Municipal Matters

LPAT COVID-19 POLICY

Tribunals Ontario is postponing all upcoming in-person hearings

The Local Planning Appeal Tribunal has released the following policies:

All appearance hearings that have been scheduled to commence or continue on or after Monday March 16th to Friday April 3rd will be adjourned and will be rescheduled at a later date.

All scheduled teleconference calls will proceed as scheduled.

. . .

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March 16, 2020

OMB Rules are Making a Comeback

May 2, 2019

The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing announced this morning that the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) will revert back to the old Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) rules with de novo hearings. The proposed changes to the Planning Act and the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal Act, 2017 are meant to allow the LPAT to hear appeals with . . .

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May 02, 2019

More Legislative Changes Affecting Municipal Law in Ontario

ELTO is gone; Cannabis retail stores are now limited

This was another busy week of legislative changes in Ontario.

First, ELTO will be no more as of January 1, 2019. All tribunals in Ontario will be grouped under a new “Tribunals Ontario”.

You can find the new Ontario Regulation 494/18 here: https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/r18494

Secondly, there will only be . . .

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December 14, 2018

Can I Cut Down My Own Christmas Tree?

Tree-cutting laws in Ontario

The holidays are fast approaching. If you love having a real Christmas tree but you don’t want to pay for one, you may be looking to chop one down in a local forest or maybe get one from your own property.

But…is it allowed? In Ontario, the short answer is: it depends.

Individuals are permitted to cut down a tree on crown . . .

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December 11, 2018

Changes to the Planning Act

Introducing a new section 34.1

On December 6, 2018 the provincial government introduced Bill 66 which, among other things, proposes an amendment to the Planning Act. This proposal would add a new section 34.1 allowing municipalities to pass “open-for-business” by-laws with approval from the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

An open-for-business by-law . . .

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December 07, 2018

Municipal Wastewater Charges

What is reasonable?

Most municipalities calculate sewage rates based on water consumption. This is likely based on the idea that what goes in must come out, but that is not always the case. Not all of the water taken will enter the sewage system, like when it is used for activities such as watering lawns and gardens. On the other hand, other waste products enter . . .

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June 04, 2018

RIP OMB; HI LPAT

The OMB became the LPAT today

The Ontario Municipal Board is no more as it was replaced by the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal on April 3, 2018.

You can find more information on their website: http://elto.gov.on.ca/news/local-planning-appeal-tribunal/

If you have any questions on how this impacts you as a municipality, developer or resident please . . .

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April 03, 2018

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