Enhancements to the E-file Portal

We’ve been working hard to make your experience with the e-file portal even better. Over the past few months, we introduced two sets of upgrades.

Release 4, June 6, 2025

System-wide Updates

Enhanced Access to Appeal Record

• The consolidated appeal record includes all appeal information and reasons, etc., entered by the appellant and any supporting attachments.
• The person who filed the appeal can now download and share the consolidated appeal record, as needed. Approval authority users can also download the consolidated appeal record when reviewing the appeal. This simplifies the appeal process and improves access to the official appeal record.

Enhanced User Interface and Navigation

• Updates to interface language and layout improves clarity, readability, and ease of navigation across the portal.

Clearer Appeal Status Indicators

• Enhancements provide greater transparency to appellants regarding the status of their appeal submission, reducing confusion and follow-ups.

For approval authority users

Enhanced Access to E-file Documentation

• The consolidated municipal record includes all case information entered in e-file and all checklist attachments that were uploaded by the municipality (approval authority), and a copy of all of the appellants’ appeal information and supporting attachments.
• Approval authority users can now access the Consolidated Municipal Record directly through the e-file portal after submission to the OLT.
• This record can be downloaded as a ZIP file to share securely as needed with relevant parties.

Easier filing of related cases

• Approval authority users can now copy case data to create related cases more efficiently, eliminating the need to manually repeat the full submission process.
• This significantly reduces data entry and administrative workload.

Case Review Tracking

• A new tracking feature informs approval authority users if another team member has reviewed or edited a case, minimizing the risk of duplicate efforts and conflicting updates.

New Feature: Identifying Appellant Representatives

• Approval authorities can now add appellant representatives when entering a paper/e-mailed appeal, ensuring more complete and accurate records.

Improved Data Integrity and Field Naming

• Enhanced consistency in data field names ensures better data collection, reporting, and system performance.

Release 5, October 6, 2025

System-wide Updates

Additional Address Information Field

• A new data entry line in the address section allows users to include delivery instructions or property identifiers, improving accuracy for address and subject property details.

Mediation Identification Question Added

• A new question has been added to help flag cases suitable for Tribunal-led mediation, supporting earlier resolution opportunities.

For appellants and their representatives

Consolidated Municipal Record Access for Appellants

• Appellants will now receive an email with a link to download the Consolidated Municipal Record after the municipality (approval authority) submits the case to OLT.
• This self-serve option improves transparency and eliminates the need to contact OLT (or the approval authority) for record requests.

New Appeal Flow for Expropriation Matters

• A specialized appeal workflow has been introduced to better support expropriation-related appeals, with tailored data fields, checklists and process steps.

For Approval Authority Users

Streamlined Approval Authority Portal View

• The approval authority portal has been simplified by removing all public-user menu options (e.g., “New Appeal”, “My Appeals”).
• This focused view minimizes confusion and supports faster, error-free case submissions.

Improved Case Confirmation Notifications

• Confirmation emails are now sent to all Level-1 approval authority users when a case is submitted to OLT ensuring the entire team is informed and reducing communication gaps.

Appeal Expiry Time Field added

• Approval authority users will now see an Appeal Expiry Time field when creating the Reference Number of the matter under appeal. This helps identify late appeals and improves case management accuracy.

For the full list of Release Updates, see the OLT website: Updates to E-file page. We value your feedback and invite you to contact us with suggestions for ways to further refine and improve our system. If you notice additional areas for improvement, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at olt_efile_admin@ontario.ca with your feedback.