Ontario Municipal Board
{{Short description|Agency of the Government of Ontario}}
{{Third party|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2022}}{{Use Canadian English|date=July 2022}}
The Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) was an independent administrative board, operated as an adjudicative tribunal,{{sfn|Meyfarth O’Hara|2008}} in the province of Ontario, Canada. It heard applications and appeals on municipal and planning disputes,{{sfn|Sewell|2009|pp=18{{en dash}}20}} as well as other matters specified in provincial legislation. The tribunal reported to the Ministry of the Attorney General from 2012 until it was replaced in 2018.{{cite web| url=http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/Page1755.aspx| title=Citizens' Guide 6 - Ontario Municipal Board| work=Citizens' Guides to Land-use Planning| publisher=Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing| access-date=22 April 2009}} The Board had been criticized for its broad powers and authority to override the Planning Act decisions of municipal councils.{{cite news|last1=Pagliaro|first1=Jennifer|last2=Osorio|first2=Carlos|title=Contested Development|url=http://projects.thestar.com/ontario-municipal-board-reform/contested-development/|access-date=18 May 2017|publisher=Toronto Star|date=17 February 2017}}
The Ontario Municipal Board was replaced by the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal on April 3, 2018,{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/omb-planning-appeal-tribunal-development-1.4595608|title=The Ontario Municipal Board will soon be no more. Here's what that means for you|publisher=CBC News|date=2 April 2018|access-date=6 April 2018}} which was intended to have more limited powers and a reduced scope.{{cite web| url = https://news.ontario.ca/mma/en/2017/12/statement-on-transition-from-the-ontario-municipal-board-to-the-local-planning-appeal-tribunal.html| title = Ontario Newsroom}} The Local Planning Appeal Tribunal was in turn replaced by the Ontario Land Tribunal on June 1, 2021.{{cite web | url=https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=e8ccc0c7-c241-4966-8989-250c4b4eea18 | title=Come one, come all! Ontario establishes new 'super tribunal' to hear land and environmental matters: The Ontario Land Tribunal | date=June 2021 }}{{cite web | url=https://olt.gov.on.ca/about-olt/ | title=About the OLT }}
History
The OMB was established in 1906 as the Ontario Railway and Municipal Board{{Cite canlaw|short title = The Ontario Railway and Municipal Board Act, 1906|abbr =S.O.|year =1906|chapter = 31|link = https://archive.org/stream/statutesofprovin1906onta#page/312/mode/2up}} "to oversee municipalities' accounts and to supervise the then rapidly growing rail transportation system between and within municipalities."{{Cite web| url=http://www.omb.gov.on.ca/english/OMBInformation/OMB_History.html| title=History of the OMB| publisher=Ontario Municipal Board| access-date=22 April 2009}} In so doing, it took over responsibility of these functions from the former Railway Committee of the Executive Councilconstituted under {{Cite canlaw|short title = An Act respecting Electric Railways|abbr =S.O.|year =1902|chapter = 27|link = https://archive.org/stream/statutesofprovin1902onta#page/86/mode/2up}} and Office of the Provincial Municipal Auditor.constituted under {{Cite canlaw|short title = An Act respecting Provincial Municipal Auditors|abbr =S.O.|year =1896|chapter = 54|link = https://archive.org/stream/statutesofprovin1896onta#page/200/mode/2up}} (repealed by {{Cite canlaw|short title = The Statute Law Amendment Act, 1913|abbr =S.O.|year =1913|chapter = 18|section=49|link = https://archive.org/stream/statutesofprovin1913onta#page/162/mode/2up}}) It was amalgamated with the Bureau of Municipal Affairsconstituted under {{Cite canlaw|short title = The Bureau of Municipal Affairs Act|abbr =S.O.|year =1917|chapter = 14|link = https://archive.org/stream/statutesofprovin1917onta#page/78/mode/2up}} and given its current name in 1932.{{Cite canlaw|short title = The Ontario Municipal Board Act, 1932|abbr =S.O.|year =1932|chapter = 27|link = https://archive.org/stream/statutesofprovin1932onta#page/90/mode/2up}}
