The Tribunal’s updated Rules of Practice and Procedure are now in effect.

• Updated Rules of Practice and Procedure
• Red‑lined version of the Rules

The revisions will enhance the way land-related appeals are managed in Ontario, making services more efficient and accessible. The enhancements to Rule 18 promote mediation and encourage early resolution of disputes, and the changes to Rules 25.6, 25.7, and 25.8 expand the Chair’s powers for Requests for Review.

The Tribunal has implemented the following changes to the Rules, which are marked on the red-lined version linked above:

• Changed the mandatory language of “will” and “shall” for mediation assessments in Rule 18.2 to the discretionary language of “may”;
• Clarified how a mediation is convened under Rule 18.2;
• Added a new Rule 18.3 to direct the parties to discuss participating in OLT mediation;
• Indicated in Rule 18.4 the difference between participation in OLT mediation and party status in a hearing;
• Expanded the Chair’s powers in Rule 25.6(c);
• Removed language from Rule 25.7 to clarify the Chair’s powers following from the change to Rule 25.6(c);
• Added a new ground of 25.8 to allow the Chair to amend planning instrument(s) of an earlier decision, approval, or order, if certain criteria are met.

The Tribunal is committed to continually improving processes to better serve the people of Ontario and providing timely, fair, and principled resolutions for the matters that come before it. The Tribunal would like to thank everyone who took the time to provide valuable feedback on the revisions during the public consultation.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Ontario Land Tribunal
Communications
Media.olt@ontario.ca