As we embark on the journey of building CIP’s Digital Library to document the histories of planning in Canada, we remain mindful of the nature of history — layered, nuanced, sometimes hidden, perhaps silenced, and waiting to be truly understood.
While the histories of planning in Canada include a robust body of work — ideas, plans, policies, and programs developed over the past 150 years — we also recognize that:
- Indigenous Peoples in North America had rich, complex, and well-planned societies for thousands of years.
- The creation and implementation of plans, policies, and programs throughout the formation and governance of Canada have had — and continue to have — significant implications for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples, their communities, economies, and ways of life.
- These same policies and programs have also shaped the experiences of newcomers, immigrants, and refugees as they settled in Canada.
- Planners in Canada have played roles on all sides of these histories.
As Planners, we understand that documenting histories must be done in many ways, from many perspectives, and through many voices — in order to do this work in a good way. We are just beginning this journey of documentation, and we welcome your thoughts on how we might move forward — together — in a good way.
Team / Équipe

Emily Middleton
Digitized Physical Archives

Madeline Cushman
Digitized Physical Archives
Marta Farevaag FCIP; David Gordon FCIP (Co-Chair); Mark Holland FCIP; Somia Sadiq FCIP; John Steil FCIP; Andy Yan FCIP (Co-Chair)





