Alternative Engagement Process for property owners on designated transit-oriented community lands
Learn about Ontario’s process to access land required to construct transit-oriented community projects, and what to do if you’re a property owner who has been contacted.
Transit-Oriented Communities Act
We are building vibrant, mixed-use communities at or near transit while reducing the burden on taxpayers to build transit station infrastructure. These transit-oriented communities TOC will create more homes, affordable housing options, parkland, retail and office space near subway, GO and Light Rail Transit (LTR) stations. This will make it faster and easier for everyone to access reliable transit, right in their own neighbourhoods.
Our Transit-Oriented Communities Program focuses on opportunities at new and existing GO and LTR stations and along 4 priority transit projects:
- Ontario Line
- Yonge North Subway Extension
- Scarborough Subway Extension
- Eglinton Crosstown West Extension
We work with property owners to acquire land needed to construct transit-oriented communities in a timely manner.
The Transit-Oriented Communities Act (TOCA) provides a framework to implement the province’s TOC program and gives us the tools to deliver transit-oriented community projects, while still treating property owners fairly.
Land assembly is important to getting public infrastructure built. Timely land acquisition is a key element of delivering these transit-oriented community projects.
New Alternative Engagement Process
When a property needs to be expropriated, under the previous process, owners were given an opportunity to request a Hearing of Necessity to determine if the expropriation is fair, sound and reasonably necessary.
We are implementing a new Alternative Engagement Process for property owners on designated transit-oriented community lands that will replace Hearings of Necessity. This does not remove any rights of property owners regarding fair compensation. We will continue to treat people fairly and compensate people whose properties are required.
This Alternative Engagement Process will ensure that comments from property owners are heard, considered and responded to in a timely manner, while avoiding unnecessary delays.
If you receive a notice
If you are an impacted property owner (including tenants) with property on transit-oriented community land and you have received, or seen a “Notice of Application for Approval to Expropriate Land” from the province, you can use the Alternative Engagement Process and take the following steps:
- Email your written comments about the expropriation directly to the Ministry of Infrastructure: transitorientedcommunities@ontario.ca.
- Send your comments within 30 days from the date you receive the notice. For an owner who isn't registered and didn't receive the notice directly, the deadline is 30 days from the date the notice was first published in the newspaper.
- We will respond to you directly.
Negotiating directly with property owners to reach amicable agreements is our preferred approach.
Contact us
If you have received a “Notice of Application for Approval to Expropriate Land” related to the construction of a transit-oriented community project, you can email questions or comments to transitorientedcommunities@ontario.ca.