Northern Planning and Sustainability Unit

The Northern Planning and Sustainability Unit (NPSU) of Northern Municipal Services supports northern planning capacity and community sustainability by providing professional, northern-based consulting and support services.  The NPSU is a committed partner in integrated and inter-jurisdictional policy planning.  
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The NPSU provides professional planning services and support to the municipalities in the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District (NSAD). The NSAD includes 25 incorporated northern municipalities: 2 towns, 11 northern villages, 11 northern hamlets, and the District, which includes 11 northern settlements, 14 resort subdivisions and 9 cluster subdivisions. 

The unit's long-standing program is the successful Planning for Growth North program which works with municipalities in the north to develop their Official Community Plans and Zoning Bylaws.  The program provides municipalities with the opportunity to envision their future and determine the appropriate steps to reach that vision.  ​
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Dee Johns, MCIP, RPP

Working with northern people, land and community in different capacities for the past 20 years, Dee combines her experience with education to deliver professional planning services to incorporated municipalities and communities in the Northern Saskatchewan Administration District.  With a focus on supporting communities as they plan for growth, Dee works with residents and stakeholders to strengthen relationships, improve outcomes for northerners and increase municipal planning capacity. 

Dee is a Registered Professional Planner of Saskatchewan and a full member of the Canadian Institute of Planners.  Dee's education includes a  BA in Geography; a BA in Conservation Enforcement; and a Master's in Northern Governance and Development.  As a commitment to continued learning, Dee is also currently working toward her certificate in Local Government Authority.    
Erik Trenouth, MCIP, RPP
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Erik brings a technical and practical lens to land use and policy development in Northern Saskatchewan.  Drawing from his experience working with northern communities, both in a bylaw development and development officer capacity, as well as municipal experience with the City of Prince Albert and RM of Dundurn, Erik is able to see many sides of development and consider the impact it can have on the future.  Erik enjoys continually learning more about planning, while also happily sharing his existing knowledge with colleagues, students and the public.
 
Erik graduated from the Regional and Urban Planning program at the University of Saskatchewan in 2012 and has recently received his RPP and MCIP designations as a full member of the Saskatchewan Professional Planners Institute and the Canadian Institute of Planners.  Erik spends his free time away from planning with his wife and dogs, going to the dog park, playing sports, watching baseball and traveling across North America. 
Heather Bernardin, M.A, GIS-cert.

Working with community initiatives that connect with residents, mayors and councils, K-12 students, business suits and others is what she loves to do. Heather has played a strong role on a wide range of team projects, from community health and quality of life, to planning, mapping, and more.  Heather holds a M.A. in Geography from the University of Saskatchewan and a post-graduate certificate in GIS-Cartography from Fleming College.  She is currently a Pre-Candidate member with the Saskatchewan Professional Planners Institute.
 
Heather lives in La Ronge, SK. with her family and loves to volunteer in her community, paddle, ski, read, tap her toes to music, and enjoy northern living.
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C​arissa Donaldson, BA (Honours)

Carissa graduated from the University of Saskatchewan Regional and Urban Planning program in December of 2018.  Although new to the planning profession, she brings to the table a variety of experience from working with rural communities in her previous career in radio broadcasting.  Carissa is also a Landscape Designer with a certificate from Ryerson University, giving her a unique perspective on both the human and built environment.  The last several years she has worked in planning for the Community Planning branch of the Ministry of Government Relations in both Regina and Saskatoon as she pursued her studies.  She is working toward her professional designations with SPPI and CIP.
Carissa lives with her husband and 3 dogs along the banks of the North Saskatchewan River.  Born and raised in Saskatchewan, she enjoys outdoor activities like golf, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and hiking both here at home and abroad.  Carissa feels most at home in the boreal forest surrounded by tall trees, cool lakes, and wildlife.

Planning Practice and Reconciliation Policy

The Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) is pleased to announce the launch of its Planning Practice and Reconciliation policy that defines the role planning and planners play in reconciliation.
 
Against the backdrop of the principles of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Final Report and United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), this policy is a call to action for planners to engage in meaningful and sustained relationship building with Indigenous Peoples of Canada (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis).
 
The Policy respectively:

  • Establishes CIP’s goal for reconciliation to be meaningfully embedded in planning practice in Canada.
  • Sets objectives needed to achieve this goal in all aspects of planning practice.
  • Defines and describes the roles and responsibilities of today’s professional planners in meeting those objectives.

​Read the full Planning Practice and Reconciliation policy and additional resources and reports at cip-icu.ca/Indigenous-Planning

What is Community Planning?