What Fotenn does

Fotenn Consultants Inc. is an Ontario-based professional services firm, founded in 1992 by Ted Fobert and Robert Tennant, that delivers integrated planning, urban design, landscape architecture, and natural environment services through offices in Ottawa, Kingston, and Toronto. Its practice spans the full planning life cycle, from policy formulation, secondary plans, and community improvement plans through development approvals (Official Plan Amendments, Zoning By-law Amendments, Site Plan Control) and expert witness testimony before the Ontario Land Tribunal, LPAT, and OMB. Service capabilities are organized around four interconnected pillars: Planning and Policy Services, an Urban Design Studio, Landscape Architecture (formalized through the 2018 acquisition of FD Fountain Landscape Architecture), and a Natural Environment team added in 2025.

The firm operates a fee-for-service, project-based consulting model serving both public and private sector clients. Primary customers are federal, provincial, and municipal governments alongside institutional and enterprise developers, with marquee engagements including the 188-hectare Confederation Heights Master Plan for Canada Lands Company, the Zibi mixed-use redevelopment with Dream Unlimited, the Infrastructure Ontario Transit Oriented Communities at Guildwood GO and Clarkson GO, and Ottawa Community Housing's 811 Gladstone Passive House project. Sales is direct and relationship-led, with an in-house Marketing and Business Development Manager responsible for RFP execution; market visibility is reinforced through a sustained award record (ISOCARP Grand Prize, IMCL Design Competition Award, multiple Canadian Institute of Planners recognitions) and presence on LinkedIn and Instagram.

The business is privately held by a partner group: Brian Casagrande, Miguel Tremblay, and Matt Reid anchor current leadership alongside eight new shareholders added in 2024 following Margo Watson's retirement, supported by a formally constituted Executive Committee. The operating geography spans Canada with concentration in Ontario, complemented by mandates in Nova Scotia and the Northwest Territories. Bilingual (English/French) staffing supports federal and Quebec-facing mandates, and an HR Manager, Director of Finance, and dedicated business development function indicate an organizational scale beyond a typical small consultancy.

Name

Fotenn

Legal name

Fotenn Consultants Inc.

Website

https://fotenn.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fotenn is an Ontario-based planning, urban design, landscape architecture, and natural environment consulting firm serving federal, provincial, municipal, and private developer clients on master planning, development approvals, and tribunal testimony from offices in Ottawa, Kingston, and Toronto.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Planning Services: Fee-for-service professional consulting engagements for planning, urban design, landscape architecture, and natural environment services. Projects range from large-scale master plans to individual homeowner requests, serving both public and private sector clients across all government levels.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Fotenn is an integrated planning, urban design, and landscape architecture firm that delivers professional consulting services across all three levels of Canadian government and to private sector developers. Its core offerings span Planning and Policy Services (development approvals, secondary plans, municipal planning support), Urban Design Studio services, Landscape Architecture, and Natural Environment Services, delivered through multidisciplinary project teams across offices in Ottawa, Kingston, and Toronto.

Product overview

Fotenn is an integrated professional services firm offering planning, urban design, landscape architecture, and natural environment services through its offices in Ottawa, Kingston, and Toronto. The firm operates as a unified platform of interconnected service offerings rather than a single software product. The core service areas include Planning and Policy Services (encompassing development approvals, secondary plans, municipal planning services, and expert witness testimony), an Urban Design Studio (providing urban design guidelines, concept plans, and transit-oriented development design), Landscape Architecture (covering parks, plazas, streetscapes, and site design), and Natural Environment Services (providing ecological assessment and natural heritage policy support). These services are delivered by an integrated team of planners, urban designers, landscape architects, and ecologists who collaborate across disciplines on complex projects ranging from master planning for large urban redevelopment sites to individual site-specific development applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Planning and Policy Services Comprehensive planning, policy formulation, and development approvals services for public and private sector clients across all levels of government, ranging from large-scale master plans to individual homeowner consultations.
• Urban Design Studio Urban design solutions for transit-oriented developments, highest and best use analyses, concept plans, and urban design guidelines, focused on creativity and integrated land use, mobility, and public realm planning.
• Landscape Architecture Collaborative landscape architecture services addressing functional and aesthetic concerns across parks, plazas, streetscapes, safety, accessibility, circulation, environmental protection, seasonal character, cultural heritage, and visual continuity.
• Natural Environment Services Integrated natural heritage policy, legislation, and approvals navigation with context-sensitive approaches that manage natural heritage constraints and enhance ecological function.
• Development Approvals End-to-end development approval process management including Official Plan Amendments, Zoning By-law Amendments, Site Plan Control, and LPAT/OMB expert witness testimony.
• Expert Planning Witness Services Professional expert witness testimony before the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT), Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT), and Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) for planning hearings and appeals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 5,000 new dwelling units planned for 144 to 155 First Avenue project in Oshawa
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and key.

