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August 2023

Learn more about OPPI’s PlanON Awards and our 2023 winners

We are excited to announce our 2023 PlanON Award winners who will be honoured at our PlanON Awards Soirée on September 20, 2023 at the OPPI Adaptation Transformation Conference. 

Congratulations to this year’s 11 recipients and thank you to all applicants who made a PlanON Awards submission this year. 

The PlanON Awards is a new annual OPPI program that honours the exceptional achievements of Registered Professional Planners (RPPs) and other OPPI members at all career stages. Through their diverse projects, these individuals have demonstrated excellence and a commitment to advancing the planning profession in Ontario. They have also shown how the planning profession plays an important role in shaping the quality, livability, and sustainability of communities for future generations. 

The 2023 PlanON Award winners for each category include:  

1. PlanON Public Education Award  

Winning Teams: 

  • Nina-Marie Lister and Aylise Cooke  

  • Eunice Wong  

2. PlanON Innovative Research Award  

Winning Teams: 

  • Emily Sousa, Pam Duesling, and Wayne Caldwell 

  • Samantha Biglieri and Jennifer Dean 

3. PlanON Vision Award – Planning Documentation   

Winning Teams: 

  • Hieu Nguyen, Mark Conway, Chris Hardwicke, and Matthew Bennett 

  • Will Lamond and Gregory Bender 

4. PlanON Vision Award – Planning Process 

Winning Teams:  

  • Janet Kivett Knight  

  • Danny Roy, Calvin Brook, and Jenna Davidson 

5. PlanON Emerging Leadership Award  

Winner:  

  • Keisha St. Louis McBurnie  

6. PlanON RPP Leadership Award  

Winner:  

  • Wayne Caldwell  

7. PlanON Volunteer Service Award  

Winner: 

  • Ron Shishido 

Learn more about each of our winners and their projects. 

A record number of PlanON Award submissions were received this year, all of which having undergone a rigorous review process that included being peer-reviewed by three RPPs from the PlanON Jury, which is comprised of OPPI members with a wealth of knowledge and experience.  

Meet our PlanON Awards jury. 

Award Submissions: 

Do you think you could be the next 2024 PlanON Award winner? Each year applicants can self-nominate or be nominated by a peer. Projects submitted must be related to work that was built, implemented, adopted, approved, published, etc., within the province of Ontario. 

Applications for this year are closed for 2023, but it’s never too early to start planning for next year. Learn more about the general eligibility criteria and award-specific eligibility.  

Also, don’t forget to get your tickets to this year’s PlanON Awards Soirée to celebrate all the 2023 winners! This is the awards party you won’t want to miss!