Haven Rees RPP, MCIP
As a Senior Planner II based in Saskatchewan, I have built my career around advancing equitable, sustainable, and evidence-based planning outcomes. My professional work spans long-range planning, policy development, housing strategy, and facilitation of complex, multi-stakeholder planning processes. Most recently, I led the preparation of Saskatoon’s Affordable Housing Strategy 2025-2030, developing comprehensive housing policies rooted in community needs, demographic trends, and the strategic direction of Council.
My work emphasizes collaboration, public engagement, and the integration of planning decisions with environmental and social considerations & principles aligned with the CIP Code of Professional Conduct, which emphasizes service to the public interest, clear communication, and acknowledgment of the interconnected nature of planning impacts.
I bring experience working at strategic levels within municipal government, contributing to policy-making, leading cross-departmental initiatives, and supporting elected officials with clear, balanced, and timely planning advice.
My approach reflects a commitment to reconciliation, equity, and the creation of healthy, complete communities.
I am committed to supporting the profession by bringing a Saskatchewan perspective to national planning conversations and contributing to CIP’s mission to advance planning in the public interest.
Expression of Interest
I am seeking election as the Region 3 (Saskatchewan) Director to contribute to the national leadership of the planning profession.
My professional background in municipal policy, strategic planning, and community development positions me well to contribute meaningfully to this responsibility.
I am particularly motivated by CIP’s commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and reconciliation; its national policy priorities; and its role in elevating the visibility and credibility of the planning profession in Canada. I see meaningful opportunities to strengthen national conversations around housing strategy, municipal capacity, and long-term community resilience.
I would welcome the opportunity to work collaboratively with colleagues across Canada to advance the profession, strengthen governance, and help guide CIP’s strategic direction.
Paul Bell RPP, MCIP
As the Places & Community Lead at Narratives Inc., Paul guides a team that works alongside communities to honour the deep connections between people, culture, and the land. His early work as a planner explored the connections between creativity and place, which sparked a career-long focus on how a place’s unique story can serve as the blueprint for its future. Paul’s work seeks to go beyond the facts and figures, connecting the stories and lived experiences of people in a place to drive community planning.
Paul brings over eight years of planning experience in both the public and private sectors, ranging from municipal planning reviews to Indigenous territorial planning. He has served on the Manitoba Professional Planners Institute Board and has spent the past three years as a member on the Canadian Institute of Planners Board of Directors.
At the heart of Paul’s work is the notion that through dialogue and collaboration, people can better connect with the places they call home, which in turn leads to a better planning process. By sharing our stories of place, people become more connected to each other, to their community, and provides everyone the agency to compose a future that is not only practical, but also more hopeful and connected.
Expression of Interest
I have served on the CIP Board for the past three years and am excited to put my name forward to serve a second three-year term. During this time, I have had the privilege to work alongside amazing colleagues, navigating the many challenges and opportunities facing our profession and the CIP. I am proud of the work we have accomplished, such as the Reconciliation Action Plan, our strategic visioning, and our advocacy with policymakers on Parliament Hill. As we enter a new and exciting phase of the CIP, I will continue to work towards fostering constructive dialogue on the complex issues facing Canadian communities today.
Our profession continues to rapidly change, from emerging technologies like AI to complex social and political environments. I approach this evolving landscape with a sense of passion and determination, balanced by an awareness of the value of thoughtful progress and of the wisdom and experience of those around me. Working across the private and public sectors and in supporting Indigenous territorial planning initiatives, I have learned to make space for many ways of knowing and the importance of creating bridges between diverse views and opinions.
Thank you for your consideration of my nomination to the Board of Directors. I am eager to continue to serve our profession and bring my skills in leadership and planning to the CIP for three more years.
Janice Barry PhD, RPP, MCIP
Janice Barry (PhD, RPP, MCIP) has been working in the field of urban and regional planning for over 25 years. She began her career as a protected area planner with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources before earning her PhD in Community and Regional Planning from UBC. She has since built a career in planning research and teaching, and held positions at the University of Manitoba, University of Sheffield, and University of Glasgow before joining the University of Waterloo.
Her work is driven by a concern for how planning decisions are made and the laws, policies, procedures, and professional norms that facilitate or impede meaningful engagement with diverse peoples and perspectives. Much of her research focuses on the recognition of Indigenous rights and title within the planning profession. She has supported multiple First Nations planning processes and is interested in how Indigenous-led planning advances Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination. Janice also writes about planning theory, participatory planning and planning pedagogy, including professional ethics and the development of planning competencies.
She is an active member of the planning profession, having previously served on program accreditation teams for the Professional Standards Board and on OPPI’s Indigenous Planning Perspectives Committee. She has also just completed a three-year term as the academic representation on CIP’s Board of Directors.
Expression of Interest
Three years ago, when I first stood for election, I identified supporting CIP’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Roadmap and commitment to reconciliation as my primary motivations for serving on the Board. These continue to be key priorities for me, and I have been proud to serve on a Board that oversaw the preparation of CIP’s first Reconciliation Action Plan and has taken steps to diversify to complement of talented planners from coast-to-coast-to-coast who sit on committees and around the board table. I believe in the power of representation, but only if it backed by structural changes to support equity, diversity, inclusion and reconciliation. I would be excited and committed to continuing to do this work.
