The Planning Institute of British Columbia (PIBC) is excited to announce the winners of this year’s PIBC Awards for Excellence in Planning.
The Institute annually recognizes the professional work and individual accomplishments of members across British Columbia and the Yukon through its awards and recognition program. The Awards for Excellence in Planning honour the best in professional planning work undertaken by members.
The 2025 PIBC Awards winners were announced and recognized on Thursday, June 12, 2025, during the Gala dinner at the PIBC 2025 Annual Conference at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre in Vancouver, BC.
“The annual PIBC Awards process is an important opportunity to recognize exceptional professional achievements of planners and their teams throughout BC and the Yukon. It is such a privilege for our Awards committee to be able to review the fascinating spectrum of impressive new planning projects concluded each year. Winners this year have again distinguished themselves with outstanding planning work,” said Lisa Colby, Chair of PIBC’s Awards & Recognition Committee. “We congratulate the winners and humbly thank all competition entrants for taking the time to share their inspirational work.”
PIBC also celebrated the recipients of this year’s Annual Student Fellowship Award which provides funding to support selected university planning student members so that they may present their academic work or research to professional colleagues at PIBC’s annual conferences.
It is with great pleasure that PIBC announced the following 2025 Awards winners:
Awards for Excellence in Planning Practice: Cities & Urban Areas
Gold: Aboriginal Housing Society of PG, M'akola Development Services, DYS Architecture, and IDL Projects – Urban Indigenous Community
Silver: The District of Saanich – Strategic Support for Non-Market Housing in Saanich
Honourable Mention: The City of New Westminster – The Crises Response Pilot Project: Transforming Planning Practice in Addressing the Three Crises of Homelessness, Mental Health and Substance Use
Awards for Excellence in Planning Practice: Small Town & Rural Areas
Gold: Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako, WSP Canada Ltd., and Cycle 16 Trail Society – Cycle 16 Trail Project
Silver: City of Courtenay – From Policy to Practice: Visualizing R-SSMUH’s Integration into Our City
Award for Excellence in Policy Planning: Cities & Urban Areas
Gold: District of Saanich and Diamond Head Consulting Ltd. – District of Saanich Biodiversity Conservation Strategy & Urban Forest Strategy
Awards for Excellence in Policy Planning: Small Town & Rural Areas
Gold: Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), EcoPlan International, and Regenative Design – Úxwumixw 2050: Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Generational Plan
Silver: District of Tofino – Limits to Growth Policy
Award for Research & New Directions
Gold: Metro Vancouver – Metro Vancouver Tree Guide
Annual Student Fellowship Awards
Amanda Van Hulsen – Vancouver Island University, Master of Community Planning
Shifting Away from a Resource-based Economy: Tourism Development and Housing Affordability in Revelstoke, British Columbia
Achilles Sophia Madhi Gnanaprakasam -– Vancouver Island University, Master of Community Planning
Retail Activation: Turning Shopping Fronts into Experiences
Congratulations to this year’s PIBC award winners!
For more information, please visit:
- PIBC Awards at http://www.pibc.bc.ca/pibc-awards
- PIBC Annual Student Fellowship Award at https://www.pibc.bc.ca/pibc-annual-student-fellowship-award
- Click here for a copy of the PIBC 2025 Awards press release.
