CPL Annual Requirements

Starting in 2007, obtaining yearly continuous professional learning (CPL) learning units became a requirement for maintaining full or candidate member status with CIP, API and your provincial association. A member must log the required CPL learning units by the end of December each calendar year. Members not in compliance with CPL requirements will not be eligible to use their professional designation as a planner (RPP, LPP, MCIP) and may be suspended or have their membership terminated. For more details, see the Joint-Policy-on-Continuous-Professional-Learning.

Each year, every member is required to obtain:

  • 9 Organized & Structured, minimum, and
  • 9 Self- Directed or Unstructured, maximum.

For a total of 18 Learning Units per year

  • All 18 (or more) Learning Units to be obtained can be Organized & Structured.
  • 9 Organized and Structured Learning Units may be carried over to the next year
  • Self-Directed or Unstructured Learning Units cannot be carried over to the next year.
  • Activities that form part of your daily duties or which represent work for which you are paid cannot be claimed towards CPL.

Students and pre-candidate members are exempt from the CPL requirements. The CPL System Guide outlines the details and gives examples of each type.


Tracking Your CPL Activities

Once logged into the Members Only section on the CIP website, the CPL Reporting Form link is located under your name on the left sidebar. CPL activities can then be entered under the Forms section via the Organized/Structured LUs link or the Individual/Unstructured LUs link.

When completing the form in the Organized/Structure LUs section, registered CIP or affiliate events are listed in separate drop down menus.


Organizing a CPL eligible activity?

If you are organizing an activity that will qualify for CPL units, contact API prior to holding the event. The CPL Committee will determine the learning units (credits) for the activity.

Event organizers are encouraged to include CPL credit information in their event promotion.

October 16 to October 18
API Conference 2024