Macaulay Shiomi Howson Ltd

Name

Macaulay Shiomi Howson Ltd

Legal name

Macaulay Shiomi Howson Ltd.

Website

https://mshplan.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Planning Services

NAICS

Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

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

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHAKAE

Regional & Land Use Planning

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Architecture, Design & Planning Services

SECONDARYBPAIANAD

Urban & Regional Planning (Land Use, Zoning, Master Planning)

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Housing, Urban Planning & Community Development

SECONDARYEUAHABAH

Facility Siting, Permitting & Land-Use Regulatory Compliance (Multi-media Permitting, Zoning/Entitlements Support)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Environmental Compliance, Monitoring & Consulting/Regulatory Compliance & Auditing (Air, Water, Waste)

Keywords

• Municipal planning services
• Land use planning
• Official plan development
• Zoning bylaw services
• Development application consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Professional Planning Services: Fees for professional planning services including official plans, secondary plans, zoning by-laws, development applications, and expert testimony for both public and private sector clients in Ontario.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Macaulay Shiomi Howson Ltd is a professional municipal and development planning consultancy that prepares official plans, secondary plans, master plans, zoning by-laws (form-based and traditional), community design plans, subdivision and site plans, severances and minor variances, land use feasibility studies, development applications, planning research, expert testimony, and policy analysis and graphics for municipalities and private developers in Ontario.

Product overview

Macaulay Shiomi Howson Ltd (MSH) is a professional municipal and development planning consultancy established in 1981, providing comprehensive land use planning and development services in Ontario. The firm offers a single integrated service offering rather than a modular software product. Services include: Official Plans/Policy Plans/Secondary Plans and Amendments, Zoning By-laws and Amendments (Form-based and Traditional), Concepts and Development Plans, Community Design, Subdivision Design, Site Plans, Severances and Minor Variances, Land Use Feasibility Studies, Development Applications, Planning Research, Expert Testimony, Policy Analysis, and Presentation Materials & Graphics. The firm serves both private and public sector clients across Southern Ontario municipalities, with collective land use planning experience exceeding 140 years among its principals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Official Plans, Secondary Plans and Master Plans Preparation of municipal policy plans, secondary plans, master plans and plan amendments that guide long-term land use, growth management and community design across Ontario municipalities such as Vaughan, Oakville, Milton, Mississauga, Markham and Toronto.
• Zoning By-laws and Amendments Drafting of form-based and traditional zoning by-laws and amendments to implement municipal planning policies and regulate land use, building form and development standards.
• Development Applications and Approvals Preparation and management of subdivision designs, site plans, severances, minor variances, concept and development plans, and other development applications for private landowners, builders and real estate investment trusts pursuing planning approvals.
• Land Use Feasibility and Planning Research Land use feasibility studies, planning research, policy analysis and presentation materials and graphics prepared for both public and private sector clients evaluating development potential and planning alternatives.
• Expert Testimony and Community Design Provision of expert planning testimony before tribunals and committees, and preparation of community design and urban design guidelines, including work such as the City of Niagara Falls Downtown Urban Design Guidelines.

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Hemson Consulting Ltd.minorOthersListed under Professional Groups - provides planning and consulting services. Firm frequently works with multidisciplinary teams including experts in architecture, engineering, market analysis, and other disciplines.
• Brook McIlroy Inc.minorOthersListed under Professional Groups - architecture and planning firm. Firm draws upon expertise of consultants in other disciplines for multidisciplinary projects.
• Marshall Macklin MonoghanminorOthersListed under Professional Groups - engineering and planning consultants. Firm frequently collaborates with multidisciplinary teams on various projects.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Marshall Macklin Monoghan (MMM Group): Ontario engineering and planning consultancy providing municipal infrastructure and land use planning services. Listed as a MSH collaborator; competes for the same municipal secondary plan and growth-strategy engagements.
• Hemson Consulting Ltd. Ontario-based planning and consulting firm specializing in land use planning, growth management, and municipal economics. Already a listed professional collaborator of MSH and a direct competitor for municipal planning mandates in the GTA and Southern Ontario.
• N. Barry Lyon Consultants Limited: Long-established Toronto-based planning consultancy providing land use planning, development approvals, and expert testimony to Ontario municipalities and developers — essentially a direct boutique peer with comparable service mix and client base.
• Weston Consulting: Ontario planning and development approvals consultancy serving GTA municipalities and private developers on official plan amendments, zoning, and development applications. Direct boutique competitor with similar scale and clientele.
• Brook McIlroy Inc. Toronto-based architecture, planning, and urban design firm with deep municipal planning practice. Listed as a professional collaborator of MSH; directly comparable on secondary plans, urban design guidelines, and official plan work across Ontario.

Broad incumbents

• Stantec Inc. Global multi-disciplinary design and engineering firm with a substantial Ontario municipal planning practice. Competes for large-scale planning mandates that bundle land use with engineering, environment, and architecture — broader scope than MSH but overlapping on official plans and secondary plans.
• IBI Group (Arcadis IBI): Toronto-headquartered architecture, planning, and engineering firm with deep Ontario municipal planning heritage. Competes for city-building and master-planning mandates that overlap with MSH's secondary plan and intensification work.
• WSP Global Inc. Global professional services firm with significant Ontario municipal planning capacity following its acquisitions. Competes for multi-disciplinary municipal mandates including land use planning alongside its core engineering and environment practices.
• GHD Group: Global engineering, architecture, and planning consultancy with established Ontario municipal planning practice. Overlaps with MSH on growth management studies and municipal comprehensive reviews where bundling is preferred.

Emerging players

• Planning Alliance: Ontario-based urban planning consultancy serving municipalities and private developers on land use policy, secondary plans, and development approvals. Comparable boutique peer with overlapping GTA and Southern Ontario client base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/macaulay-shiomi-howson-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Macaulay Shiomi Howson Ltd