Province Proposes Overhaul Of OMB

On May 16, 2017, the Provincial Minister of Municipal Affairs and the Attorney General of Ontario announced the government's intention to "overhaul" Ontario's land use planning appeals system.

The Province intends to introduce new legislation later this month, which will replace the Ontario Municipal Board (the "OMB") with a Local Planning Appeals Tribunal (the "LPAT").

Key highlights of the Province's announcement include:

Eliminating "De Novo" appeal hearings of municipal decisions

• Under the new legislation, the LPAT may be restricted to deciding on issues that were considered by municipal council
• The LPAT will only be able to overturn a municipal decision if that decision does not follow Provincial policies or municipal plans