Members will have likely noticed that CIP has evolved over the last three years, with increased focus now being placed on advocacy and government relations. This focus creates an opportunity to continue to close the gap between planning practice and research, as we work to ensure CIP’s policy positions are evidence-based. During my term as a Board member, I served as the liaison to the Association of Canadian University Planning Programs (ACUPP), and I am genuinely excited by the conversations that are now being had about how we can build relationships between CIP, student and faculty researchers. If elected for a second term, I would be honoured to help bring some of these ideas to fruition as CIP continues to work on its five action issues.
Lesley Cabott RPP, FCIP ICD D
Lesley was elected as a director at large in 2023 and currently has the privilege of serving as President of the Canadian Institute of Planners. She has worked in our profession for over 30 years in every province and territory. Lesley lives in Whitehorse Yukon and is grateful to the planning profession for allowing her to connect with Canadians and planners from coast to coast to coast and engage in conversations about community and the future.
In the role of President, she has been instrumental in advancing CIP’s work advocating on behalf of planners to the Federal Government. She worked to coordinate CIP’s first ‘hill day’ where members of the Board met with parliamentarians to discuss items that our members said were important: climate change, affordability, the economy, reconciliation and housing. In February this year, with members of the Indigenous Advisory Committee and the CIP Board, Lesley led the release of CIP’s Reconciliation Action Plan that sets out clear actions for CIP on our journey to reconciliation.
Lesley’s board experience includes both for profit and not for profit organizations, including the President of the Planning Institute of British Columbia, Chair of the Yukon Energy Corporation, Board Member of the Chu Níikwän Development Corporation (First Nation for profit development corporation), Chair of the Regional Land Use Planning Council, established under the Yukon’s modern treaty, and several community organizations including the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce and the Whitehorse Foodbank. Lesley received the Rotman School, Institute of Corporate Directors’ Designation in 2021.
Expression of Interest
I am proud of the work I have contributed to CIP over the past three years. We hired a new CEO, we completed our Reconciliation Action Plan, we established working groups that developed policy papers to support CIP’s advocacy work and federal budget submission, and we met with our members where they are. I want to continue this work.
We have seen federal priorities shift from housing and climate change to Arctic security and economic resilience. Planners have a lot to offer in all these spaces. Our northern communities need our planning expertise to build capacity and support healthy and sustainable communities. Economic resiliency begins in the communities we know, work and live in and we cannot let the decision makers forget about housing, climate change and affordability. I want to work with you to support the work we need to do as a profession on all these issues. I want to use the expertise and energy we have within our membership to engage nationally on solutions.
In 2027, CIP will develop a new Strategic Plan. I want our members heard and involved. I am passionate about our profession and the work we do from coast to coast to coast. I want to celebrate our work and let others know what we do so we are invited to the tables. I would be honoured if I was re-elected as the Director-at-Large.
Georgina Colthurst
Born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, the southernmost city in Canada bordering the United States, Georgina developed an early awareness of how geography shapes communities and regional connections. After completing an undergraduate degree in Women’s and Gender Studies, she moved to Northern British Columbia, where her passion for northern and regional planning emerged.
Over the past ten years, she has worked in the non-profit and public sectors, focusing on community development and public engagement. In Northern BC, she contributed to regional initiatives with United Way Northern BC, participating in community action tables and managing youth employment programs for The Foundry in Terrace. She also served as a constituency assistant for a Member of Parliament in the Skeena-Bulkley Valley, gaining firsthand experience with governance, public participation, and the unique challenges faced by remote northern communities. These experiences deepened her focus on northern planning, resilience, and equitable community development.
She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning at Queen’s University, expected to graduate in 2028. Her research will focus on northern planning, governance, and affordable housing policy in northern communities, building on her professional experience and commitment to supporting sustainable, resilient, and inclusive northern communities.
Expression of Interest
As an emerging planner with a non-traditional background, I am motivated to advocate for students who, like me, come from diverse educational and professional pathways. As a CIP Student Board Director, I hope to highlight the unique needs, supports, and perspectives of non-traditional planning students. Planning is inherently interdisciplinary, and I believe there are pathways for success for everyone. With a background in Women’s Studies, a minor in Labour Studies, and experience as an employment navigator, I hope to support students, both traditional and non-traditional, by connecting peers, organizations, and promoting mentorship.
Urban planning is often misunderstood. I have frequently been asked, “What job will you get with that?” Yet when the conversation turns to design, place, and community, people often have strong insights and concerns about the built environment; they just haven’t been engaged. Many people already have planning in them, and I want to advocate for the profession while connecting students to it. I hope to engage undergraduates, high school students, career changers, and others considering planning as a path, helping them see the opportunities and diversity of experiences that can contribute to the field. My goal is to create a bridge for non-traditional students and potential planners, ensuring that planning reflects the full range of perspectives, experiences, and voices in our communities.
Lesley Cabott RPP, FCIP ICD D