Before using the service:

• Review the notice of decision and the relevant legislation to determine:
  • the appeal deadline
  • the specific official/approval authority to file with (for example, municipal clerk, secretary-treasurer, minister, Ontario Land Tribunal)
  • the municipal file number or reference number, if applicable (for example, A24-001).
• Consult the OLT Appeal Guide and Rules of Practice and Procedure.
• Prepare your documentation and reasons for the appeal:
  • Review the checklist relevant to your matter for help identifying required documentation.
  • To assist the processing of your appeal, please name your document files using:
    1. the municipal file number or reference number
    2. the municipality (if applicable)
    3. the appellant’s last name or corporation/organization name
    4. the document type
    5. the date of submission (month/day/year)For example: “A24-001TorontoSmithAffidavit11-05-2024”. Important: Do not use special characters in naming your documents. Special characters are any characters that are not an alphabetic or numeric character. For example: $%#!+*/@\;^”

• Check if there are any fees:
  • For municipal fees: check the notice of decision or the municipal website. These are separate from appeal fees and must be paid directly to the appropriate municipality, if applicable.
  • For OLT appeal fees: check the OLT fee chart. If applicable:
    1. Low-income individuals may request a fee waiver using the Low-Income Fee Waiver Request Form. For more information, review the Low-Income Fee Waiver Policy.
    2. Private citizens, registered charities, and non-profit ratepayers’ associations may request a lower fee using the Request for Lower-Fee Form.

Please note: Tribunal staff can only provide information on the OLT’s rules and processes. For legal advice, you may speak to a planning or legal professional.

• E-file uses My Ontario Account (Government of Ontario online service) to authorize and authenticate access to the service.
• If you have used e-file or other Government of Ontario online services before, you may already have a My Ontario Account.
• If not, you will need to create a new account.
• You can only access e-file using the log in link at the top of this page, not by going to the My Ontario Account website.
• If you need help with accessing or creating a My Ontario Account, consult the My Ontario help page.
• Once your My Ontario Account is set up, you will create your OLT e-file profile.

Notes:

• Your e-file profile does not represent your position in relation to any appeals you may be filing. For example, if you are filing an appeal on your own behalf, you will still have to enter your information in the party section of the form as an “appellant.”
• E-file will send a PDF of the appeal and receipt (if applicable) to the email address you enter in your e-file profile. The e-file portal does not automatically provide a copy of the PDF of the appeal and receipt to anyone other than yourself and the Approval Authority, but you may forward your confirmation email as necessary. 

Create your appeal

• Click the tab to create a New Appeal and fill out the online form as instructed.
• E-file will save your information as you proceed through each screen. If you need to stop and come back later to finish your submission, you can. Your draft will be available through the My Appeals tab to complete later.
• Once you have completed your form and clicked the Complete/Lock button, your appeal will lock. At this point, you can make no further changes. Before your appeal will be submitted to the approval authority, you must review whether any fees are owing and confirm how you will be paying (if applicable).
• Please note that the e-file Appeal ID number is not the OLT case number. OLT will send you an acknowledgement letter citing the OLT case number when they open your case.

Payment

• If there is a fee for your appeal, you can complete the payment through e-file by Visa, Visa Debit, MasterCard, or MasterCard Debit.
• If you choose to pay by cheque or money order:
  • write the Appeal ID number(s) provided on the cheque/money order
  • make the cheque payable to the Minister of Finance
  • Include a copy of your invoice when mailing your cheque to the OLT
• Payment does not need to be completed to meet the submission deadline for the appeal, but you do need to confirm how you will be paying by completing the payment screens in e-file. The OLT will not begin processing your appeal until you pay any outstanding fees. If the payment is delayed, OLT staff will contact you to process the payment before opening the case.  

Through e-file, the approval authority will:

• receive a notification when you submit your appeal
• review your submission
• prepare a case package for each appeal, grouping it with other related appeals, if applicable
• submit the case package to OLT

You will receive an acknowledgement letter from the OLT once your appeal is processed and a case is opened.