a smashing success!
“I needed to get back into the present thinking about professional practice after taking a 2-year leave. I was just taken aback by the questions, the research, and professionalism of this conference. I am so hopeful for the profession given the work that was shared over the past two days.”
– PLACE21 attendee
Monthly Webinar Series
The 2021 Continuous Professional Learning webinar program consisted of 19 live webinars attended by 1,493 participants. All webinar recordings were made available for free to members in the Professional Learning HUB, generating 1,485 views. Thank you to all speakers, moderators, and attendees for another great year!
Top attended webinars:
- Planning for Active Transportation
- Zoning, Equity and Human Rights: Lessons from Edmonton
- National Indigenous History Month Webinar Series
Social Media
Honours and Awards
CIP recognizes excellence across Canada through its Honours & Awards program, while its partner charity, CIP/ICU Planning Student Trust Fund, does so through its scholarships and bursaries offerings. These extraordinary planning achievements and planners highlight the best of our communities, organizations, and individuals at every career stage.
College of Fellows Inductees
The College of Fellows is a special status for members of CIP, which recognizes excellence, identifies prominent role models, promotes advancements in planning practice, and draws leaders to the forefront of planning in Canada. Recognition as a Fellow is the highest award the Institute can give to a planner and is given only to those who exhibit the highest professional attainment and a wide breadth of experience.
In 2021, CIP welcomed two new inductees into its esteemed College of Fellows: Kelley Moore RPP, FCIP, and Leela Viswanathan PhD, RPP, FCIP.
President’s Awards
In 2021, the CIP President’s Award: Academic recipient was Sandeep Agrawal PhD, RPP, MCIP.
This award recognizes outstanding achievement by a Canadian planning scholar whose significant contribution to planning research, literature, or the student community warrants acknowledgment on a national level.
In 2021, the CIP President’s Award: Young Planner recipient was Ben Bailey RPP, MCIP.
This award celebrates the leaders of tomorrow and recognizes young planners (under the age of 35) for their vision, leadership, and/or service to the profession.
The Presidentʼs Award: Student recognizes one graduating student from each accredited planning program (undergraduate and graduate) in Canada, who has demonstrated an outstanding contribution to their future profession. This contribution may be assessed through a wide range of contributing factors, including academic and extracurricular contributions.
- Megan Meldrum, Queen’s University
- Tara Slater, University of Alberta
- Elise Geschiere, University of Guelph
- Bailey Walsh, Vancouver Island University
- Andrew Faber, McGill University
- Kristin Levy, University of Northern British Columbia
- Allison Evans, York University
- Jean Guillemette, Université Laval
- Megan Asbil, University of Calgary
- Ella Romia Gindi, Dalhousie University
- Anushree Banerjee, Dalhousie University
- Hillary Beattie, University of Manitoba
- Tara Lamothe, Simon Fraser University
- Dominic Dike, Ryerson University
- Carly Murphy, Ryerson University
- Keisha St.Louis-McBurnie, University of Toronto
- Lauren Pettapiece, University of Waterloo
- Alison Curtis, University of Waterloo
- Aaron Shantz, University of Waterloo
- Jennifer Koss, University of British Columbia
- Nicole Levine, University of Saskatchewan
- Damon Widynowski, University of Saskatchewan
Awards for Planning Excellence
A CIP Award for Planning Excellence is the highest honour a planning project can receive nationally. They recognize innovation, impact on the profession, overall presentation, and implementation potential, and are the highest level of recognition the Institute bestows on professional planning projects.
A total of 53 national and international projects were received across 11 categories, resulting in a total of 18 awards, including, for the first time in more than a decade, an award of “Excellence” in each category.
CIP invites you to read the jury statements and review the plans/reports in their entirety on the CIP website.
Plan Canada Awards
Each year, CIP recognizes the best articles published in Plan Canada the preceding year. These articles, and full issues of the magazines, are accessible on the CIP member portal.
Article of the Year
Pandemic Patios and “Flat White” Urbanism
By Amina Yasin and Daniella Fergusson RPP, MCIP
“The jury commends the authors for not only highlighting the inequalities that exist and how the gap has been further exacerbated through the COVID-19 pandemic, but also for providing thoughtful analysis and opportunities to challenge planners to think more inclusively in all aspects of community planning.”
Congratulations to CIP’s New 2021 MCIPs
Thank you to the 2021 CIP Staff Team
