Find Lawyers in Canada for Municipal Law
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Municipal Law - Canada
About this Practice AreaQuinto practices municipal, land use planning and development law. He has over 30 years of experience as an advocate, appearing before the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (formerly the OMB) in hundreds of cases. He has practiced his entire career as a lawyer at Loopstra Nixon . Quinto is an accomplished author and lecturer, frequently speaking at conferences throughout North America. He is the author of a Thompson Reuters publication entitled “Municipal Lands: Acquisition, Management and...
Denise Baker is the Co-Managing partner at WeirFoulds LLP. Her practice focuses on municipal and land use planning issues and related litigation. She has acted on behalf of municipalities, private landowners and resident groups. She predominantly advises landowners and municipalities with respect to land use planning and development matters including municipal finance matters, Planning Act applications and appeals and Heritage Act matters. Denise appears regularly before municipal councils, C...
Seasoned litigator Marc Beauchemin is a key player on Montréal’s municipal and legal scene. As Chair of De Grandpré Chait's Board of Directors and Executive Committee, Marc Beauchemin plays a central role within the firm. His legal practice has two foci. In his first area of practice, municipal law, he represents the private interests of his clients, particularly major property owners, in the context of real estate developments throughout Québec. He and his speciali...
Known for his extensive expertise in municipal and administrative law, Sylvain Bélair is regularly called upon to represent and defend his clients’ interests before various administrative bodies and courts of law. In the field of municipal taxation, Sylvain Bélair has contested tax assessments for industrial complexes, commercial buildings, retirement homes, hotel complexes, golf courses and vacant land awaiting development. Two of his notable cases include the Olympic Sta...
Dan Bennett's practice is focused in the areas of trial, arbitration, hearing and appeal work in commercial and administrative litigation. As a member of our litigation group, Mr. Bennett has conducted a broad range of cases in commercial, real estate, and natural resource matters in British Columbia, Alberta and Yukon superior courts and courts of appeal as well as the Federal Courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada. He also appears regularly before a number of administrative boards de...
Nikolas heads the Real Estate Litigation practice group at the Montréal office. He practises real estate, commercial and contract litigation, including expropriations. He regularly appears before the civil courts and administrative tribunals in Québec and he has pleaded before the Supreme Court of Canada.
Bernice is a partner of Fillmore Riley LLP and maintains a litigation practice covering all areas of insurance litigation including commercial liability insurance, general insurance defence, professional errors and omissions insurance, product liability, marine insurance law, and coverage disputes. She also practises in the areas of municipal law, administrative law, and employment law. Bernice's clients include the Municipal General Insurance Program maintained by the Association of Manitoba...
Stephen’s practice is centred on municipal, planning, environmental and expropriation law. He regularly appears before municipal councils, tribunals (such as the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) and the Environmental Review Tribunal) and Courts on behalf of municipalities, public agencies and institutions, land developers and ratepayers’ associations. His portfolio includes a wide range of matters including Federal and Provincial environmental assessments, approvals related t...
Patrick Duffy is a partner and Co-Head of the Projects & Infrastructure Group. His practice focuses on project development that includes municipal and planning law, environmental permitting and litigation, energy regulation, and indigenous engagement. He is highly sought after for his considerable experience with environmental assessments and other regulatory approvals in a variety of sectors, including renewable and non-renewable electricity generation, electricity transmission, mining, ...
Bruce Engell's practice focuses on land use and environmental issues, disputes and related litigation matters. His practice focuses on issues respecting the development, use and ownership of land, including municipal, planning, and environmental matters, title and lease disputes, industrial contamination, waste management facilities, road allowances and building permits. He has appeared as counsel in many significant court and Ontario Municipal Board matters.
Tony Fleming is the supervising Partner in our Municipal Law group. The Law Society of Upper Canada recognizes Tony as a Certified Specialist for his demonstrated expertise in the fields of Municipal and Land Use Planning and Development Law. Tony holds an LL.B. from Osgoode Hall and an LL.M. in Environmental Law from Queen’s University. Prior to joining Cunningham Swan, Tony was Senior Legal Counsel with the City of Kingston. Tony provided senior management and Council with advice on g...
