Mediation Services Team

Mark Bales joined the OLT Mediation Team in 2026. He is a planner and land development specialist with over 35 years of experience in both public and private sectors. He has directed major projects delivering residential, commercial and mixed-use developments and has extensive expertise in policy, zoning and site plan matters. He is a member of the Canadian Institute of Planners and a Registered Professional Planner with the Ontario Professional Planners Institute. A graduate of the University of Waterloo, Mark is recognized for his knowledge of Ontario’s provincial planning framework, his negotiation and consensus-building skills and his ability to deliver practical solutions to complex planning and implementation challenges.

Jeff Cowan joined the OLT Mediation Team in 2026. He brings 45 years of litigation experience in the areas of municipal law, planning and development, land valuation, First Nations and property boundary disputes. He has acted as an arbitrator and mediator in planning and valuation disputes. Jeff has served in executive positions for the Ontario Bar Association, the Advocates Society, and the Canadian Property Taxation Association, and is a long-standing member of the Secretariat of the Civil Rules Committee. He is also a recipient of the Society of Ontario Adjudicators and Regulators Medal for contributions to the Ontario administrative justice system.

Lindsay Dale-Harris joined the OLT Mediation Team in 2024. She has over 35 years of experience in a broad range of planning research and special-purpose studies, including the preparation of Official Plans and Zoning By-laws for public agencies and the preparation of comprehensive development applications for private clients. She also has extensive experience appearing as an expert witness at the former Ontario Municipal Board, the Ontario Land Tribunal and the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.

Robert Dragicevic joined the OLT Mediation Team in 2020. He has more than 40 years of experience in planning. He served as a Senior Principal and former President at Walker Nott Dragicevic Associates Limited, Urban Planning and Design. Bob has extensive expertise in various land use planning matters and has appeared as an expert witness at the former Ontario Municipal Board and the Ontario Land Tribunal. Currently, he is the President of RDLandPlan Consultants Inc., Urban Planners. He is a full member of the Ontario Professional Planners Institute and a retired member in good standing of the Canadian Institute of Planners.

Jeannette Gillezeau joined the OLT Mediation Team in 2024. She has extensive experience in economic and municipal finance matters relating to land use planning and development. Her areas of specialty include development charges, parkland contributions, community benefit charges and fiscal impact assessments. She brings expertise in land use matters that involve economic issues such as housing requirements, land needs or population and employment projections.

Paul Henry joined the OLT Mediation Team in 2022. He was licensed to practice law in 1974, and for the next 45 years was a partner with the Toronto law firm Chappell Partners. Paul graduated from Trinity College, University of Toronto with a BA and a LLB from the University of Toronto Law School. He practiced in the area of civil litigation. Over the years, Paul has handled many complex cases with multi-day trials and hearings. He brings particular expertise in expropriation matters. Prior to his retirement, he was a member of the Ontario Expropriation Association, the Advocates Society and the Law Society of Ontario.

Ron Kanter joined the OLT Mediation Team in 2026. He brings more than 40 years of experience in land use planning. His career has included serving as a City Councilor and Member of Provincial Parliament, practising law with a focus on planning matters and teaching municipal law at the University of Toronto. Ron obtained a Certificate in Mediating Complex Disputes from Harvard University and has mediated and adjudicated land use and construction disputes for municipal, provincial and specialized statutory tribunals. He will assist parties to resolve disputes concerning diverse planning interests, including issues related to housing, infrastructure, natural resources and urban design.

Catherine Lyons (“Kate”) joined the OLT Mediation Team in 2025. She practised municipal law, with over 30 years of experience at a national law firm. Her work has included representing developers, institutions, municipalities and the provincial government in a wide range of redevelopment projects. Catherine has expertise in heritage and environmental matters including brownfield issues, the natural environment and water resources. Her practice includes negotiating and drafting agreements related to cost sharing, infrastructure finance and municipal requirements for land development. She has appeared before municipal councils and committees, committees of adjustment and the Ontario Land Tribunal.

Laurie McPherson joined the OLT Mediation Team in 2022. She has over 30 years of experience as a professional planner in both the public and private sectors. She began her career with the City of Etobicoke Planning Department in 1982 and was the Director of Policy and Research from 1990-98. In 1999, Laurie joined Bousfields Inc., a community planning firm based in Toronto, and became a partner in 2004. From December 2016 to December 2018, she was an inaugural member of the Toronto Local Appeal Body (TLAB), a quasi-judicial tribunal. She is a Registered Professional Planner with the Ontario Professional Planners Institute.

Wendy Nott joined the OLT Mediation Team in 2020 upon retiring as Senior Principal at WND Urban Planning and Design after almost 45 years of consulting practice with the firm. Her work has included development of policy, zoning and guideline documents; small and large-scale greenfield community planning projects; urban redevelopment projects combining residential, commercial, institutional, recreational and industrial uses; and extensive experience as an expert witness. In 2004, she was appointed as a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Planners and is a Registered Professional Planner.

Chris Tzekas joined the OLT Mediation Team in 2026. A retired lawyer, he practised at WeirFoulds LLP for almost 47 years. Chris graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto in 1977, articled at the City of Toronto and was called to the Bar in 1979. His practice focused on municipal law, expropriations, administrative law and civil litigation. Over the course of this career, he acted for a number of Ministries, many municipalities and numerous private landowners and ratepayer groups. Chris is a past President of the Ontario Expropriation Association, a member of the Ontario Bar Association and the Advocates Society. He was awarded the Barnet H. Kussner Award of Excellence in Municipal Law for 2026 by the Ontario Bar Association and was recognized by Best Lawyers in Canada as Toronto’s “Lawyer of the Year” in Expropriation Law in the years 2018, 2012, 2023 and 2026.