President's Message - Bill 122 Stalled,
Contact your MPP Now
Despite all-party support at First and Second Reading of the Registered Professional Planners Act, 2017, and the Bill being referred to a Standing Committee in the spring, hearings have not yet been held and no further progress has been made despite the initially positive steps in the legislature. Bill 122 now appears to be stalled.
The importance of planning and the role of the planning profession in creating and fostering healthy communities - putting the public interest first - should not be overlooked. The government has updated much of the planning legislation in this province and it needs to now update the 25-year-old legislation that regulates planners as part of an overall modernizing the planning system in Ontario. Great Plans Need Great Planners. The time is now to finalize Bill 122.
As was the case back in the spring, I am asking all planning professionals to take action and contact your Member of Provincial Parliament in response to OPPI's legislation to enhance the regulation of the planning profession. If you were one of the over 100 OPPI members who contacted their MPP in the spring please contact your MPP again. Let them know that you are frustrated by the delay and that you need their support. All of you can make a difference by placing a phone call or sending an email to your MPP. If you are active on social media, I encourage you to also send out a tweet and tag your MPP on Twitter.
Renewed and strengthened legislation that supports professional planners and protects the public interest in Ontario is important to you. It gives the public confidence in the work you do and it helps to reinforce the value of your work. It is imperative that as a Registered Professional Planner your voice is heard on the importance of this Bill being passed. Your call or email today can make a difference for professional planners across Ontario and the communities we serve. The government must now turn its attention to updating professional regulation legislation for the planners who they need to implement planning legislation.
Here is what you need to do:
- Let OPPI know that you have contacted your MPP (include the name of your MPP).
- Visit the Professional Regulation webpage to review materials related to Bill 122.
- Use this handy Contact an MPP tool for phone numbers and email addresses.
- Call your local constituency office to book a meeting with your MPP.
- Can't go to a meeting? Send an email.
- Tag your MPP on Twitter and let them know why this Bill is important to you.
- Review the Key Messages prior to your meeting or use these when sending an email.
- Questions? Contact the OPPI office.
Every voice counts. It's planners like you - professional, accountable, collaborative and progressive - who, through meaningful activities such as this, will advance, in the public interest, planning and the planning profession in this Province.
We are OPPI. Be involved.
Andrea Bourrie, RPP
President
Ontario Professional Planners Institute
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