Ontario Announces Proposed Changes to the OMB and the Results of the Coordinated Review of Four Provincial Land Use Plans

Over the past few days there have been a series of announcements from the province of Ontario regarding the introduction of legislation related to reforms of the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB), and the results of a coordinated review of the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH), the Greenbelt Plan, the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan and the Niagara Escarpment Plan. Please find details about both of these announcements below.

The Benefits of Brightfields Developments for Municipalities

The increasing viability and importance of distributed energy resources, and the content of the provincial government’s policies on climate change, make the use of brownfields sites for brightfields developments a compelling option for municipalities.*

Land Transfer Tax: Assignments, Flips and Options

Determining the amount of Land Transfer Tax (“LTT”) payable on a routine purchase and sale transaction is not a difficult task. On a more complicated transaction or series of transactions, however, the impact of the Land Transfer Tax Act R.S.O. 1990, c.L.6, as amended (the “Act”) and the resultant LTT may have surprising and unfavourable results for a purchaser.

Quiz: Land Use Planning Reform

A Development Permit Sysytem combines the zoning, site plan, and minor variance processes into one application and approval process. Through area-wide studies and community consultation, new development standards and performance […]

Quiz: Municipal Bylaws & Commercial Real Estate

Municipal governments have broad powers to regulate many aspects of commercial operations, including land use and zoning regulations, business licencing, and billboard and signage regulations. Commercial real estate owners need […]

Toronto’s City-Wide Zoning By-law: Revisited

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The City of Toronto (“the City”) recently released a revamped version of its Comprehensive Zoning By-law, which will update land use controls on most properties in the City. Property owners […]