Giving Back to the Community

Dr. Ann McAfee (FCIP) has been a planner for over 50 years.  In 1974, she became Vancouver’s first Housing Planner. From 1994-2006, as Vancouver’s Co-Director of Planning, she guided city policies and neighbourhood plans.  Since ‘retiring’ she has planned internationally. Ann is an Adjunct Professor at UBC’s SCARP and a member of Canada’s National Housing Council.

Chris Hardwicke is a registered professional planner, a member of the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada and an urban designer with over 25 years of experience. He has achieved international recognition as a Fellow of the Forum for Urban Design in New York; a Recognized Practitioner in Urban Design in the UK; and, as a member of the Project for Public Spaces Leadership Committee and the Council for Canadian Urbanism. Chris is guided by the principle that urbanism is a vehicle of social change and renewal. This philosophy extends from the design of public places to embracing the broader principles of healthy cities.

Colton is a Registered Professional Planner with a reputation for successfully completing challenging planning projects. He is based in McElhanney’s Surrey BC office and works on planning projects across BC and Alberta. He has 20 years of experience providing public and private sector clients with strategic planning and development advice, and he has completed IAP2 public engagement training. Colton has significant public and private sector experience in municipal planning, with a focus on zoning bylaw overhauls, enabling infill and missing middle housing, regulating cannabis sales, official community plans (OCPs), municipal development plans (MDPs), secondary plans, affordable and supportive housing development, public engagement, project scoping, project management, and rezoning approvals and he frequently presents at city council and in the community.

Kathleen Gallagher is a Registered Professional Planner who has worked as an Executive Advisor in planning as well as in transit planning, development planning, and heritage planning at the City of Calgary and Town of Banff. She holds a Master of Environmental Studies (Planning) from the University of Waterloo and a Bachelor of Science (Psychology) from Dalhousie University.

Kyla Pascal (she/her) is an Afro-Indigenous (Dominican/Métis) woman born and raised in Amiskwaciwâskahikan / ᐊᒥᐢᑲᐧᒋᐋᐧᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ (Edmonton). Her experiences and interests are centred around Indigenous resurgence, cultural preservation, community health, storytelling, and food justice. She is a community planner, a consultant and co-editor of Hungry Zine. The goal of her work is to build more resilient, just, and healthier communities.

Neal LaMontagne is a faculty lecturer at the University of Alberta School of Urban and Regional Planning. A planner with over 25 years of experience, he is a planning generalist with particular interests in the intersection of planning and design, sustainable and compassionate cities, and plan quality. A former member of the PIBC Awards Committee, this is his first year on a national awards jury.

Perry is Partner Services Manager at the City of Lethbridge. He has a MA in Latin American Studies from SFU and a BA in Urban and Regional Studies from the University of Lethbridge. Perry’s work centers on reconciliation, equity and inclusion within planning, policymaking and placemaking/keeping. Perry is Vice-chair of the Lethbridge Polytechnic Board of Governors, a Research Affiliate at the Prentice Institute (University of Lethbridge) and regularly shares his work through networks in Canada, the UK and elsewhere.

A senior Canadian city planner, urban designer, teacher, and author, Larry Beasley, is the Founding Principal of Beasley & Associates, a retired Chief Planner for Vancouver, and Professor at UBC. Working around the world, highlights include Abu Dhabi, Moscow, Dallas, Scandinavia, Australia, and across Canada. His three books are “Vancouverism”, “Ecodesign for Cities and Suburbs”, and “Canadians Planning in Abu Dhabi”.

Dr. Leela Viswanathan, RPP, FCIP, is an accomplished and innovative educator, mentor, researcher, and planner, and is the founder of Viswali Consulting. She builds on nearly 30 years of experience in fostering equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in academic, government, and not-for-profit sectors. As a forward-thinking strategist, Leela is happiest when co-creating knowledge and developing strategies to solve problems for social impact.

Michael Hooper is an Associate Professor of Community and Regional Planning at the University of British Columbia. He previously taught urban planning at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design and worked for the UN in East Africa and New York. He is a registered professional planner in Canada, the UK and the US.

Samantha Murphy is an independent professional planner, focused primarily on municipal planning, policy, and governance in PEI and Atlantic Canada. Samantha’s experience includes municipal and provincial planning and, since 2020, private consulting. Samantha recently joined with long-term colleagues to form a planning collective, the We6 Planning Group. Much of Sam’s recent work has been focused on climate resilient communities and housing.

Alex is a registered professional planner and Senior Planning Analyst for the Government of British Columbia Ministry of Housing. Alex has co-authored several articles in Plan Canada and Planning West, and is interested in contributing to constructive dialogue on today’s planning issues. Alex graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Masters of City Planning.

