NPG Planning Solutions is honoured to announce that we have received the PlanON 2025 Vision Award for Excellence from the Ontario Professional Planners Institute (OPPI) for our work on the County of Essex’s New Official Plan.
The PlanON Awards are OPPI’s highest honour, recognizing exceptional achievements that advance the planning profession and shape Ontario’s communities into more livable, resilient, and sustainable places for the future.
The foundation of the new plan is captured in the guiding theme “One Land, One Climate, One Future, Together.”
This Official Plan is a forward-looking framework designed to:
- Protect agricultural lands and natural heritage systems
- Guide growth through complete communities that offer a range of housing, employment opportunities, active transportation, and transit ready infrastructure
- Support higher density development to minimize land consumption and preserve the environment
- Strengthen collaboration among lower tier municipalities and First Nations communities, ensuring that growth is inclusive and community driven
Led by Mary Lou Tanner and the dedicated NPG team with the support of County staff, the new Official Plan is a hallmark of County collaboration, integrating community growth needs within a responsible land stewardship framework.
The PlanON Vision Award for Excellence reflects the shared effort of Essex County, its partners, and the NPG team to balance people, economy, and environment in a sustainable way.
The award will be formally presented at the PlanON Soirée on September 18, OPPI’s annual celebration of planning excellence.