Governance
Board of Directors Slate
We are pleased to announce our final slate for the CIP Board of Directors, to be ratified at our Annual General Meeting on May 30.
Robert (Bob) Priebe (AB/NWT/NT), Raymond Kan (Director-at-Large), Jason Ferrigan (ON), Olimpia Pantelimon (QC), and Eliza Hydesmith (Student) will join Beate Bowron on the final slate.
Learn more about the candidates below.
CIP is committed to being a diverse and inclusive organization and believes the planning profession must be genuinely representative of the society in which it works. CIP strives to reflect its membership and that of the Canadian population, and strongly encourages nominations from those who will contribute to the diversity of our leadership. CIP is a proud signatory of the Government of Canada’s 50-30 Challenge and offers equal volunteer opportunities to all qualified individuals without regard to race, colour, ethnicity, religion, gender, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, or appearance.
Region 2: AB/NT/NU
Robert (Bob) Priebe PhD, RPP, MCIP
Expression of Interest
I want to build on the excellent work of CIP in sustainable city development in one key area. Sometimes, the impact of policy and land use planning decisions on long term recreation and leisure service delivery benefits and outcomes can be detrimental, lost in the fog of policy and processes. As our cities densify, our populations will simultaneously culturally and socially diversify. Our private spaces will be reduced in size (smaller lots and homes). The task at hand is to leverage the social, heath and wellness opportunities and benefits provided by parks, recreation and leisure.
I will advocate to solidify parks related policy applications as an integral tool in the municipal toolbox to help address societal disorders (i.e., addictions, crime, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, etc.). In addition to the well documented ecological goods and services of parks, recreation and leisure opportunities can provide inclusive places connecting with multi-generational and multicultural friends and neighbours of all ages, incomes, sexuality, mobility and education. Parks provide places of physical activity, solitude and stress relief, and connection to the natural world. In addition, I will advocate to explore and better understand how neurodivergent populations can be better enveloped into our planning processes for the benefit of all participants. In my advocacy and teaching at the University of Alberta, I will continue to be committed to the diversity goals of CIP.
Brief Biography
Allow me to introduce myself! I began my planning career in 1982 with the City of Edmonton. I am a MCIP, RPP, kinda-retired parks planning specialist (35 years and counting), former director of Parks Planning with the City of Edmonton, and former APPI board member. Currently I am sessional lecturer at the University of Alberta Urban Planning Program, a parks vlogger (Parks are Like Icebergs on Substack), and board member on the North Saskatchewan River Valley Conservation Society.
I was the primary lead responsible for the development of the Edmonton 2006-2016 Urban Parks Management Plan – an award winning policy plan/master plan (i.e., Alberta Recreation and Parks Association). That plan was the first parks plan in Edmonton that formerly accommodated natural areas and community gardens. I was Parks Planning Director when the Riverview Area Plan was negotiated and approved, while simultaneously overseeing 20 staff, and managing multi-million-dollar capital budget development and implementation processes.
Over time I have presented at multiple, local, provincial, and national urban planning, and parks and recreation conferences, and an international academic conference (i.e., American Association of Geographers).
In 2019 I successfully completed a PhD at the University of Alberta at the age of 63! My dissertation used institutional theory to analyze parks decision-making in Edmonton in the 1960-2010 period.
I am an avid traveller/parks nerd who has visited parks across Canada and parts of Europe (Italy, Turkey, Germany, Netherlands). My wife and I have two very compassionate adult offspring!
Region 5: ON
Jason Ferrigan RPP, MCIP
Expression of Interest
The Canadian Institute of Planners is a storied and vital part of the planning profession in Canada. It is essential that planners have a voice and seat at various national tables to discuss issues that affect all planners across Canada and the communities they serve. Planning is a very dynamic space. Planners must also have access to high quality education and training resources to fuel their professional growth and development. The CIP Board plays an important role setting the strategy of the Institute, empowering staff and volunteers to action and engaging and collaborating with stakeholders, all the while monitoring the external environment and health of the Institute itself.
