Founder/President, Landwise

Terri Johns is a highly respected professional urban planner and industry leader. She is a two-time graduate of Mohawk College, first from the Broadcast Journalism program in 1981 and then the Municipal Planning and Development Technician program in 1983. Terri is now a Registered Professional Planner and a member of the Canadian Institute of Planning and the Ontario Professional Planning Institute.

Terri started her own company, Landwise (formerly T. Johns Consulting Group Ltd.), in 2014 after 30 years in professional planning and leadership roles. Twelve years later, Landwise has two business partners, Edward John and Shannon McKie, eight full-time employees and over 150 active projects. As president of Landwise, Terri, along with her partners, guides a skilled team specializing in urban planning, design, and project management across southern Ontario, including the Hamilton, Niagara, Brantford, and Waterloo regions. Throughout her career, and especially as a business owner, Terri has been deeply committed to mentoring and developing professionals, investing significant time in supporting the growth and success of her team. Her dedication to fostering talent and leadership in others has been recognized through mentorship awards.

Over the course of her career, Terri has been responsible for numerous large-scale planning projects, including land disposition strategies for Redeemer College in Ancaster, Chedoke Campus of Bay Area Health Trust in Hamilton and Ridley College in St. Catharines. Over the last decade of owning her own firm, in addition to numerous successful market building projects from infill to subdivisions, her expertise has also led to the successful development of many community-based projects, including affordable housing in partnership with non-profit organizations and municipal partners. Major projects from Terri and her team include Biindigen Well-Being Centre, Hamilton, Wayside House, Jamesville Redevelopment, and The Oaks.

Terri has a longstanding commitment to community leadership and volunteerism. She currently serves on the boards of the Ontario Home Builders' Association and Kemp Care Network. Previously, she served on the West End Home Builders' Association Board, including as President in 2023, and on the YWCA Hamilton Board beginning in 2016, where she also served as President from 2023 until 2026. In 2020, Terri was Vice Chair of the City of Hamilton Mayor's Task Force on Economic Recovery alongside Mohawk College President Ron McKerlie.

For her unwavering championing of the planning industry, Terri was awarded the Member Service Award in 2010 by the Ontario Professional Planning Institute and Landwise was named Employer of the Year by the Canadian Association of Certified Planning Technicians in 2017. For her commitment to her community, Terri has received many accolades. In 2025, she received the Mentorship Award from YWCA Canada and in 2023, she was named to Order of Hamilton. Terri was also the recipient of the WEHBA Presidential Award in 2022, Distinguished Service Award in 2017 and 2020, and the inaugural winner of the WEHBA Women in Industry Award in 2019. Under her strategic leadership, the WEHBA received the Home Builders’ Association of the Year Award at the 2023 Canadian Home Builders’ Association Leadership Awards.

In addition to Mohawk College credentials, while working full-time in her industry, and while doing her degree work in the evenings, Terri graduated Summa Cum Laude from McMaster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Geography in 1994.