LEES+Associates

What LEES+Associates does

LEES+Associates is a privately held Canadian landscape architecture and planning firm founded in 1998 by Erik and Kathi Lees, headquartered in Vancouver with regional offices in Guelph, Ontario (opened 2014) and Whitehorse, Yukon (opened 2016). The firm provides fee-for-service professional consulting across five core service lines: cemetery and memorial design (including master planning, needs assessments, business planning, and green burial areas), parks and trails planning, commemorative space design, northern/Arctic landscape architecture with specialized permafrost expertise, and Indigenous cultural landscape design. Its client base is concentrated in the public sector—municipalities, provincial agencies, federal departments, Indigenous nations and cemetery operators across Canada and selectively the US (e.g., Ocean View Cemetery Master Plan in Astoria, Oregon)—with projects secured through competitive proposals, public RFPs, and client referrals.

The business is structured as a sales-led professional services practice with three principals (Heidi Redman, Richard Cook, Megan Turnock) who assumed leadership in 2020, while founder Erik Lees (Fellow of CSLA) remains involved. LEES+Associates has accumulated substantial reputational capital through award-winning projects, including the Iqaluit Municipal Cemetery (2017 CSLA National Award of Excellence; 2018 ASLA Honor Award) and the Toronto Natural Environment Trail Strategy (CSLA, Canadian Institute of Planners, and ASOP awards in 2014). Underlying technology consists of design and planning methodologies for open space rather than proprietary software; differentiation stems from domain specialization (cemetery/memorial, northern climates, Indigenous reconciliation-focused design) and credentialed expertise (RHFAC accessibility certification, Living Wage BC employer status).

Revenue mechanics are project-based fee-for-service with no published pricing; contract values are negotiated per proposal. The firm markets primarily through project portfolio, industry awards, conference presentations (ASLA, World Design Summit), and educational webinars delivered with industry associations such as the Western Canada Cemetery Association. No external investors, funding rounds, M&A activity, or parent company affiliations are indicated.

Name

LEES+Associates

Legal name

LEES+Associates

Website

https://elac.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

LEES+Associates is a 25-year-old Canadian landscape architecture and planning firm operating from Vancouver, Guelph, and Whitehorse, providing fee-for-service cemetery/memorial design, parks/trails planning, and northern/Indigenous cultural landscape services to municipal, federal, and Indigenous-government clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Landscape Architecture & Planning Services

NAICS

Landscape Architectural Services (54132), Landscape Architectural Services (541320), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Landscape Architecture & Site Design (BPAHAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Regional & Land Use Planning (BPAHAKAE), Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)

Keywords

• Landscape architecture
• Cemetery master planning
• Parks and trails planning
• Memorial design services
• Public space planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Landscape Architecture and Planning: Fee-for-service professional consulting engagements for landscape architecture, planning, cemetery design, parks and trails planning, and memorial design services. Projects include master planning, needs assessments, feasibility studies, design development, and construction administration.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

LEES+Associates is a landscape architecture and planning firm that designs and plans open space at every scale, with core service lines in cemetery and memorial design (master planning, needs assessments, business planning, green burial areas), parks and trails planning, Indigenous cultural landscape design, and northern/Arctic landscape architecture. Projects are delivered as fee-for-service consulting engagements covering the full project lifecycle from concept and community engagement through construction administration. The firm serves municipalities, provincial and federal agencies, Indigenous Nations, and cemetery operators across North America from offices in Vancouver, Guelph, and Whitehorse.

Product overview

LEES+Associates is a landscape architecture and planning firm offering specialized services across several interconnected practice areas: cemetery and memorial design (including master planning, needs assessments, and green burial areas), parks and trails planning (with trail strategies and public space design), Indigenous cultural landscape projects, and northern landscape architecture. The firm operates from offices in Vancouver, Whitehorse, and Guelph, serving clients throughout North America. Their portfolio includes award-winning cemetery projects, parks master plans, and commemorative memorials. The firm also provides educational webinars on cemetery planning topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cemetery Planning and Design Services Comprehensive cemetery planning and design services for cemetery authorities and municipalities, including master planning, needs assessments, business planning, land needs assessments, cemetery expansion, and green burial area design. Services cover the entire project lifecycle from concept through construction administration.
• Parks, Trails, and Public Space Planning Parks and recreation master planning, trail strategy development, and public space design for municipalities and organizations, including community engagement, needs assessment, and implementation planning.
• Memorial and Commemorative Space Design Design of memorials and commemorative spaces, including interpretation, monument design, and creation of meaningful gathering places that honor specific communities or events.
• Northern Landscape Architecture Specialized landscape architecture services for Canada's northern regions, including the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and northern British Columbia, with expertise in permafrost and remote landscape challenges.
• Indigenous Cultural Landscape Design Landscape design services working with Indigenous communities on cultural landscapes, sacred spaces, and projects that incorporate traditional knowledge and reconciliation-focused design.

