Municipal Matters

Local corner stores indicative of solid neighbourhoods?

Changes in Vancouver may be something to consider in Ontario

Most people probably have memories of growing up with a local corner store. You know, the place that the kids could run to with their friends for popsicles, where you could grab milk on the way home from work, and where neighbours would bump into each other on weekend mornings picking up the paper. In 2013, the Globe and Mail published an . . .

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April 17, 2016

The Dirt on Commercial Fill Operations and Site Alteration By-laws

Issues with commercial fill operations are beginning to pop up with increasing frequency, particularly for those municipalities within the Greater Golden Horseshoe Area. A commercial fill operation is generally recognized as being the placing or dumping of fill for renumeration or some other form of consideration. Each year, development . . .

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March 31, 2016

The Municipal Freedom of Information and Privacy Protection Act

(MFIPPA)

Acronyms, an idiosyncrasy which is sure to set a professional group apart from the rest, we municipal law lawyers are no exception! Today we will discuss the Municipal Freedom of Information and Privacy Protection Act (MFIPPA).

MFIPPA requires that a municipal institution protect the privacy of an individual’s personal information . . .

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March 18, 2016

Ontario awards 16 new renewable energy contracts

LRP I Contracts Offered on March 10, 2016

Today the province announced the awarding of large renewable energy contracts in the following municipalities:

Prince Edward County (solar);
Township of Selwyn (and Municipality of Trent Lakes) (three waterpower);
Township of Stone Mills (solar);
Township of South Stormont and City of Cornwall (solar);
Township of . . .

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March 10, 2016

Urban agriculture: what is it?

And how do we encourage (or should we be encouraging) these opportunities?

As Ontario continues to experience development pressures in areas that were historically used for agricultural purposes, many municipalities are implementing creative solutions to increase access to agricultural opportunities. For example, “urban agriculture” is a term that is being written into many municipal bylaws and zoning bylaws, as a . . .

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March 09, 2016

Province releases draft Bill 73 regulations for public comment

Further to the changes coming to the Planning Act as a result of Bill 73, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has just posted draft regulations on its Environmental Registry. The commenting period for each of the five proposed regulations will be open until April 14, 2016.

Some of the proposed changes include:
• the . . .

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March 01, 2016

Snow Days

A Roads Scholar post about the white stuff

Roads Scholar is a series post in which we discuss all things road-related.

Today my town is a snow globe. Luckily, I am able to walk to work and can concentrate on enjoying the scenery. But for many, a snowy-world translates into a harrowing commute. It is a situation which will spark an internal debate on whether it is better to . . .

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February 24, 2016

Archive

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