Passing of Bill 139 – the Building Better Communities and Conserving Watersheds Act, 2017
Please note that on December 12, the Legislative Assembly passed the Building Better Communities and Conserving Watersheds Act, 2017 which, among other matters, will replace the Ontario Municipal Board with a new tribunal, the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal, and helps ensure that proceedings before the tribunal are faster, fairer and more affordable.
More specifically, the legislation includes reforms that will:
- Reduce the number of appeals by limiting what could be brought before the new tribunal.
- Reduce the length and cost of hearings and create a more level playing field for all participants by introducing timelines and requiring the new tribunal to look for ways, like mediation, to settle major land use planning appeals that could avoid the hearing process altogether.
- Eliminate lengthy and often confrontational examinations and cross-examinations of witnesses by parties and their lawyers at the oral hearings of major land use planning appeals.
- Establish the Local Planning Appeal Support Centre, a new provincial agency, which will provide Ontarians with information about the land use planning appeal process, legal and planning advice, and, in certain cases, may provide legal representation in proceedings before the tribunal.
- Give more weight to key decisions made by municipal officials who have been elected to serve in the interests of the communities they represent.
These and the other reforms in the new legislation stem from last year’s comprehensive review of how the Ontario Municipal Board operates and its role in the province’s land-use planning system.
Please see the following Links for more information
Summary of the Passing of Bill 139
If you would like to provide feedback on Bill 139 please contact Dean at Consultation@RSMIN.ca