Word Choice – Councillor Versus Counsellor

A few weeks ago, I was working on a manual for a workshop titled Report Writing to Council. Unfortunately, my head was then in “a wrong place” when I wrote the week’s BizWritingTip.

To demonstrate a point, I used the term “investment councillor.”

This is absolutely wrong as several readers were quick to point out. A “councillor” is an elected member of a municipal council. A “counsellor” is someone who gives advice. (In North America, it is also used for a supervisor at a children’s camp.)

Therefore, I should have written “investment counsellor.”

By the way, according to the Oxford Canadian Dictionary, “counselor” is also accepted but is not as common.

My apologies for the wrong counsel.