In 2010, under the Adjudicative Tribunals Accountability, Governance and Appointments Act, 2009,{{Cite canlaw|short title =Adjudicative Tribunals Accountability, Governance and Appointments Act, 2009|abbr =S.O.|year =2009|chapter = 33|schedule =5|link = https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/09a33}} the OMB was designated as part of a cluster known as "Environment and Land Tribunals Ontario",{{cite web|title = About ELTO|url = http://www.elto.gov.on.ca/english/aboutelto/aboutelto.html|publisher = Environment and Land Tribunals Ontario}} which also includes the Assessment Review Board, boards of negotiation under the Expropriations Act, the Conservation Review Board and the Environmental Review Tribunal.{{Cite canlaw|link= https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/100126|type = reg|regtitle= Adjudicative tribunals and clusters|regnumber= O. Reg. 126/10}}
Scope of jurisdiction
The OMB was constituted under the Ontario Municipal Board Act,{{Cite canlaw|short title = Ontario Municipal Board Act|abbr =R.S.O.|year =1990|chapter = O.28|link= https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90o28}} (OMB Act) which conferred "exclusive jurisdiction in all cases and in respect of all matters in which jurisdiction is conferred on it by this Act or by any other general or special Act".OMB Act, s. 36 Until 2009, its decisions could be appealed by petition to the Lieutenant-Governor in Council,{{Cite canlaw|short title =Ontario Municipal Board Act|abbr =R.S.O.|year =1990|chapter = O.28|section= 95|link= https://archive.org/stream/v8revisedstat1990ontauoft#page/640/mode/2up}} but such petitions were abolished by the Good Government Act, 2009,{{Cite canlaw|short title =Good Government Act, 2009|abbr =S.O.|year =2009|chapter = 33|schedule= 2|link= https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/s09033}}, s. 54 after which decisions of the OMB were final, subject only to appeals to the Divisional Court on a question of law with that Court's leave.OMB Act, s. 96
While the Act declared that the Board "has all the powers of a court of record",OMB Act, s. 34 in 1938 the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council held that it is not a superior court, but in pith and substance an administrative body.{{cite BAILII|litigants= The Corporation of the City of Toronto v The Corporation of the Township of York|link=|court=JCPC|year=1938|num=5|parallelcite=[1938] AC 415|date=24 January 1938|courtname=|juris=Ontario}} Appeals to the OMB were described as "a process requiring the OMB to exercise its public interest mandate", and "on an appeal the Board had the obligation to exercise its independent judgment".{{cite CanLII|litigants=Ottawa (City) v Minto Communities Inc|link=|year=2009|court=onscdc|num=65802|format=canlii|pinpoint=par. 30|date=2009-11-13|courtname=auto}}
The Board had general jurisdiction in municipal matters,OMB Act, Part IV as well as over provincially-regulated railways and public utilitiesOMB Act, Part V (other than matters that are within the jurisdiction of the Ontario Energy Board).OMB Act, s. 103 It had been conferred further powers under the Railways Act,{{Cite canlaw|short title =The Railways Act|abbr =R.S.O.|year =1950|chapter = 331|link= https://archive.org/stream/v04revisedstat1950ontauoft#page/212/mode/2up}} the Municipal Act{{Cite canlaw|short title =Municipal Act, 2001|abbr =S.O.|year =2001|chapter = 25|link= https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/01m25}} the City of Toronto Act,{{Cite canlaw|short title =City of Toronto Act, 2006|abbr =S.O.|year =2006|chapter = 11|schedule= A|link= https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/06c11}} the Planning Act{{Cite canlaw|short title =Planning Act|abbr =R.S.O.|year =1990|chapter = P.13|link= https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90p13}} and the Ontario Heritage Act.{{Cite canlaw|short title =Ontario Heritage Act|abbr =R.S.O.|year =1990|chapter = O.18|link= https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90o18}}
Procedure
=Hearings=
Before reaching a decision, the OMB conducted hearings, which were in oral, electronic or written form.{{cite book|title = Information Sheet 4: Here's what you need to know about Hearings|url = http://www.omb.gov.on.ca/stellent/groups/public/@abcs/@www/@omb/documents/webasset/ec082182.pdf|date = 2012|isbn=978-1-4435-3451-2|publisher = OMB}} Where a matter to be heard was expected to be long or complex, involving many issues, parties and types of evidence, the Board normally held a prehearing to help organize proceedings for subsequent hearings, which included identification of issues to be considered at such hearings.{{cite web|title = Information Sheet 7: Here's what you need to know about Prehearings|url = http://www.omb.gov.on.ca/stellent/groups/public/@abcs/@www/@omb/documents/webasset/ec081203.pdf|date = 2008|publisher = OMB}} The Board expected parties who placed an issue on the Issue List to call a case in support of that issue.{{cite web|title = IN THE MATTER of Motions regarding the proposed Issue List, brought by the City of Waterloo and by Spring Village Inc. (Case PL080463)|url = http://www.omb.gov.on.ca/e-decisions/pl080463-jul-13-2009.pdf|date = July 13, 2009|publisher = OMB}}
