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This article was published 19/12/2016 (1375 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

Let’s have a show of hands — who knows what a planner does for the city and community in which you live?

Planners are skilled professionals who work to improve the quality and livability of Manitoba communities. Responsible planning is essential to the sustainability of safe and healthy urban and rural environments. The scope of planning work is broad and may include the conversion of land from natural habitats to urban built areas, the maintenance and use of natural resources and habitats and environmental protection. Planners are also engaged in the development and renewal of major infrastructure, and they work with communities to develop plans to help address local issues.

To build on this work undertaken by planners and to build greater assurance within the community, the Registered Professional Planners Act of Manitoba came into effect on Dec. 1. Now, only certified planners who are members of the Manitoba Professional Planners Institute can use the designation of registered professional planner in Manitoba. The planners institute has been charged with administering the new act, bringing Manitoba in line with five other provincial and territorial institutes and associations in Canada with similar legislation.

Planners are agents of change. They oversee the process of change in communities. While change is often associated with the pressures and impacts of growth and increasing urbanization, planners also engage in community revitalization and help communities adjust to declining or aging populations or deal with local issues such as homelessness.

Land-use designation is a traditional planning activity, but planners also design social and community services, manage cultural and heritage resources, help create economic capacity in local communities and address transportation and infrastructure needs.

Along with the Canadian Institute of Planners, the seven provincial and territorial institutes and associations are charged with regulating approximately 7,500 planning professionals in Canada. Canadian planners are required to meet common standards for certification. There are also national standards for the accreditation of recognized university planning programs, such as the master of city planning program offered at the University of Manitoba.

The Professional Standards Board is an arm’s-length body charged with certifying Canadian planners, including members of the Manitoba institute, ensuring membership standards are applied consistently and uniformly across the country. Because of this, membership is portable, which means certified planners in Manitoba can practise in any other province, subject to registering with the local association.

Why is this legislation important? First and foremost, institute members are required to adhere to ethical and professional standards detailed in the code of professional conduct. The act requires the institute to carry out its mandate, duties and powers, and to govern its members in a manner that serves and protects the public interest.

Specifically, the institute has to regulate and govern the professional conduct and discipline of its members. Included in the act are provisions and a mechanism for formally addressing complaints about the conduct and practice of a member.

Certified planners are required to log continuous professional learning credits annually, tracked and logged by the institute. This helps ensure our members are advancing their skills and knowledge and provides the opportunity for them to learn about new ideas, which can then be applied to planning practice in Manitoba. To meet increasingly complex planning challenges, planners must stay current about land, air and water resources, employment trends, cultural diversity and associated issues, new technologies and conflict resolution.

Registered planners practise in a manner that protects the public interest for current and future generations. Certified planners demonstrate exemplary ethical and professional standards. Planners may work for the public or the private sector — but, ultimately, their work always touches on public policy.

They balance various private interests with the public interest and identify viable options that take human health, esthetics, equity and efficiency into consideration.

Planning respects the land as a community resource, contributing to the conservation of natural and cultural heritage and promoting healthy communities and improvements to quality of life for citizens in communities across Manitoba and Canada.

Chris Leach is a past president of both the Manitoba Professional Planners Institute and the Canadian Institute of Planners. He is a regional manager for community and regional planning for the Province of Manitoba.