Quantifiable outcome

• Iqaluit Municipal Cemetery received awards from both CSLA (2017 National Award of Excellence) and ASLA (2018 Honor Award)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and core.

• Dorte Mandrup (Lead Architect)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 July 2023LEES+Associates is part of the winning design team led by Dorte Mandrup for the Nunavut Inuit Heritage Centre project in Iqaluit. The team includes Guy Architects, EXP Services, Adjeleian Allen Rubeli, Pageau Morel, Altus Group, and Indigenous consultants Kirt Ejesiak and Alexander Flaherty.
• Western Canada Cemetery Association (WCCA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLEES partnered with WCCA to offer cemetery business planning webinars as part of the WCCA conference, with Erik Lees co-presenting with Jennifer Thibert CPA on cemetery business planning fundamentals.
• David Evans Associates LtdminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLEES+Associates worked with the Portland office of David Evans Associates Ltd as a supporting consultant on the Ocean View Cemetery Master Plan in Astoria, Oregon.
• Reimagine ArchitectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLEES+Associates has been working with Reimagine Architects and Kwanlin Dün First Nation since 2018 on the Community and Education HUB landscape design project in Whitehorse, Yukon.
• Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLEES has collaborated with PHSA for over a decade on Healthy Built Environment initiatives, including updates to the HBE Toolkit incorporating climate change impacts.
• Hatfield ConsultantsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLEES supported Hatfield Consultants-led shoreline restoration design project for Whey-ah-Wichen/Cates Park on behalf of the District of North Vancouver.
• Carscadden McDonald and Stokes Architects Inc.minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLEES worked as sub-consultant to this architecture firm on the Sunset Seniors' Centre Feasibility Study in Vancouver, leading public engagement and needs assessment.
• Wicehtowak Limnos Consulting ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLEES collaborated with this Indigenous consulting firm for the Indigenous Engagement portion of the City of Regina Parks Master Plan project.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates: Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (MVVA) is a Brooklyn-based landscape architecture firm specializing in parks, cemeteries, and large-scale public realm projects, including cemetery master planning. It is a directly comparable peer in cemetery and memorial design and in winning ASLA and similar peer-reviewed awards.
• PWL Partnership Landscape Architects: PWL Partnership is a Western Canadian landscape architecture firm working on parks, trails, public spaces, and natural environments for municipal and Indigenous clients. Its geographic overlap with LEES+Associates in British Columbia and similar public-sector focus make it a directly comparable peer.
• Janet Rosenberg & Studio: Janet Rosenberg & Studio is a Toronto-based landscape architecture practice with comparable work in parks, plazas, institutional campuses, and public space planning across Ontario. It competes with LEES+Associates for Eastern Canadian municipal and institutional clients.
• OLIN: OLIN is an award-winning landscape architecture, urban design, and planning studio recognized for high-profile public space, park, and cultural landscape projects. Comparable to LEES+Associates in its focus on meaningful public realm design and pursuit of nationally recognized awards.
• PFS Studio: PFS Studio is a Vancouver-based landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firm with a comparable practice mix spanning parks, plazas, cemeteries, and campus landscapes across Western Canada. Like LEES+Associates, it serves public-sector clients and competes for the same municipal RFPs in British Columbia.
• Brook McIlroy: Brook McIlroy is a Canadian landscape architecture, urban design, and planning firm with particular strength in Indigenous community projects, parks, and cultural landscapes. Its Indigenous design practice and Canadian focus make it a closely comparable peer to LEES+Associates' reconciliation and community-hub work.
• Sasaki Associates: Sasaki is an internationally recognized design firm combining landscape architecture, urban planning, and ecology across parks, campuses, and cultural landscapes. It is a directly comparable peer in terms of integrated planning-and-design practice for public-sector and institutional clients, and competes for similar high-profile cultural and memorial commissions.

Broad incumbents

• WSP Global: WSP is a global professional services firm with a Canadian landscape architecture and planning practice competing directly for municipal and provincial landscape, parks, and trails assignments. Its scale and integrated engineering capabilities position it as a typical large-firm alternative on RFPs LEES+Associates pursues.
• DIALOG: DIALOG is a Canadian integrated design practice with a landscape architecture team that delivers parks, urban realm, and campus projects for municipal and Indigenous clients. Its broader multi-disciplinary capacity makes it a comparable incumbent competing for the same public-sector commissions.
• Stantec: Stantec is a global design and engineering firm with a substantial landscape architecture practice that bids on the same municipal park, trail, and cemetery master planning work as LEES+Associates. It competes as a broad incumbent with multi-disciplinary capacity, often displacing smaller specialty firms on large public-sector procurements.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/elacstudio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lees-associates

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LEES+Associates