• Canada Lands CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Fotenn has been retained as lead consultant by Canada Lands Company to develop a Master Plan and Strategic Implementation Plan for 188 hectares of land at Confederation Heights in Ottawa. The partnership involves working with Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) in consultation with Indigenous Peoples, landowners, and stakeholders to develop a comprehensive master plan.
• Dream Unlimited CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Fotenn continues to lead municipal planning approvals for the phased Zibi redevelopment in Ottawa and Gatineau, working with Dream Unlimited Corporation and Theia Partners on this world-class 15-hectare sustainable mixed-use community.
• Public Services and Procurement CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Fotenn served as Lead Planning Consultant for the Tunney's Pasture Redevelopment - Investment Program Plan and Phase 1 Redevelopment Project. This 49-hectare federal employment campus is being transformed into a sustainable mixed-use transit-oriented community.
• Infrastructure OntariocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFotenn was retained by Infrastructure Ontario (IO) to prepare Transit Oriented Communities Development Proposal Submissions at Guildwood GO and Clarkson GO stations. The firm led development objectives, site layouts, urban design studies, and policy amendments for these major transit-oriented developments.
• Windmill Development GroupkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerFotenn was retained by Windmill Development Group for Cathedral Hill minor variance application and previously for the Zibi Master Plan development. Windmill is a key developer partner for sustainable development projects.
• Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG)keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerFotenn was a participating member of the multidisciplinary design team for the Lansdowne Master Plan and represented OSEG as expert planning witnesses in OMB hearings for the 16-hectare Lansdowne Park redevelopment.
• Municipality of Chatham-KentkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerFotenn was retained by the Municipality of Chatham-Kent to aid in Wheatley's downtown revitalization efforts after the 2021 natural gas explosion disaster, designing a high-performance multi-functional open space as the town's new economic and cultural anchor.
• National Capital CommissionkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerFotenn works with the National Capital Commission on projects including the Ottawa Central Library site at 557 Wellington Street and Tunney's Pasture Master Plan approvals, requiring coordination with federal planning authorities.
• TIP Albert GP Inc.keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerFotenn led the Official Plan and Zoning By-law Amendment and Site Plan Control applications for Trinity Centre development at 900 Albert Street in Ottawa, a major transit-oriented mixed-use project.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MHBC Planning: Ontario-focused planning firm with offices in Barrie, Toronto, and Kitchener providing planning, urban design, and development approvals services to public and private sector clients — closely comparable in scale and scope.
• N. Barry Lyon Consultants Limited: Toronto planning consultancy focused on land use planning, development approvals, and project coordination with municipal clients across the GTA — closely comparable service profile and billing model.
• Glen Schnarr & Associates Inc. Ontario planning, urban design, and landscape architecture consultancy serving municipalities and developers with development approvals and community design — direct competitor in Greater Toronto and surrounding regions.
• Brook McIlroy: Toronto-based planning, urban design, landscape architecture, and architecture firm with comparable service integration and a strong portfolio of master plans and community design projects.
• Bousfields Inc. Toronto-based planning consultancy specializing in land use planning, development approvals, and Ontario Land Tribunal testimony — directly comparable in service mix, client base (private developers + municipalities), and geography.

Broad incumbents

• WSP Global Inc. Global professional services firm with extensive planning, landscape architecture, and urban design practices in Canada — competes for large-scale master planning and federal infrastructure planning engagements.
• HDR Inc. Global architecture, engineering, and planning firm with a Canadian urban design and landscape architecture practice that competes for transit-oriented community and federal infrastructure planning pursuits.
• Stantec Inc. Global design and consulting firm with a large Canadian planning, urban design, and landscape architecture practice serving municipal, provincial, and federal clients — competing incumbent for large master planning mandates.
• Dillon Consulting Limited: Canadian multi-disciplinary firm with planning, urban design, environmental, and engineering practices competing for Ontario municipal and federal master planning work — broader service portfolio but overlapping planning offerings.
• IBI Group (Arcadis): International design and planning firm (acquired by Arcadis) with deep Toronto presence and significant transit-oriented community, urban design, and master planning practices competing for the same crown corporation and developer engagements.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fotennplan
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fotennplan
• Instagraminstagram.com/fotennplan
• Facebookfacebook.com/fotenn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Fotenn