Ontario Land Tribunal
Tribunal ontarien de l’aménagement du territoire
ISSUE DATE: June 10, 2025
CASE NO(S).: OLT-25-000221
PROCEEDING COMMENCED UNDER subsection 17(24) of the Planning Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P. 13, as amended.
Appellant: 2441952 Ontario Inc. Appellant: 4158 Kingston Road, Inc. c/o NADG Appellant: 829 The Queensway Inc. Appellant: Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation for the Diocese of Toronto, in Canada and others
Subject: Proposed Official Plan Amendment Description: To update the Official Plan Avenues policies as part of the Housing Action Plan Reference Number: OPA 778 Property Address: City-wide Municipality/Upper Tier: City of Toronto OLT Case Number: OLT-25-000221 OLT Lead Case Number: OLT-25-000221 OLT Case Name: 2441952 Ontario Inc. v. Toronto (City)
Heard: June 09, 2025, by Video Hearing
APPEARANCES:
| Parties | Counsel |
|---|---|
| 2441952 Ontario Inc. | Natalie Ast |
| 4158 Kingston Road, Inc. c/o NADG North American Development Group |
Caroline Jordan Patrick Duffy (in absentia) |
| 829 The Queensway Inc. | Katryna Vergis-Mayo Aaron Platt (in absentia) |
| Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation for the Diocese of Toronto, in Canada | Tara Piurko Jesse White |
| Toronto Catholic District School Board | Tara Piurko Jesse White |
| City of Toronto | Cameron McKeich |
| 430 Royal York GP Inc. | Joe Hoffman |
MEMORANDUM OF ORAL DECISION DELIVERED BY Kurtis Smith ON June 09, 2025 AND ORDER OF THE TRIBUNAL
INTRODUCTION
1The Tribunal convened the first Case Management Conference (“CMC”) pertaining to the appeals filed against the City of Toronto’s (“City”) initiated Official Plan Amendment (“OPA 778”) pertaining to the Avenues Policy Framework within the City.
2City Council adopted OPA 778 on February 5, 2025, and enacted By-law No. 103-2025 on February 11, 2025. Five appeals were received under section 17(24) of the Planning Act.
3Counsel for the City communicated that OPA 778 is the first of three phases of amendments the city will be considering during their review of the framework relating to the City’s Housing Action Plan.
4The Tribunal received and marked the Affidavit of Service of the Notice of CMC sworn by Trecy Manuela as Exhibit 1. There were no issues with the service of the Notice of the CMC, and as such, no further notice is required.
STATUS REQUESTS
5Prior to the commencement of the CMC, the Tribunal received a Participant status request from the Swansea Area Ratepayers Association and Group (“SARA”) and a Party status request from 430 Royal York GP Inc. (“Royal York”).
6The Participant status request was deferred to the second CMC as the request was not provided to all Parties in advance.
7Mr. Hoffman is the Counsel for Royal York, which is the owner of the lands municipally known as 428-430 Royal York Road (“Royal York Property”) in the City. Royal York is in the process of seeking approvals for the redevelopment of those lands. Mr. Hoffman communicated that Party status is being sought for the sole purpose of scoping the appeals of OPA 778, which is to come into force for the Royal York Property and for a segment of Royal York Road to be designated as an Avenue.
8Without objection, the Tribunal granted Party status to Royal York as they have a direct interest in OPA 778.
NEXT STEPS
9Following a lengthy discussion regarding timelines and scheduling, the Tribunal directed that on or before Wednesday, July 9, 2025, the Appellants provide the City with their scoped issues and identify the property or area in which their appeal applies.
10Mr. Hoffman informed the Tribunal that he will seek a written motion as described in paragraph 7 and will do so in accordance with Rule 10 of the Tribunal’s Rules of Practice and Procedure.
11Mr. McKeich, Counsel for the City, communicated to the Tribunal that scoping the issues and identifying the properties is vital to moving the matter forward. He indicated that once scoped, the City will be able to determine if a scoping motion or validity of appeal(s) motion is required.
12The Tribunal scheduled a second CMC to proceed by video on Thursday, July 24, 2025 at 10 a.m., where the Tribunal will consider the Participant status request by SARA, receive a status update on the appeals, hear a motion to have the non-appealed section of OPA 778 to come into force and effect, if received, and if required, schedule a hearing date to hear a scoping motion or motion of validity of the appeal(s).
13Parties and Participants are asked to log into the Video Hearing at least 15 minutes before the start of the event to test their video and audio connections:
GoTo Meeting: https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/660145013
Access Code: 660-145-013
14Parties and Participants are asked to access and set up the application well in advance of the event to avoid unnecessary delay. The desktop application can be downloaded at GoTo Meeting or a web application is available: https://app.gotomeeting.com/home.html
15Persons who experience technical difficulties accessing the GoTo Meeting application or who only wish to listen to the event can connect to the event by calling into an audio-only telephone line: (Toll-Free) 1-888-299-1889 or +1 (647) 497-9373. The Access Code is as indicated above.
16Individuals are directed to connect to the event on the assigned date at the correct time. It is the responsibility of the persons participating in the CMC by video to ensure that they are properly connected to the event at the correct time. Questions prior to the hearing event may be directed to the Tribunal’s Case Coordinator having carriage of this case.
ORDER
17THE TRIBUNAL ORDERS as follows:
a. 430 Royal York GP Inc. is granted Party status;
b. Swansea Area Ratepayers Association and Group’s Participant status request will be considered at the second Case Management Conference;
c. That a second Case Management Conference is scheduled for Thursday, July 24, 2025, at 10 a.m. by Video Hearing as set out above; and
d. The Member is not seized but may be contacted through the Case Coordinator should procedural issues arise.
“Kurtis Smith”
Kurtis Smith
Member
Ontario Land Tribunal
Website: www.olt.gov.on.ca Telephone: 416-212-6349 Toll Free: 1-866-448-2248
The Conservation Review Board, the Environmental Review Tribunal, the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal and the Mining and Lands Tribunal are amalgamated and continued as the Ontario Land Tribunal (“Tribunal”). Any reference to the preceding tribunals or the former Ontario Municipal Board is deemed to be a reference to the Tribunal.