November 2018 Issue

OPPI would like to thank members, speakers and sponsors for attending Ontario's most popular and talked about planning event of the year in the City of Greater Sudbury and Laurentian University. We would also like to thank members who joined us over livestream to participate in a selection of sessions on offer. Without your support and attendance, OPPI18 would not have been as successful as it was. We would also like to extend our sincerest thanks to City of Greater Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger, our panelists on Day 1 and to Jesse Wente for his discussion with members on Day 2.

OPPI wants to thank members for attending our Annual General Meeting (AGM) on October 11, 2018 at Science North in the City of Greater Sudbury. Members interested in reading the minutes from the 2018 AGM can visit the OPPI website and read them in their entirety.

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• More emphasis and education on the outcomes of climate change
• The tools and tactics to address specific issues may require different considerations - it's not a one-size fits all solution
• Consideration needs to be given to the value proposition for addressing climate change and adaptation for individuals and within communities, and demonstrating this value to key partners and stakeholders is important
• The conversation about the impact of climate change should address quantitative and qualitative impacts, and should highlight the small and large changes happening
• Collaboration on this issue is essential, and normalizing the conversation is a great first step followed by tangible actions

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OPPI's membership has grown over the past year! OPPI is presenting its membership information in an infographic format for 2018. Here are some key points to consider as members view our infographic:

• OPPI membership is over 4,600!
• Student Members make up the second largest membership group at almost 700 members.
• Many RPPs are either in the middle or later phase of their careers.
• Collectively, there are as many RPPs working in the private sector as there are in municipalities.

Members are welcome to visit our 2018 Annual Report webpages, and specifically the Membership Statistics webpage, to see the membership breakdown and learn more.

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In the upcoming November Council meeting, the 2018-2019 OPPI Council will hold their first meeting of the year to discuss a variety of strategic issues. Some of the topics that will be discussed at this meeting include:

• Discussion about Professional Standards Knowledge and Expertise Capacity Building Learning Strategy 2.0
• 2019 Strategic Priorities and Business Plan

OPPI Council meets four times a year. Council approved agendas and minutes are available upon request to the OPPI office.

The goal is to engage members in shaping the direction and initiatives of OPPI, and continue to deliver on our INSPIRE OPPI Strategic Plan 2020. Members are encouraged to speak up and get involved, and stay in touch throughout the year through OPPI's many communications channels.

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As OPPI gears up to provide another exciting year of delivering
valuable member programs and services to support your
professional journey and lifelong learning in 2019, we look
forward to your ongoing support, feedback and contribution.
Members can expect to receive their membership renewal
shortly. Renewals will be staggered throughout the second week
of November.

Renew your 2019 OPPI membership before January 2nd, 2019. Visit the new OPPI website at ontarioplanners.ca and click on the yellow login button at the top right corner to log into your Member Profile to renew your membership.

While you're logged in, don't forget to update your Member Profile and record your 2018 CPL activities for Full and Candidate Members. For more information and for any renewal questions, please contact OPPI at renewal@ontarioplanners.ca.

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DON'T FORGET TO RECORD YOUR 2018 CPL UNITS!

The holidays and end of the year is quickly approaching - have
you logged your 2018 Continuous Professional Learning (CPL)
units?

Don't wait until December 31st to log your Learning Units,
especially if you've completed them for 2018. Last year, over
98% of members met the CPL requirement, and we want to
achieve the same or better compliance rate for 2018.

As a reminder, 18 learning units are required annually. One learning unit equals one hour of direct planning related (with some exceptions). A minimum of nine learning units must be structured and a maximum of nine learning units may be individually directed. And, up to nine structured learning units
may be carried forward to the following year.

If you have any CPL-related questions, please contact OPPI at standards@ontarioplanners.ca.

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OPPI IS ACCEPTING 2019 STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS

Attention all OPPI Student Members! OPPI has two scholarships available for students to apply for in 2019: the Ronald M. Keeble Undergraduate Scholarship and the Gerald Carrothers Graduate Scholarship. Visit OPPI's website today and put your name forward for a scholarship before March 1st, 2019. Be recognized by OPPI for your commitment and contribution to your local community!
 

• What one thing would improve your hometown?
• What would happen if RPPs disappeared?
• What hobby helps you as an RPP?
• What advice would you give to a new RPP?
• What planning issues keep you awake at night?

Thank you to members who provided their stories before and during the Symposium! OPPI is in the process of sorting through the responses and will share them throughout 2019. 

It's not too late to share you advice and stories! Email us at INSPIREOPPI@ontarioplanners.ca to share your advice and stories.
 

In this month's Planning Exchange blog, Arlene Etchen, Knowledge Transfer Consultant for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation has written about the National Housing Strategy and how more can be done to increasing affordable housing in Ontario, along with sharing tools and resources to help members at a local level.

