Membership

PIBC is a membership-based professional organization, with opportunities for professional practitioners in the planning field, students and others alike to join or get involved. Join us and become part of the planning profession in British Columbia and the Yukon!

Fully qualified professional, or Certified members, of PIBC in good standing have the exclusive right and privilege to utilize the professional title 'Registered Professional Planner' and designation 'RPP' in British Columbia and the Yukon. They may also use the designation 'MCIP' to indicate their professional status nationally with the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP).

PIBC admits new members in all categories throughout the year on a regular basis. Admissions of qualified individuals to membership are approved by the Institute's Board, which meets about five to six times each year. The process for applying for membership is different for different classes of membership. In some cases assessment of qualifications by the nationally-based Professional Standards Board (PSB) for the planning profession in Canada is required. Review the Roadmap to RPP which outlines the certification process.

Visit our Membership FAQs page for more information on PIBC Membership eligibility and the Registered Professional Planner (RPP) certification process.

Please Note: PIBC, in cooperation with CIP and our affiliated professional planning associations across Canada, has undertaken a major review and renewal of our Membership criteria, requirements and processes. Substantial changes to the requirements for professional Membership and the process taken by membership applicants to become professional members of the Institute have resulted from this review. These changes came into effect, along with the Institute's revised bylaws, on June 11th, 2012.

Logging into the PIBC Member Portal:
To log into the PIBC Member Portal to access your membership information, visit: https://members.pibc.bc.ca/signin.
If you experience trouble logging in, please try the following:
- The preferred internet browser is Google Chrome. Do not use the Internet Explorer browser due to compatibility issues.
- Try cleaning your browser history or enabling/cleaning cookies. 
- If you forgot your password, visit: https://members.pibc.bc.ca/signin# and click on the "Forgot Password" link.
 

Types of Membership

Corporate Membership
All corporate membership classes include equivalent joint membership with the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP). While most membership classes enjoy many of the same service benefits from the Institute, only corporate members are voting members and only Certified Members in good standing have the exclusive right and privilege to utilize the professional title 'Registered Professional Planner' and designation 'RPP' in British Columbia & the Yukon. They may also use the designation 'MCIP' to indicate their professional status nationally with CIP.

For detailed information on the eligibility requirements for Corporate Membership classes, please click on the appropriate link below:

• Certified (Registered Professional Planner) -  a qualified professional individual who has meet the membership certification requirements and is recognized by PIBC and CIP as a Registered Professional Planner (RPP).
• Candidate - an individual who is in the process of obtaining Certified membership and 'Registered Professional Planner' status with the Institute.
• Fellow (Honourific designation for a Certified Member) - a long-standing and exceptional Certified Member in good standing of PIBC who has been recognized by CIP nationally for an outstanding contribution to planning and the profession. Fellows are entitled to use the designation 'FCIP', in addition to the professional designation RPP after their name.

Non-Corporate Membership
Non-Corporate membership classes do not include equivalent joint membership with CIP. For detailed information on the eligibility requirements for Non-Corporate Membership classes, please click on the appropriate link below:

• Student Member - post-secondary planning student who is currently enrolled full-time in a university planning school/program which is formally accredited by the CIP & PIBC. Click here for more information on becoming a Student member.
• Pre-Candidate - an individual who has declared her/his intention to seek Candidate and ultimately Certified membership and 'Registered Professional Planner' status with the Institute, but who is not yet eligible for admission to Candidate membership. Click here for more information on becoming a Pre-Candidate Member.
• Retired Member - former Certified member of the Institute who had been a Certified member for a minimum of ten years, who has reached or surpassed the age of 55, and who has fully retired from the practice of planning. Eligible members should contact PIBC to apply for this category.
• Honourary Member - an exceptional individual not normally qualified for professional membership that the PIBC Board has unanimously acknowledged as someone who warrants recognition for having demonstrated special interest or given an outstanding service for the planning profession, or made a significant contribution to the Institute. Click here to learn more about PIBC's Honourary Members.
• Life Member - is the highest and most distinguished honour that PIBC can bestow upon a long-serving professional member of the Institute who is worthy of significant recognition. It is a rare and prestigious honour developed by the PIBC Board to recognize such uniquely worthy members. Click here to learn more about PIBC Life Members.

Interested in keeping up-to-date with planning in BC and the Yukon? Become a Public Subscriber
Any individual with a general interest in planning who is not directly involved in planning and is not eligible for any other category of membership can stay connected with the profession and receive some of PIBC's services by becoming a Public Subscriber. Click here to learn more about becoming a public subscriber.

Examples for Eligibility:

• Accredited Degree & current Planning Employment: PSB Accredited Degree Route
• Accredited Degree & no Planning Employment: Pre-Candidate Membership
• Non-Accredited Degree & current Planning Employment & at least 5 years of Planning Experience: PSB PLAR Route
• Non-Accredited Degree & current Planning Employment & less than 5 years of Planning Experience: Pre-Candidate Membership
• Non-Accredited Degree & no Planning Employment: Public Subscriber

For questions about the membership process, please click here to contact Nina Schmidt, PIBC Manager of Operations.