I believe strongly in the concept of service and have been fortunate to serve our profession in various capacities over the years. I am excited about the future of our profession and the Canadian Institute of Planners. If selected as the Director for Region 5 (ON), I will bring my combined experience in leadership, governance, strategy and operations to strengthen CIP’s governance frameworks, ensure that it is fiscally sustainable and continues to provide high quality services to members. I will do this by collaborating with my board colleagues, staff, volunteers and other stakeholders to drive implementation of the five focus areas in CIP’s strategic plan. I am fully supportive of Canada’s 50-30 challenge and CIP’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Roadmap and look forward to seeing them implemented at CIP.
Brief Biography
Jason Ferrigan, RPP, MCIP, MScPl is an award-winning planner with 25 years of progressive experience in the public, private, institutional and non-for-profit sectors. His work has taken him across Ontario and into Quebec, Alberta, the United States and the Caribbean, where he worked on a wide range of assignments. Jason’s efforts have been recognized for excellence and innovation at the provincial and national levels.
Jason is a proven leader who believes strongly in creating high-trust environments that empower and drive conversations, innovation and action. He is motivated to achieve balance between competing interests, deliver results and create positive change. Jason is a Principal Associate and Chief Planner with J.L. Richards & Associates Limited, where he leads the Planning Team and advises public and private clients on projects across Ontario.
Jason is actively involved in the community and planning profession. He is a member of the Canadian Institute of Planners’ Governance Committee and the Health Science North Long Range Planning Committee. He also mentors several planners on their path to professional certification. He was a member of the Rotary Club of Sudbury for several years. He also served on the Council for the Ontario Professional Planners Institute for 8 years, including President-Elect (2015-2017) and President (2017-2019).
Region 6: QC
Olimpia Pantelimon urbaniste, RPP, MCIP
Expression of Interest
I come from a background as a practicing planner in Quebec, Alberta, and Nunavut, understanding rural and metropolitan communities. I am committed to share the inspiration that has fueled my passion to serve for APPI, OUQ, and the CIP, as chair Healthy Communities Committee and co-chair /member of other committees: the Awards for Planning Excellence, Adaptation Resource Pathway, National Affairs, Events, Professional Development.
Our strength as an Institute comes from having great leaders. With 1,835 Days of Impact start for Change outlined in the CIP Strategic Plan 2022-2027, we must coordinate CIP’s values with the development of a Bold Leadership Program enabling participation, education and relevancy for our Institute and profession. Leadership skills, education and experience are essential to a planner’s daily work. The more planners we have in leadership roles the better the value of planning is understood.
I believe that the Institute must act as a catalyst, provide essential resources driving each member forward. If elected I will advocate for (i) improving the Leadership Program for all career stages and commitment levels, and for (ii) reviving the Awards for Planning Excellence Program to support positive change in every community, francophone and anglophone, from coast to coast.
Our Time to act in Now, Together for Leadership and Excellence in Planning!
http://www.olimpia-pantelimon.com
Your Vote matters!
Brief Biography
Member of the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP), Mrs. Pantelimon is a Registered Professional Planner in Alberta and Quebec with 15+ years of city planning and management experience across Canada.
Olimpia has been recently recognised by the Institute of Public Administration Canada (IPAC) for excellence in government policy for her leadership on the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board Training Regulation and program. As Senior Planning Advisor with Municipal Affairs, as chair of the CIP Healthy Communities Committee, expert advisor to the Metropolis International Institute, and member of the US Green Building Council LEED for Cities and Communities Working Group, Olimpia has drafted, facilitated and enabled policy and programs development in synergy with federal/provincial departments and agencies. As expert Peer Reviewer for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Green Municipal Fund (GMF), Olimpia has evaluated, and reported on Sustainable Affordable Housing plans, capital projects, and other GMF programs. Olimpia’s expertise, built on superior systems thinking, political acumen, grit, excellent editing skills, technical knowledge and leadership was effective translated in practice while managing interdisciplinary teams to success.
