from the University of Toronto in 1935, Parkin moved to London, England, where he worked briefly for the National Coal Board, H.M. Office of Works, and finally the London practice of Howard and Souster.

Parkin's records are held at the Canadian Architectural Archives in Calgary as the John B. Parkin/NORR fonds.

He left Toronto in 1969 and established an office in Los Angeles, where he joined Roy Marshall (a structural engineer) and Lloyd Laity to form Parkin Architects, Engineers & Planners.

It is active in most of Canada's provinces, and in Nunavut, from offices in Vancouver, Toronto and Ottawa.

[1] In 1968 Parkin associate Roy Marshall left to join Neish Owen Rowland Roy (NORR Limited)[2] and was seen as a successor firm, while the name of the firm lives on as Parkin Architects Limited.,[3][4]