Jim is a leading British Columbia practitioner in property tax and expropriation law with extensive experience since 1993 providing strategic advice and litigating appeals for a wide range of clients before tribunals and courts relating to: Imposition and management of property taxes, property transfer taxes, mineral taxes and other commodity taxes on Crown, municipal, private and First Nations lands; Imposition and management of payments of grants in lieu of property taxes; Expropriation of ...
David’s practice focuses on municipal, land use planning and environmental law. He provides legal advice to municipalities, developers, businesses and private individuals on a range of matters including land use applications, appeals and agreements under the Planning Act, municipal powers and procedures, expropriations, aggregate extraction proposals, infrastructure projects, environmental issues and construction disputes. As an advocate for his clients, David has appeared before a vari...
Christel practices real estate litigation, with a particular focus on contract and commercial lease disputes, civil litigation, expropriation, land use planning law and professional negligence. Christel represents both municipalities and private landowners. Christel's practice encompasses a broad scope of real estate litigation work, including assisting in title investigation, ground lease negotiations and litigation drafting pleadings and engaging in settlement discussions. Over the last sev...
Mark practices municipal , land use planning and development law. His experience includes appearances before the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (formerly the OMB) in matters concerning Growth Plan Conformity, Official Plan and Zoning Amendments, Site Plan Approval and Development Charges. He is also experienced in the negotiation and preparation of development agreements and condominium documents and drafting of municipal regulatory by-laws. Mark articled with Loopstra Nixon LLP and joined th...
Raj Kehar is a Partner at WeirFoulds LLP with a practice that involves all aspects of land use planning and development law. He represents both public and private sector clients. Prior to joining WeirFoulds, Raj practised at a boutique municipal, planning and development law firm. Raj was also formerly in-house counsel on land use planning and development matters with a major Greater Toronto Area municipality. Raj is therefore uniquely positioned to understand land use planning and developmen...
Calvin Lantz is a partner in the Real Estate Group and head of the Municipal & Land Use Group. He is a Certified Specialist in Municipal Law (Land Use Planning and Development) and appears before administrative boards and approval bodies and agencies; including the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (formerly the Ontario Municipal Board), committees of adjustment, land division committees and municipal councils. Calvin acts for a broad range of residential, commercial, industrial and institut...
Marc McAree, B.A. (Hons.), LL.B., M.E.S., is a partner at Willms & Shier Environmental Lawyers LLP and certified as a Specialist in Environmental Law by the Law Society of Ontario.Marc provides advice and solutions to a wide range of clients to overcome their environmental law and litigation issues. Marc has significant environmental law expertise in contaminated land/brownfields clean ups, transactions and litigation, and environmental compliance and approvals. Marc also helps clients re...
Roberto Noce’s practice includes municipal law, real estate development, condominium, and corporate/commercial matters. He acts for a number of municipalities, developers, and condominium corporations throughout Alberta. Roberto has appeared as legal counsel before municipal councils, boards, and tribunals including the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board and the Municipal Government Board and all levels of Court in Alberta. Roberto is a sessional lecturer at the University of Albe...
Steve O’Melia focuses on municipal, planning/development, and expropriation law. Acting for both public and private sector clients, Steve frequently appears before municipal councils, committees, and administrative tribunals such as the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal. He has successfully represented clients before all levels of the Ontario Court on municipal law matters. Steve is an LSO Certified Specialist in Municipal Law (Local Government/Land Use Planning and Development) and was ap...
Matt works throughout Ontario in expropriation law and related claims litigation. He has been involved in all aspects of infrastructure projects, including hydro corridors, regional road widening, transit, major municipal capital works, and most highway projects in the province, such as Highways 7, 11, 26, 400, 401, 404, 407 East, 410, 427 and the QEW. Matt has extensive experience acting for parties before various levels of the courts and administrative tribunals such as the Ontario Municipa...
Work, rigor and analysis. These are the three ingredients that comprise the recipe for Simon Pelletier’s success. Simon is co-leader of the Litigation Group and member of BCF’s Board of Directors. An engineer and a lawyer, he brings a significant contribution to the firm having developed an impressive portfolio of clients, including major work providers, promoters, general contractors, companies in the field of high technologies and specialized professionals. With a bachelor&rsquo...
