Ontario Land Tribunal
Tribunal ontarien de l’aménagement du territoire
ISSUE DATE: May 12, 2026
CASE NO(S).: OLT-26-000203
PROCEEDING COMMENCED UNDER subsection 17(24) of the Planning Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.13, as amended
Appellant: Robert Bailey
Appellant: Allen Harris
Appellant: Stephen Manning
Appellant: Kurtis Summers
Appellant: Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH)
Subject: Proposed Official Plan Amendment No. 5
Description: Updating the existing Agricultural Area land use designation
Reference Number: D09-COPA-LG-2025-01
Property Address: United Counties of Leeds and Grenville
Municipality/UT: United Counties of Leeds and Grenville/ Leeds & Grenville
OLT Case No.: OLT-26-000203
OLT Lead Case No.: OLT-26-000203
OLT Case Name: Bailey, Harris, Manning, Summers and MMAH v. Leeds & Grenville (United Counties of)
Heard: May 8, 2026, by video hearing
APPEARANCES:
| Parties | Counsel |
|---|---|
| United Counties of Leeds and Grenville (“County”) | Spencer Putnam |
| Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (“MMAH”; Appellant) | Ken Hare Daron Earthy Clement Li (student-at-law) |
| Stephen Manning (Appellant) | Self-represented |
| Robert Bailey (Appellant) | Self-represented |
| Kurtis Summers (Appellant) | Self-represented |
| Robert Allen Harris (Appellant) | Self-represented |
MEMORANDUM OF ORAL DECISION DELIVERED BY K.R. ANDREWS ON May 8, 2026 AND ORDER OF THE TRIBUNAL
INTRODUCTION
1This is the first Case Management Conference (“CMC”) respecting appeals concerning the passing of Official Plan Amendment 5 by the County (“OPA 5”). Stephen Manning, Robert Bailey, Kurtis Summers, and Robert Allen Harris all purport to appeal their property’s agricultural designation on a site-specific basis, while the MMAH appeals OPA 5 due to the removal of certain lands from the originally proposed agricultural designation contrary to County staff’s recommendations.
Service of Notice of CMC
2There is no issue with service of the Notice of this CMC, and so no further Notice is required. The Tribunal is in receipt of the Affidavit of Service, which is marked as Exhibit 1.
Requests for Status
3Chris Turnbull attended the Hearing seeking Participant status. She explained that her in interest in the matter centred on agricultural heritage associated with the “campus lands”. No one opposed her request, and the Tribunal granted her Participant status based on her genuine interest in the matter.
4Miles Yang appeared on behalf of his father, Shaoji Yang. He explained that his father owns land in the County and wished to provide a written statement concerning those lands. No one opposed the request, and the Tribunal granted Shaoji Yang’s Participant status based on his genuine interest in the matter.
5No one else attended the CMC seeking either Party or Participant status.
MEDIATION AND SETTLEMENT
6The Tribunal explored the possibility of mediation and settlement with the Parties. The Parties expressed openness to resolution discussions before the next hearing event.
PROCEDURAL ORDER AND ISSUES LIST
7The Parties reported that discussions are ongoing regarding a potential Procedural Order and Issues List, but more time is needed. The Tribunal found it acceptable to allow the parties more time to prepare these materials, and deal with it at a second CMC.
LEGAL STANDING OF THE APPELLANTS
8Counsel for the MMAH raised the possible issue that Robert Bailey, Kurtis Summers, and Robert Allen Harris might not have legal standing to bring their respective appeals in accordance with the requirements of s. 17(24) of the Planning Act. It was pointed out that none of these three are listed in the appeal package as having made oral or written submissions before council concerning the passing of OPA 5 and consequently may be statutorily barred from appealing the passing of it. The Tribunal notes that the requirements of the Planning Act are to be strictly applied, and the Tribunal has no discretion to depart from those requirements – even if the other Parties consent to it.
9The Tribunal made inquiries with the individuals about their presentations to council; however, given that they are each self-represented, the Tribunal found that they should be given time to consider their respective responses. As a result, the Tribunal will defer this question to the next CMC, to be determined at that time.
10To be fair to the other Parties, the Tribunal also decided that a written statement from the self-represented Parties, explaining how they satisfy the requirements of s. 17(24) of the Planning Act, shall be served on the other Parties and filed with the Tribunal in July (in accordance with the below Order). The Parties will also be permitted to withdraw their appeals and request Participant Status instead, with their requests and Participant Statements due at the same time in July.
SECOND CMC
11The Tribunal set a second CMC hearing commencing by video on Monday, September 21, 2026, at 10 a.m. No further Notice is required.
12Parties and/or Participants and/or Observers are asked to log in to the event at least 15 minutes before it begins to test their video and audio connections:
GoTo Meeting: https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/442599157
Access code: 442-599-157
13Parties and/or 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
14Persons who experience technical difficulties accessing the GoToMeeting application or who only wish to listen to the event can connect to the event by calling in to an audio-only telephone line: +1 (647) 497-9391 or (Toll-Free) 1-888-455-1389. The access code is: 442-599-157.
15Individuals 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 event to ensure that they are properly connected at the correct time. Questions prior to the event may be directed to the Tribunal’s Case Coordinator.
16As of March 30, 2026, all hearing events are governed by the Tribunal’s Artificial Intelligence Practice Direction. This Practice Direction requires a party, participant, or witness to include a declaration within each submitted document if generative AI was used to create or generate content.
ORDER
17The Tribunal Orders that:
The date and particulars of the second Case Management Conference (“CMC”) are set out above;
No later than Monday, July 13, 2026, Robert Bailey, Kurtis Summers, and Robert Allen Harris shall serve a written statement of no more than three pages to all of the other Parties, explaining how they meet the statutory requirements of s. 17(24) of the Planning Act to bring their respective appeals. The same individuals will further file these statements with the Tribunal Case Coordinator by the same date. In the alternative, the same individuals may opt to withdraw their respective appeal(s) and file a Participant Status request together with a written Participant Statement by the same date;
Chris Turnbull and Shaoji Yang are granted Participant status; and
The remaining Parties shall have a draft Procedural Order and Issues list ready to present to the Tribunal at the second CMC.
18The Member is not seized but may be spoken to through the Case Coordinator if any issues arise.
“K.R. Andrews”
K.R. ANDREWS
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.