Click here to read more

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2019 is a landmark year for Ontario's professional planners. We are honouring the 25th anniversary of the Registered Professional Planner (RPP) designation in Ontario; the first jurisdiction in Canada to offer it!

To commemorate this significant milestone, OPPI is facing change and guiding Ontario into the next quarter century by exploring the key issues (Climate Change, Uneven Growth and Technology) that reach beyond regional and territorial boundaries impacting professional planners and stakeholders, and addresses issues important to the general public, elected officials and other decision-makers for decades to come.

We will aim to tackle these topics through a variety of educational offerings throughout the calendar year, culminating with OPPI19: Beyond 25 held on October 1st to 3rd at the Beanfield Centre in Toronto.

OPPI invites its members, related stakeholders and citizens to submit a proposal to speak at our Beyond 25 Conference, and to express your interest in assisting OPPI in the creation of other educational content throughout the year and beyond. For more information, please visit our Call for Presentations webpage.
 

A made-in-Ontario climate change plan
The provincial government is inviting the public and businesses to have their say on how Ontario can deal with environmental challenges such as climate change. More information and the opportunity to comment can be found here.

Call for Participants - Research on Planning Practice in Global Firms
Have you worked for a global or publicly-traded firm? Are you interested in sharing your experiences? If you would be willing to participate in a research project examining professional planning practices in global firms, or for more details, please contact Dr. Orly Linovski at orly.linovski@umanitoba.ca.

The Partners for Fall Prevention Month Toolkit
November is Fall Prevention Month. Organizations and individuals in Canada and beyond are encouraged to come together to coordinate fall prevention efforts for a larger impact. Now in its fourth year, the Fall Prevention Partners have planned the campaign by creating and updating the Toolkit to enable individuals and organizations to participate by planning activities and sharing evidence-informed information. New this year is a section on childhood falls (ages 0-6). The motto says it all "It takes a community to prevent a fall: We all have a role to play". Learn more by checking out the toolkit and by joining the Fall Prevention Community of Practice and checking out the Loop website. 

Future Cities Canada Summit
The Future Cities Canada Summit takes place November 7-9 at Evergreen Brick Works in Toronto. The Summit is an opportunity to address shared challenges and explore potential solutions for ensuring our cities are fostering resilience, growing equitably, harnessing technology and enabling us to work together to build better and smarter cities for all. It will bring together city builders from all sectors to create and strengthen new relationships and collectively accelerate innovations for more inclusive, sustainable and resilient cities. Members may be able to receive a discount of $100 by using the discount code SUMMITNETWORK.

Neptis Foundation Geoweb Tool
The Neptis Foundation is pleased to announce a new release of the Neptis Geoweb. The Geoweb is a powerful analytical tool that provides detailed regional planning information and map layers for the generalist and expert user, including researchers, students, policy makers, and professionals. It is designed to allow users to study a specific area in depth or see the bigger picture and the trends shaping the entire Toronto region. For more information on the Geoweb tool, please visit the Neptis Geoweb website.

Celebrate World Town Planning Day on November 8!
November 8th is the annual celebration of World Town Planning Day! Every year, planners around the world engage in events and activities on or around November 8th to raise awareness of the importance of planning in local communities across Ontario and beyond. Be on the lookout for District events taking place locally to celebrate and the 8th Annual University of Waterloo Alumni Dinner. Please visit our website for World Town Planning Day resources.

2018 Excess Soil Symposium
Soil is a critical resource. It supports plant growth, stores and filters water and stores carbon. It is a crucial part of our ecosystem. Due to construction and development in Ontario 25 million cubic metres of excess soil is generated and transported across the Province each year. The movement and relocation of this soil must be properly managed to mitigate negative impacts to communities and the environment and to help preserve this critical resource. To help support the beneficial reuse of excess soil the Canadian Urban Institute is convening the 2018 Ontario Excess Soil Symposium in partnership with experts from industry, government, NGOs and academia. The event will be held on November 28 in Ajax, Ontario and feature lessons learned and successful case studies about the management of excess soil. For more information and to register, please visit the event page.
 

• Asset Management 101: The Case for Asset Management (November 1)
• Heritage Planning for Practitioners (November 2-4)
• Rouge National Urban Park - Guided Bus Tour With Park Canada (Joint Oak Ridges and Toronto District Event) (November 5)
• Asset Management 101: The Case for Asset Management (November 8)
• University of Waterloo Planning Alumni Annual Toronto Planning Dinner (November 8)
• Ontario Archaeological Society 2018 Symposium - Connections and Pathways Through the Past (November 9-11)
• 2018 Lakeland Festivus (November 14)
• Western Lake Ontario District Project Management for Planners (November 20)
• Toronto District 2018 Winter Social (November 22)
• Southwest District Annual Seasonal Social (November 29)
• Applied Project Management OPPI Course (November 30)