Ian Watson joined UPLAND after spending four years as a municipal planner in a diverse regional municipality. His early career was defined by a number of high profile— and hotly contested—planning issues, such as large-scale wind turbines and the preparation of a new regional plan. These early “trials by fire” gave Ian experience beyond his years and quickly developed him into a planner with a knack for effective public engagement and an astute sense of diplomacy and tact. In his five years at UPLAND Ian has built on this foundational experience to develop a successful practice creating effective land use plans in communities large and small throughout Atlantic Canada.

Ian brings a highly analytical approach to solving problems. He has adapted this approach into expertise developing clear, concise policy and regulations that are easy to interpret and apply. Ian fundamentally believes that planning is a discipline that affects all people, and strives to ensure planning processes and outcomes are understandable and accessible to
everyone. 

Recently, Ian lead the drafting of an entirely new Plan and Land Use By-law for the Municipality of Cumberland, bringing detailed zoning to the entire municipality for the first time. Ian was also deeply involved in the consultation and drafting for the Halifax Centre Plan, and in consultations for planning legislation reforms in New Brunswick. Ian is currently wrapping up the drafting of a new Municipal Planning Strategy for the Region of Queens, NS, and a new Municipal Plan for the Town of Twillingate, NL. Ian is also leading the drafting of the new Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use Bylaw for the Town of Lunenburg, NS.