She served on the CIP National Affairs Committee, and as Chair Healthy Communities Committee she facilitated the development of the 2018 Healthy Communities Policy fostering vibrant environments and active lifestyles for all Canadians, and, continued to support the planning community as member and chair of the CIP Awards for Planning Excellence Jury, the CIP Planning Student Trust Fund Jury, the APPI Events and Journal committees, and as Healthy Communities representative for APPI and OUQ.
Director-at-Large
Raymond Kan RPP, MCIP
Expression of Interest
My interest in seeking the nomination to be a director on the CIP Board is about service and follows the arc of my career. I stumbled on the planning profession when I came across Al Gore’s Earth in the Balance at my local library. This book showed the consequences when complex systems – human, environmental, and economic – collide. This book showed me how local action and evidence-informed decisions can make a difference, even for global climate change, and how unequal the world is in the allocation of resources and the impacts of decisions made half way around the world. The planning profession allows me to embrace the complexity of systems and advance tangible actions.
In the first 20 years, I was privileged to have delivered seminal policy research and advice on varied topics such as regional growth management, transportation greenhouse gas performance targets, transit priority measures, apartment parking supply and utilization, transit-oriented affordable housing policy, and mobility pricing. Looking ahead, I will continue to make sense of complex systems and advance equitable actions. Now, at the mid-point in my career, I feel much more assured in my ability to give back to the profession that has given so much to me. I currently serve on the CIP Honours and Awards Jury and CIP Plan Canada Editorial Committee. It would be an honour to serve on the CIP Board in these extraordinary times for planners across the country, and to advance CIP’s mission. Thank you for your consideration.
Brief Biography
With gratitude and humility, I am a second generation Canadian born and raised on the unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples now known as the City of Vancouver. I reside in Vancouver with my partner and daughter.
I have an undergraduate degree in civil engineering from the University of British Columbia and a Master of Urban Planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. For 20 years, I have worked at the forefront of transportation and land use planning and policy in Metro Vancouver, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Los Angeles County.
My personal mission is to use public policy, partnerships, and advocacy to improve the conditions of cities for all residents, particularly those with lower incomes or who are systemically disadvantaged. My passion is evidence-informed planning and policy development, with a particular interest in making transit-oriented communities be more equitable.
Student
Eliza Hydesmith
Expression of Interest
As a student currently participating in a Planning graduate program, I am interested in gaining deeper insights into the national governance structure CIP provides to Planners, how this organization identifies and moves forward with issues within the Planning profession, and how these efforts impact the lives and work of students. I have experience with advocacy within both academic institutions and professional settings for recognition of the benefits of not only including, but actively listening to diverse voices. Personal and student advocacy experiences pushed me to become an Accessibility Representative for my university in my undergraduate degree.
This allowed me to move beyond an understanding of my personal experiences to begin to better empathise and consider the unique and complex challenges individuals experience in academic and professional settings. In a role as CIP Student Director, I would bring both my own personal experiences and connect with students within planning programs across Canada to inform the implementation of Canada’s 50 – 30 Challenge, CIP’s reconciliation statements, as well as CIP’s interests and objectives of empowering equity, diversity, and inclusion in planning.
Brief Biography
I am a first year Masters student of Planning at the University of Waterloo. As a candidate for CIP’s Student Director, I aim to critically engage with CIP and Canadian planning students regarding the roles and responsibilities of planners in shaping human and natural relationships, as well as equity through space. I have experience in several student leadership roles including as the Accessibility Representative for undergraduates at the University of Manitoba, and as a Sustainability Representative, Accessibility Representative and Treasurer within faculty student groups. These leadership opportunities provided me with experience communicating with students on the many and varied issues they faced. I presented and discussed these topics with those in positions of power within the university structure, in efforts to move towards spaces that addressed both the needs and interests of students. I have had employment experiences with a variety of organizations where I have sought out opportunities to learn form both people and spaces I am seeking to better understand through active listening and engagement, which I would continue if chosen to represent students on the CIP Board of Directors.