Ontario Land Tribunal
Tribunal ontarien de l’aménagement du territoire
ISSUE DATE: May 21, 2026
CASE NO(S).: OLT-26-000157
PROCEEDING COMMENCED UNDER subsection 34(11) of the Planning Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. P.13, as amended
Applicant and Appellant: Ronald and Suzanne Miller
Subject: Application to amend the Zoning By-law – Refusal or neglect to make a decision
Description: to bring the existing home-based business at subject property into compliance with requirements of City's ZBL
Reference Number: D-02-02-24-0027
Property Address: 6158 Rideau Valley Drive N
Municipality/UT: City of Ottawa
OLT Case No.: OLT-26-000157
OLT Lead Case No.: OLT-26-000157
OLT Case Name: Miller v. Ottawa (City)
Heard: May 14, 2026 by video hearing
APPEARANCES:
| Parties | Counsel |
|---|---|
| Ronald and Suzanne Miller | M. Polowin |
| City of Ottawa (“City”) | T. Marc |
MEMORANDUM OF ORAL DECISION DELIVERED BY SHARON L. DIONNE ON MAY 14, 2026 AND ORDER OF THE TRIBUNAL
INTRODUCTION
1This is the Tribunal’s Decision and Order stemming from a first Case Management Conference (“CMC”) on an appeal filed by Ronald and Suzanne Miller (“the Millers”) regarding the refusal of the Council of the City of Ottawa to approve the Millers’ application for an amendment to the City’s Zoning By-law to “legalize” certain existing uses on their lands, municipally known as 6158 Rideau Valley Drive (“Property”).
2The Tribunal received an Affidavit of Service, affirmed on April 9, 2026, confirming that proper notice of this CMC was given, and marked same as Exhibit 1.
MEDIATION / NEXT STEPS
3Counsel for the Appellant and Counsel for the City both advised the Tribunal that the Statutory Parties are engaged in on-going mediation and are seeking a deferral of the procedural matters on the appeal until that process reaches its conclusion.
4Counsel for Ian and Cathy Merritt, who seek to be added as parties to the proceeding, raised concerns with respect to the possibility of an adjournment and deferral of the procedural matters as proposed by the Statutory Parties.
5The Tribunal ruled that proper notice had been given, and that there would not be an adjournment of the proceeding.
6The Tribunal found it reasonable to grant the request of the Statutory Parties for more time to continue with on-going mediation before considering other procedural matters, and for a second CMC to be scheduled, at which time the request for Party Status filed on behalf of Ian and Cathy Merritt would be considered.
7Counsel for the City advised that in the event of a successful outcome from mediation, the City intends to bring forward a report to the City’s Committee and Council in open session(s), and that at least 10 days advance notice will be provided to the Merritts, and that opportunities for written and oral submissions to the Committee will be provided for at that time.
8Although the request for status will be considered at a later date, the Tribunal encourages the Statutory Parties to keep the Requestor apprised given that the Party Status request is to be considered at the next hearing event.
9The Tribunal directs that no further notice is required in respect of the appeal.
10A second CMC in respect of the appeal is scheduled to proceed by video on Wednesday, August 26, 2026 at 10 a.m. In the event that the mediation is not successful, the parties are directed to provide a draft procedural order and issues list to the Tribunal in advance, and to come prepared to discuss the setting of dates for a hearing.
11Parties and Interested Persons 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/638422541
Access code: 638-422-541
12Parties and Interested Persons 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
13Persons who experience technical difficulties accessing the GoTo Meeting application or who only wish to listen to the event can connect to it by calling in to an audio-only telephone line: +1 (647) 497-9373 or (toll-free) + 1-888-299-1889. The access code is: 638-422-541.
14Individuals 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.
15As 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
16THE TRIBUNAL ORDERS the above directives.
“Sharon L. Dionne”
SHARON L. DIONNE
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.