On Friday the 13th of November 1981, in the midst of an economic downturn in Ontario, a new planning consulting firm was launched by Peter J. Weston. The former Ministry of Municipal Affairs senior staffer and land development company employee saw an opportunity to establish a consulting business in the burgeoning Township of Vaughan, just north of Toronto.
Weston and Associates opened a modest office on Bathurst Street, north of Steeles Avenue, and started with three employees. Accepting assignments from individuals, developers and other landowners, the firm quickly grew in size, stature and presence across York Region and parts of Toronto and Peel.
The firm accepted difficult and challenging assignments including residential and industrial developments, commercial retail and office sites, and undertook a significant number of Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) hearings and land expropriation assignments.
As the firm continued to grow through the early and mid 1990s, an opportunity to expand the company’s services into adaptive re-use work for underutilized and often derelict industrial sites, as well as support for lending institutions, further broadened the range of clients and service types.
In 2000, the company re-located to a more permanent location and its current home at 201 Millway Avenue, Vaughan which is now the home of the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre and steps away from the VMC Subway Station.
The 2000s saw the emergence of urban design as a service offering and a further expansion of the company’s services was launched. Today, a broad range of design offerings are provided through a talented and sizeable design team.
The creation of our downtown Toronto office in 2013 was a pivotal moment for the firm. This led us to better service our many clients, law firms, appraisal, and architectural firms that we work closely with.
Over the past four decades, Weston Consulting has added a significant number of skilled and entrepreneurial staff including current CEO Paul Mitchell, President Mark Emery, Executive Vice President Ryan Guetter, and a large variety of well-versed planning, design, and land development staff, the firm now boasts over 70 employees active across the Province of Ontario with a wide array of clients ranging from land development companies, home builders, municipalities, manufacturing and logistics corporations, real estate investment trusts (REITs), government agencies, and individual land owners.
Weston Consulting is extremely proud to continue to evolve and serve our clients as we have for over 40 years.