International Women’s Day 2023

This year for International Women’s Day, I had the privilege to be featured by the Canadian Institute of Planners celebration of women and gender diverse planners. I was asked to share my perspective on the question “How can the planning profession play a role in advancing equity for women, in all their diversity, in communities around the country? Can you share an example from your career with us?” For my response, I wanted to share something many planners can take immediate action on, as people often feel lost on where to start. Here is how I answered:

Planners of every level of experience conduct public engagement. However, the profession’s best practices need to be re-evaluated to ensure they are equitable and reduce barriers that prevent people of all genders from participating. One example of a barrier at an engagement event is gendered washrooms, which are unsafe. This can be addressed by choosing engagement venues that have all-gender washrooms or temporarily making the washrooms all-gender by covering the existing door signs. This is just one example of how engagement best practices can be improved to work towards greater gender equity in the planning profession. - Lyndsay Francis (they/she), RPP, MCIP, Senior Planner at the City of Fort Saskatchewan

Read what other planners shared and discover resources here.