Analee J. M. Fernandez

The appellants appealed a decision confirming that the composition of the County Council should be reduced from 20 to 16 members due to a decline in the number of electors in four townships.

The Court of Appeal held that the municipal by-law governing representation implicitly required a reduction in representatives when a township's population fell below the specified threshold.

The Court also found no error in the application judge's decision to nullify the Striking by-law and remove the additional representatives mid-term, as they had no legal entitlement to hold office.

The appeal was dismissed.

The City of London passed an interim control by-law freezing land development along a specific corridor after discussing the matter in two closed meetings.

A property owner applied to quash the by-law, arguing the closed meetings violated the open meeting requirement under section 239 of the Municipal Act, 2001.

The Supreme Court of Canada held that the Planning Act provisions allowing interim control by-laws to be passed without prior notice or hearing do not create an exception to the open meeting requirement.

The Court upheld the decision to quash the by-law for illegality, emphasizing the importance of transparency and democratic legitimacy in municipal decision-making.