Tara Piurko has over 20 years of experience in planning and development, real property assessment and taxation, and municipal law matters. She is in the business of identifying issues and opportunities, managing risk, avoiding problems, identifying solutions, and creating value. Tara regularly provides strategic advice, counsel and support to property owners, including public and private developers, on development approvals and land entitlement matters and real property assessment and taxatio...
Paul has been an expropriation lawyer for over 30 years. His practice has provided him with insights from all perspectives; in fact, he has even been expropriated personally - twice. Paul successfully acts as legal counsel for landowners, local municipalities, cities and regional governments throughout the Greater Toronto Area and across Ontario. He works to resolve real estate acquisitions/expropriations, infrastructure projects and development issues of all complexities. Paul’s appear...
Neil M. Smiley specializes in complex real estate transactions, planning and development. Having a unique dual expertise as an experienced commercial real estate lawyer as well as a planning and development lawyer, Neil advises clients regarding the acquisition, financing, leasing and disposition of real property, as well as in connection with the myriad of approvals and entitlements required of governmental authorities to maximize value and/or develop such real property. Neil provides corpor...
Jeff Wilker focuses his practice on land use law and routinely develops novel approaches to resolve complex legal problems. The provision of top-shelf legal guidance to his clients is a hallmark of his practice. Jeff acts on cutting edge matters and prides himself on his ability to “think outside of the box.” Jeff’s practice involves all aspects of municipal and planning law, including land use litigation, expropriation, environmental and constitutional matters. He appears b...
Ed practices in the real estate and municipal law fields with a specialty in real estate development. Ed has assisted clients in such projects as: redevelopment of industrial sites to permit multi-family residential uses; heritage designation and density bonusing arrangements; rezoning and redevelopment of shopping centres; development of office and industrial parks; development of numerous condominium projects; development and marketing of strata title hotels; restructuring of strata corpora...
Audrey-Anne Béland specializes in the commercial litigation group and, more specifically, in municipal and administrative law. Audrey-Anne acts for both private sector companies and public organizations such as municipalities. In this capacity, she advises and assists clients in the development and urban planning, expropriation process and the environment. Audrey-Anne is also involved in municipal taxation mandates, particularly in appeals regarding the contestation of property assessm...
Chloé Fauchon practises with the firm's Administrative Law Group, representing various businesses, municipalities and other public bodies before the courts in the areas of environmental law, land use planning and development, municipal affairs, penal law and administrative law. She also acts as a legal advisor in the same areas of the law, particularly for projects to set up or expand business establishments (industrial and commercial) and various other transactions. Chloé is pa...
Municipal Law Definition
Municipal law includes the area of practice described as Land Use on this website, which more specifically can include:
- Advising on permitted uses of lands;
- Advising on restrictions such as special policy areas, holding provisions, and environmental limitations;
- Obtaining development approvals;
- Official plan amendments;
- Zoning amendments;
- Site plan approvals and agreements;
- Subdivision and condominium plans and agreements;
- Minor variances;
- Consents to severance, easements, or long-term leases;
- Providing advice and representation respecting Environmental Assessments, including Class Environmental Assessments;
- Representation Before the Ontario Municipal Board, Courts, and Tribunals.
- Drafting and interpreting by-laws and agreements
- Advising on restructurings and amalgamations
- Initiating and opposing judicial review applications
- Advising on development charges and front-ending agreements
- Providing advice and representation respecting all aspects of the Elections Act
- Representing clients on assessment appeals before the Assessment Review Board, the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB), and the courts
- Providing expropriation advice to both land owners and expropriating authorities, representing clients before the Board of Negotiation, the OMB, and the Ontario Courts
- Restructuring, Governance, and Joint Services
- Privatization of Services
- Municipal Liability Claims and Litigation
- Utility Restructuring and Financing
- Municipal Finance, Contracts, and Administration
- Municipal Election Matters
- By-Law Enforcement
- Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Issues
- Property Tax collection
- Conflict of Interest Advice
- Procurement
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.
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