RFA Planning Consultant Inc.

Ruth established RFA Planning Consultant Inc. in 1993 following employment for various municipal and consulting planning organizations. She is originally from Grey County where she worked in the Planning Department before relocating to the Quinte area in 1983. She is well established in south-eastern Ontario as a land use planner with specialized knowledge of this part of the Province. Her planning education was at Waterloo University in the School of Urban and Regional Planning.

Ruth has been a member of the Canadian Institute of Planners since 1983. Since that time she has volunteered for the Ontario Planners Institute, serving as the first member from Eastern Ontario on the Council for 7 years, followed by 10 years’ service on the OPPI Disciplinary Committee. She was a recipient of the OPPI Volunteer Award for service to the profession and she continues to mentor young planners.

Ruth is also a volunteer in the Quinte area, serving on the Boards of Albert College, Belleville General Hospital Foundation, Quinte Healthcare Corporation, Belleville 2000 Task Force and the Quinte Arts Council. She was the recipient of the Ontario Volunteer Service Award in 2013.

Her greatest strength is managing complex projects from the conceptual stage through to construction. Some of these projects unfold over a number of years. She enjoys working with clients and the various disciplines to create outstanding plans that will serve the community well. Ruth has worked on the full range of greenfield and brownfield sites in small, medium and larger municipalities. She believes that planning always adds value to projects and her clients have come to understand this as well.

Ruth is an outdoor enthusiast who decided to become a planner when she realized that site visits were part of the job description. When not working, Ruth enjoys travelling with her family to cities and regions in other parts of the world. They are accustomed to her on-going commentary about the transit systems, road network or built form in these communities and share in her thoughts on how to create better places.

Shawn holds an Honours Bachelor Degree in Community Design, Major in Urban Design Studies, is a Registered Professional Planner and is a full member of the Canadian Institute of Planners. Shawn joined the RFA Planning team in 2010; however, had previously worked with the firm on various projects since 2008. At RFA, Shawn holds a unique skill set – equal parts urban designer and planner.

Shawn is responsible for preparing development plans as well as conducting site analysis and planning research and preparing planning documents and visuals along with all planning applications. He has commanding skills in all industry-leading design and mapping applications (Adobe Illustrator, SketchUp, AutoCAD, and ESRI ArcMap) and delivers high quality work.

Shawn has a passion for creating complete streets and how new development integrates with surrounding land uses. His key strength is site planning and he has prepared plans for numerous resort and tourist developments as well as infill residential and other commercial projects. He prefers working in a team atmosphere and feels this is how the best results are achieved.