Information on Sponsoring
The Role Of Sponsoring Members
Candidates for Provisional Membership in OPPI require a Registered Professional Planner (or MCIP Member from another CIP affiliate) to serve as sponsoring Member in order to fulfil the requirements of the membership process. If you are a Full Member, you may be approached by a Provisional member to do this, or you may volunteer to serve as a sponsoring member.
As a sponsoring Member, you agree to review and validate the Provisional member's records of relevant planning experience, and to help Provisional member prepare for the Institute's examinations. Your duties may include offering advice on whether a type of work constitutes relevant planning experience as defined by the OPPI by-law.
Meeting these obligations requires knowledge of the requirements for membership and a commitment to uphold OPPI's by-laws, membership policies, and procedures. Your first obligation is therefore to the profession and your fellow Registered Professional Planners.
Advice to Provisional Members
The OPPI website is the place to go for accurate information on the by-laws, policies and procedures that apply to the membership process. If you aren't sure how to advise a Provisional member on a particular point, discuss the matter with the chair of your District Membership Sub-Committee. Contact information for District Membership chairs is available on the OPPI website.
You may be asked if a type of work that the Provisional member has already completed or is considering undertaking qualifies as relevant planning experience. In this situation you should ensure that your advice is consistent with Schedule P of the OPPI General By-law. Otherwise the Provisional member may waste time doing and documenting work experience that the Membership Committee cannot endorse. Worse, the Provisional member may even undertake an inappropriate employment change. Again, if you have any doubts, contact the chair of your District Membership Sub-Committee.
Validation of Relevant Planning Experience
Your signature on the record of relevant planning experience does not merely indicate that you believe that the work was carried out; it indicates that you are fully satisfied that the reported work constitutes acceptable, relevant planning experience as described in Schedule P of the OPPI General By-law. You should not sign the forms solely on the basis of personal acquaintance with the Provisional member, but only after a careful, thorough review of the material.
If you sign a record of relevant planning experience that is subsequently not approved by the Membership Committee, you and the Provisional member will receive notification of the fact, along with an explanation. You should discuss the matter with the Provisional member and, if necessary, with the Chair of the District Membership Sub-Committee.
Assistance in Preparing for Institute Examinations
You can help a Provisional member prepare for the Institute's examinations by suggesting appropriate program of reading, developing questions for consideration by the Provisional member, or engaging in discussions with the Provisional member on questions likely to arise in the examination setting. Your role ends when the candidate is ready to take the examination.
Examination B is now available online. In exceptional circumstances, Provisional members may complete a written examination to satisfy this requirement. It is not your job to review drafts of prepared answers before the candidate submits them. Nor should you provide copies of exam answers prepared by other Provisional members.
Schedule J of the OPPI General By-law describes the Institute's examinations. Other resources, including Guidelines for Candidates and an Examination A Preparation Workshop are available on the OPPI website. Encourage the Provisional member to make use of these resources.
You may not serve on any examination panel for any Provisional member for whom you are serving as a Sponsoring Member.
Your job is important
By acting as a sponsor, you are helping to advance the profession in Ontario. This is an important task, and OPPI is happy to support you with information and advice in carrying it out.