The Honourable Barry Petten, Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, today announced that the Provincial Government is moving forward with legislation to regulate the practice of professional planning by registered professional planners and candidate planners in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The proposed Registered Professional Planners Act will set a clear framework for governance, registration and discipline of registered professional planners and candidate planners to protect the people and communities that professional planners serve. The bill advanced to second reading in the House of Assembly today.
The proposed act will:
- Replace the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Professional Planners with a new College of Professional Planners of Newfoundland and Labrador as the self-governing regulator with by-law-making authority;
- Put the profession under a statutory regulatory framework instead of a voluntary membership model;
- Set clear requirements for registration, entry-to-practice, professional standards, ethics, and ongoing competency;
- Create a formal process for complaints, investigations, discipline, offences and penalties;
- Protect titles Registered Professional Planner and Candidate Planner so only qualified people can use them; and
- Replace the Member and Fellow Canadian Institute of Planners designations with the protected title Registered Professional Planner and corresponding designation.
If passed, the act will let professional planners registered in Newfoundland and Labrador be recognized by regulators across Canada. It brings the province in line with other jurisdictions that protect planner titles, supports labour mobility, and may help address the shortage of qualified planners.
This legislation reflects the Provincial Government’s commitment to listen to communities and work side by side with local governments to meet challenges and create new opportunities.
Quotes
“Professional planners help build strong, vibrant communities across Newfoundland and Labrador. Enacting the Registered Professional Planners Act will help protect our cities and towns, and the public, by making sure anyone using a protected planning title meets high professional and ethical standards.”
Honourable Barry Petten
Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs
“The Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Professional Planners has long advocated for Registered Professional Planners legislation. The legislation is critically important to support labour mobility for the profession, and for the protection of the public’s interest in the planning of our rural and urban communities.”
Julia Schwarz
President, Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Professional Planners
“This legislation marks an important milestone for professional planning in Newfoundland and Labrador. Protecting the Registered Professional Planner designation recognizes the high standards of knowledge, professionalism and ethical responsibility required of Registered Professional Planners, while giving the public greater clarity and confidence in the qualifications behind the designation. By bringing Newfoundland and Labrador into greater alignment with professional planning regulation elsewhere in Canada, this legislation recognizes the vital role professional planners play in building strong, sustainable communities.”
Meredith Cooper
Chair, Atlantic Planners Institute
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