J. Goraya

The Ontario Land Tribunal held a third Case Management Conference regarding appeals by Walker Aggregates Inc. against the Region of Niagara and the City of Niagara Falls for failing to make decisions on Official Plan and Zoning By-law amendment applications to permit a mineral aggregate extraction operation.

The parties advised that a settlement in principle had been reached, significantly narrowing the issues.

The Tribunal granted requests to reschedule the hearing to a shorter 7-day duration in November 2026 and scheduled a fourth CMC for June 2026 to allow for finalization of settlement agreements and further discussions.

The appellants appealed a municipal by-law designating their farm property as being of cultural heritage value under the Ontario Heritage Act.

At a settlement hearing, uncontroverted expert heritage planning evidence was presented indicating that only the historic stone cottage on the property met the criteria for designation, while the other structures did not.

The Tribunal allowed the appeal in part and ordered the by-law amended to apply solely to the cottage.

This was a Case Management Conference regarding an application by Port Colborne Quarries Inc. for a Class A licence to expand an existing quarry.

The Ministry of Natural Resources referred the application and several objections to the Tribunal.

The Tribunal addressed party status, directed absent objectors to confirm their continued participation, and ordered the parties to refine their proposed issues lists.

A 15-day video hearing was scheduled for July 2026.

The appellants appealed the Town of Halton Hills' approval of Official Plan Amendment 57, which establishes a Secondary Plan for the Stewarttown Area.

At the first Case Management Conference, the Tribunal granted party status to the Stewarttown Community Association and participant status to one individual.

As the parties had scheduled a mediation assessment with the Tribunal's mediation team, the Tribunal adjourned the matter sine die pending the completion of the mediation process.