The Board could award costs against parties who opposed successful applicants, but only when it was requested to do so.{{cite web|title = IN THE MATTER OF subsection 97(1) of the Ontario Municipal Board Act, R.S.O. 1990, c.O.28, as amended, with respect to applications for costs relating to a series of approvals obtained by Kimvar Enterprises Inc. (Case PL050290)|url = http://www.omb.gov.on.ca/e-decisions/pl050290-jan-30-2009.pdf|date = January 30, 2009|publisher = OMB}}
=Decisions=
The Archives of Ontario holds some past OMB decisions, but the collection is limited to the years 1906{{en dash}}1991 (but certain records in that period have been previously destroyed).[https://www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/access/documents/research_guide_208_records_of_OMB_hearings.pdf archives.gov.on.ca: "A Guide to Researching Records of Ontario Municipal Board Hearings" Feb 2013]
The OMB makes the following jurisprudence available online:{{cite web|url = http://www.omb.gov.on.ca/english/eDecisions/eDecisions.html|publisher = OMB|title = E-Decisions}}
:* Decisions from 2001 to the present.
:* Orders from January 21, 2013, to the present.
Carswell publishes Ontario Municipal Board Reports,{{cite journal|url = http://www.carswell.com/product-detail/ontario-municipal-board-reports/|publisher = Carswell|title = Ontario Municipal Board Reports|journal = Ontario Municipal Board Reports |series=Second Series|access-date = 17 June 2014|issn=0318-7527}} which is available in law libraries, as well as online at Westlaw.{{cite web|title = Westlaw Next Canada: Case Law|url = http://www.westlawnextcanada.com/dynamicdata/attacheddocs/lawsource/lawsource_case_law.pdf|publisher = Thomson Reuters}} Decisions are also available online at LexisNexis.{{cite web|title = Quicklaw Source Directory: Administrative Board and Tribunal Decisions|url = http://www.lexisnexis.ca/en/quicklaw/directory/#sh2|publisher = LexisNexis}}
Criticism
The jurisdiction the Board could exercise was extremely broad in scope, and a Royal Commission inquiry headed by James McRuer reported in 1971 that it was impossible to catalogue all the powers that the Board possessed at that time,{{sfn|McRuer|1971|p=2015}} although thirty principal Acts were identified.{{sfn|McRuer|1971|pp=2015, 2045{{en dash}}2067}} However, an extraordinary provision of the OMB Act allowed for investigation and determination of any matter, where provision was made for it under the letters patent of any corporation formed under Ontario law.{{sfn|McRuer|1971|pp=2020{{en dash}}2021}}still in effect under the OMB Act, s. 48
Another provision of the OMB Act, allowing the Board to require or prohibit the performance of any matter under any Act or agreement, was considered to be "an absurdly broad power and in its breadth it is unconstitutional".{{sfn|McRuer|1971|pp=2024{{en dash}}2025}}still in effect under the OMB Act, s. 39
The Board tended to subordinate both provincial and local policies to those of its own making,{{sfn|Chipman|2002|p=193}} which successive governments effectively transformed into a policy "of overseeing municipal activities without direct provincial involvement".{{sfn|Chipman|2002|p=193}} There was discussion as to whether it had outlived its usefulness as a planning review tribunal,{{sfn|Chipman|2002|p=202}} as "it does little that could not be done by local decision makers".{{sfn|Chipman|2002|p=203}}
On October 7, 2008, City of Toronto councillors representing the former city of North York voted to name a lane "OMB Folly" in the area where the OMB, against the city's wishes, approved development of a condominium and townhouse complex near a low-density residential area immediately west of North York Centre.{{cite news| url=https://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/513835| title=It's street revenge on developer| last=Moloney| first=Paul| newspaper=Toronto Star| date=8 October 2008| access-date=22 April 2009}}{{Cite web| url=https://toronto.citynews.ca/2008/10/08/councillors-try-to-name-street-omb-folly-as-form-of-protest/| title=Councillors Try To Name Street OMB Folly As Form Of Protest| publisher=CityNews.ca| date=8 October 2008| access-date=22 April 2009}} However, Council reversed this decision on 26 August 2010.
