Municipal Matters

HOW RECENT LAND TRANSFER TAX ACT CHANGES WILL IMPACT MUNICIPALITIES

Recent changes were made to the Land Transfer Tax Act (LTTA) by the provincial government for the purpose of gathering residential housing data and to collect the new Non-Resident Speculation Tax (NRST).

These changes now require all lawyers dealing with Ontario real estate transactions in the Greater Golden Horseshoe to ensure that . . .

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May 24, 2017

Proposed changes to the OMB

More questions than answers plus potential constitutional issues

On May 16, 2017, it was announced that the government will be presenting legislation which, if passed, will replace the Ontario Municipal Board with a ‘Local Planning Appeal Tribunal’. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and the Ministry of the Attorney General have stated that these changes will “give communities a stronger voice” and make the . . .

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May 18, 2017

The Shift Towards Increased Flexibility for Agricultural Properties

As published in the OBA - Municipal Section Articles

The 2014 Provincial Policy Statement (the “PPS”) was the first of the Provincial policy documents to introduce a framework of policies and definitions that attempt to make it easier for agricultural operations to remain viable in this time of intense development pressure.

Prior to 2014, in a Prime Agricultural Area, farm operators . . .

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January 12, 2017

Celebrating Law Blogs

Clawbie Award Season

This year is the eleventh annual edition of the Canadian Law Blog Awards (otherwise known as the Clawbies).

As our readers know, Municipal Matters began early this year. Before our launch, we reviewed other blogs to get a feel for what lawyers were blogging about and how the knowledge was being presented. After all, blogging is a . . .

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December 20, 2016

Case Brief: R. v. A.J.L. Janssen Landscaping Limited

Interpreting the Aggregate Resources Act

When does removal of rocks from the surface of the ground become operation of a pit under the Aggregate Resources Act (the “Act”) and require a license? This was the topic of a recent successful appeal by A.J.L. Janssen Landscaping Ltd. (“Janssen”) of its conviction at trial of operating a pit without a license.

Janssen approached . . .

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December 05, 2016

Municipalities and Food Law Issues

A debrief on Canada's first Food Law and Policy Conference

Just over a week ago, I had the pleasure of attending The Future of Food Law and Policy conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

But Lauren, this is a municipal law blog so why do I care about food! Part of me is tempted to ask the rhetorical question of "do you eat?" and end the matter there, but then I would not be doing this . . .

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November 14, 2016

Ontario suspends procurement process for further renewable energy contracts

In a surprising announcement by the Ontario Government this morning, the Large Renewable Procurement Process has been suspended, immediately and indefinitely. The press release states that "This decision is expected to save up to $3.8 billion in electricity system costs." Read the full press release here.

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September 27, 2016

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