The Planning Profession:
Membership, Ethics and Involvement
14th March 2011

Most planners in Canada and elsewhere in the world are members of a professional planning association. In Canada, this association is the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP), of which the Planning Institute of BC (PIBC) is an affiliate. In this class, we will build on earlier discussions in Omnibus to explore what it means to be a professional planner and some of the challenges currently facing the profession – challenges that you will be facing shortly as you enter practice. As in previous classes, we will use your questions and experiences in addressing the topics.

We will be joined in this class by Eric Vance, MCIP, a long-time adjunct professor at SCARP who is also heavily involved in the planning profession in various capacities. He is a former member of PIBC Council, the senior member and former Chair of the PIBC Professional Practice Review Committee, a member of the CIP Ethical Standards Task Force and a member of the PIBC Professional Legislation & Certification Task Force. To learn more about Eric's involvement in the School look at his SCARP bio and course pages. You can also find out more about his consulting practice on his company page. Eric has kindly offered to stay behind after the end of the class if anyone would like to discuss his experiences and seek further advice on advancing planning careers.

In preparation for the session, please take a look at the material posted on the Canadian Institute of Planners web site on “Planning for the Future” and come to class prepared with questions and issues that you would like to discuss in the context of the agenda below.

Agenda:

Becoming a Member of the Profession
Currently in BC there is no requirement that persons practicing planning be a member of PIBC or any other professional body. (Read Summary of Research Report and Discussion Paper on Regulation of Planners)

• Why should you become a member? Is it really that important?
• Should all planners be forced to become members?
• Is continuing professional development important as a requirement?
• Is it even CIP / PIBC’s business how you choose to keep yourself current on planning matters?

Being an Ethical Planner
You will face ethical challenges in your career as a planner whether in public or private practice. (Read PIBC Code of Professional Conduct and CIP Statement of Values)

• What are ethical challenges you have faced in your jobs to date or that you think a planner might face?
• How have you dealt with them or do you think they might be dealt with?
• Have you observed others acting unethically in the workplace? Did you do anything about it? Is it even your business?
• What are the most important attributes of an ethical planner?

Being Involved in the Profession
Being a member of the planning profession and being involved are very different things.

• Is involvement important and what is meant by “involvement”?
• Do you have an obligation to speak out as an individual on planning issues that you feel are important or is it the job of CIP / PIBC to do that collectively?
• What if you don’t agree with the position taken on issues by CIP or PIBC or don’t think that they’re doing enough?
• As your career progresses, do you have an obligation to help mentor planning students or young planners who are just entering the profession?
• Would you put your job or career on the line to stand up for something that you felt strongly about as a professional planner?