After a controversial 2009 decision approved a community of up to 1,400 homes in the Manotick neighbourhood of Ottawa, Minister of Municipal Affairs Jim Watson was quoted in the local press as stating: "Has the OMB been perfect? No. Can it improve? Yes, I think it can and I am quite prepared to work with the attorney general to try and ensure that the OMB is more reflective of community values [...] I've had a couple of discussions with the attorney general going back a month and we both agree we are going to take a thorough look at the OMB and see how we can further improve it based on changes we made a couple of years ago. We want to see if they've done what we hoped they'd do to bring greater balance to OMB decision-making."{{cite news| url=https://ottawacitizen.com/news/Watson+calls+further+changes/1496712/story.html| title=Watson calls for further changes at OMB| newspaper=Ottawa Citizen| last=Adam| first=Mohammed| publisher=Canwest |date=15 April 2009| access-date=2009-04-21}}
On February 6, 2012, Toronto City Council asked the province to free the city from the Ontario Municipal Board's jurisdiction. Council endorsed the proposal in a 34–5 vote. Spearheaded by councillor Josh Matlow, along with councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam. Matlow is quoted in the Toronto Star: "We've heard time and time again from our residents that there's an inequitable playing field...Developers simply have a better chance at the OMB because they have the financial resources, the ability to get planners and lawyers, anything they need to be able to argue their case". This proposal should open the door for discussion of the efficiency and justice of the unelected board that controls the majority of Ontario developments.{{cite news| url=https://www.thestar.com/news/cityhallpolitics/article/1126884--ttc-chair-karen-stintz-submits-petition-that-could-resurrect-light-rail-plan| newspaper=Toronto Star| date=7 February 2012| title=Toronto asks to opt out of Ontario Municipal Board| access-date=7 June 2012}}
References
{{Reflist|3}}
Further reading
- {{cite book |last= McRuer|first= James Chalmers|author-link= James Chalmers McRuer|date= 1971|title= Royal commission inquiry into civil rights (Report No. Three)|volume= V|chapter= 125: The Ontario Municipal Board|chapter-url= https://archive.org/stream/royalcommissioni05onta#page/2012/mode/2up|location= Toronto|publisher= Queen's Printer|pages= 2013{{en dash}}2067}}
- {{Cite web| url=https://archive.org/stream/reportofselectco1972onta#page/n1/mode/2up| title=Report of the Select Committee on the Ontario Municipal Board | publisher=Legislative Assembly of Ontario|date=1972}}
- {{cite book |last= Chipman|first= John George|date= 2002|title= A Law Unto Itself: How the Ontario Municipal Board Has Developed and Applied Land Use Planning Policy|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=hpMfF2uXKIYC&pg=PP1|location= Toronto|publisher= University of Toronto Press|isbn=0-8020-3625-2}}
- {{Cite web| url=http://eco.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/2008-Natural-Heritage-and-OMB.pdf| title=The Application of Natural Heritage Policies and Legislation by the Ontario Municipal Board January 2004-January 2008 |last=Meyfarth O’Hara| first=Elke| publisher=Environmental Commissioner of Ontario|date=2008}}
- {{cite book| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=dFA2YUVA57wC&pg=PP1| title = The Shape of the Suburbs: Understanding Toronto's Sprawl|last= Sewell|first= John|author-link = John Sewell| publisher = University of Toronto Press| year = 2009| isbn = 978-0-8020-9884-9}}
External links
- [http://www.omb.gov.on.ca/english/home.html Ontario Municipal Board]
- [https://aims.archives.gov.on.ca/SCRIPTS/MWIMAIN.DLL/aQ2CKm1KGHN1MUO/1/1/1384?RECORD&UNION=Y Ontario Municipal Board order books (1906-1993)], Archives of Ontario
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Category:1897 establishments in Ontario
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Category:Urban planning in Canada
Category:Local government in Ontario
Category:Ontario government tribunals
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