Arlene Etchen has been working as a recognized knowledge mobilization and communications professional in the planning, housing, and energy sectors for over 15 years. Throughout her career, Arlene has applied her expertise by undertaking research, delivering lectures, and authoring articles involving topics such as sustainable affordable housing, secondary suites, accessibility, and aging-in-place. She has had the opportunity to deliver presentations nationally, and in Belgium, Scotland, and Ireland.

Arlene’s passion for housing and sustainability extends beyond her professional endeavors, to her volunteer work with the Institute without Boundaries (Brookfield Sustainability Institute), the York Region Water Conservation Council and the Earth Day Hometown Heroes initiative, recognizing leaders in sustainability.

Shree is a Registered Professional Planner and the manager of Current & Long Range Planning with the City of Fort Saskatchewan in Alberta. Prior to joining the City of Fort Saskatchewan, Shree worked in the consulting sector in the capacity of an Urban Designer and a Planner and worked for development industry and many Alberta communities. Shree has Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Mumbai, India and Masters in Environmental Design from the University of Calgary. Her diverse background is her strength and her practice focus is the creation of complete and sustainable communities.

Emma Borho is an urban planner at Stantec Consulting Ltd., where she works on planning projects related to affordable housing, parks and recreation, and complete communities. Emma graduated from the University of Waterloo Master of Arts (Planning) program, where she completed her Master’s thesis focusing on the topic of rural children’s perceptions of health related to their neighbourhoods.

Ezra is a registered professional planner and a project manager with the City of Toronto. Prior to joining the City of Toronto team, he worked as a planner with the City of Calgary. Ezra is a graduate of the University of Waterloo School of Planning, is currently pursuing a graduate diploma in public administration in the Local Government Program at Western University, and volunteers with the Toronto District of the Ontario Professional Planners Institute.

Based in Toronto, Glenn Miller, FCIP is a senior associate with the Canadian Urban Institute, where until 2016 he provided planning advice to the private, public and non-profit sectors. He previously led the CUI’s award-winning education and research programs and ran the CUI’s internship program. Glenn is also the co-founder of Strategic Regional Research Alliance, an NGO seeking a better understanding of how to connect home with work. Glenn was founding editor of the Ontario Planning Journal (1986-2011) and contributes to a wide variety of publications, including Y Magazine, ReNew Canada and SPACING. He recently rejoined the Editorial Committee for Plan Canada. Glenn was Planner in Residence at the University of Waterloo’s School of Planning in 2012. He also taught at Ryerson University’s School of Urban and Regional Planning (now TMU), Seneca College and the George Brown Institute Without Boundaries. Glenn became a member of the College of Fellows in 2005.

Harrison is a Registered Professional Planner focused on supporting Indigenous communities. His work with Dillon Consulting has focused on needs assessments for housing and facilities, land use plans, and strategic planning. He holds graduate degrees in Planning from Dalhousie University and International Public Policy from Wilfrid Laurier University. 

Jennifer Dean is an Associate Professor in the School of Planning at the University of Waterloo, a Registered Professional Planner in Ontario and a Member of the Canadian Institute of Planners. Jennifer’s research broadly explores the relationship between local environments and human health, the impact of professional practice and place-based inititives on community wellbeing, and effective planning education for enhanced learning and practice.

Dr. Kyle Whitfield is an Associate Professor at the University of Alberta, School of Urban and Regional Planning. Her focus is on community planning; this encompasses planning with older adults both in an urban and rural setting. She is curious about citizen engagement in planning related decision making and methods of qualitative research. She is a RPP and MCIP.

Rylan Graham is an Assistant Professor in the School of Planning and Sustainability at the University of Northern British Columbia. Rylan’s research focuses on issues related to growth management, intensification, downtown revitalization, and with a particular focus on mid-sized Canadian cities. Rylan has a PhD from the University of Calgary, a Master of Arts, Planning from the University of Waterloo, and a Bachelor of Arts, Geography from the University of Regina. Prior to entering academia, he practiced as a planner in Alberta and Saskatchewan. LinkedIn

Sarah is a Registered Professional Planner with experience working in the private and public sectors on a wide range of development projects, planning studies, and long-range planning initiatives across Ontario. She is currently a development review planner with the City of Ottawa. She enjoys learning new things and is excited to read your submissions!

Tharini Prakash is a Planner and Architect with extensive global and local experience in large-scale development projects. With expertise in integrating design and policy across public and private realms, she takes a holistic approach to urban and community planning. Currently a Planning Technician with the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, she focuses on current planning initiatives within the region.

Holding a Master of Community Planning from Vancouver Island University and a Bachelor of Architecture from the Manipal Academy of Higher Education in Dubai, her diverse background offers a unique perspective on Canada’s planning challenges. Passionate about fostering meaningful dialogue, she looks forward to contributing to today’s planning conversations through the Plan Canada Editorial Committee.