Our
History

NPG Planning Solutions began in 2017 as Niagara Planning Group, a name chosen to highlight its commitment to Niagara. It was founded by John Henricks, MCIP, RPP, who previously served as Director of Planning for the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake and recognized a growing need for dedicated, professional planning consulting in the region. The vision was a genuinely independent planning consultancy: not a planning arm within an engineering or development firm, but a dedicated partner working solely in its clients’ interests. That independence still defines the firm today.

From the beginning, NPG benefitted from strong community and industry support and built its early reputation on responsive land development planning in Niagara. As the firm grew, it broadened into urban design, municipal and policy planning, heritage, and agricultural and rural planning, and expanded beyond Niagara across Ontario. That evolution is reflected in its name: Niagara Planning Group became NPG Planning Solutions.

NPG’s leadership has grown alongside the firm. Mary Lou Tanner, RPP, FCIP, joined as Partner in 2020, leading the public sector and policy practice. The executive leadership team today is led by Managing Partner Aaron Butler, MCIP, RPP, with Senior Partners Mary Lou Tanner and Dr. Marcus Létourneau, PhD, MCIP, RPP, CAHP, alongside Principal Planner and Partner Jesse Auspitz, MCIP, RPP, and Senior Planner and Partner Max Fedchyshak, MCIP, RPP. Marcus, who joined in 2025, is one of Canada’s foremost authorities in heritage planning. Denise Horne, Principal Planner, Heritage and Policy Planning, has led the growth of the firm’s heritage practice since 2023.

Today, NPG’s team of 19 planning and urban design professionals delivers an integrated scope of services across Ontario, spanning municipal and policy planning, planning approvals and development applications, urban design, cultural heritage planning, farming and agriculture planning, public consultation and engagement, community improvement, housing and economic development planning, and expert evidence at the Ontario Land Tribunal.

Rooted in collaboration, innovation and a people-first approach, NPG looks forward to continuing to build trusted relationships with public and private clients and communities across Ontario. As the firm marks its 10th year, that foundation remains its starting point.