CV Canadian Business Awards 2018

12 Corporate Vision / Canadian Business Awards 2018 , Ackerman LawOffice Professional Corporation is an experienced Ontario based lawfirm specialising in property law, including expropriation, municipal law, land use planning and development. We invited Bob Ackerman to discuss the firm’s expropriationwork in more detail and how it supports clients through often tough cases. Ackerman Law Office Professional Corporation has extensive experience assisting landowners who face expropriation. As the firm does not act for Expropriating Authorities it never finds itself in a conflict of interest when representing the interests of property owners. Expropriation is the act of a governmental authority taking ownership of a clients’ property for a public purpose. In Ontario, the Expropriations Act provides a complete code of procedure for the determination of Land Compensation claims. The Supreme Court of Canada has held repeatedly that the provisions of the Act must be broadly interpreted in favour of expropriated property owners to ensure that they receive full compensation. In Ontario, the Ontario Municipal Board has exclusive jurisdiction in these matters and the Board Members have a very high level of expertise. Bob provides us with an insight into how the firm provides clients with exceptional service which ensures that the outcome is as positive as possible. “Here at Ackerman Law Office we work with clients who are facing expropriation. While in most cases this involves the loss of a portion of the property only, in some cases the clients are losing their home or place of business and are being removed from their property in the public interest. When we first start working on a case such as this, we go to the clients’ location and meet at the subject property, which gives us a far better understanding of the situation than if we met at our office and simply reviewed plans, photographs, etc. We act on cases throughout Ontario and accordingly travel extensively. When we are retained on a new matter the first thing we do is identify the compensation issues and arrange for the appropriate experts to be retained. This always involves an appraiser with expropriation experience, but also could include planners and engineers from various disciplines such as geologic, transportation, civil and construction. “In addition to advising our clients of their rights under Provincial and Federal Expropriation Statutes, we can require the Expropriating Authority to prove that our client’s land is required at a Hearing of Necessity. If the Expropriation is to proceed we will negotiate fair compensation. We have access to all necessary experts including the best appraisers, planners and engineers to prove the highest values for our client’s land and other interests affected by the Expropriation. If the Expropriating Authority does not make an acceptable offer of compensation we will litigate the issue by bringing Arbitration Proceedings under the applicable Expropriations Act. Once the compensation for land value and other damages has been determined, we will enforce the Expropriating Authority’s obligation to reimburse our client’s legal, appraisal, planning and engineering costs.” Looking ahead, legislative reform of the Ontario Expropriations Act is under consideration by the Ontario Legislature, however this may not be passed before the legislature is dissolved ahead of an upcoming election. As such, Ackerman Law Office will have many exciting challenges to overcome, and the firm will draw on its vast expertise to ensure ongoing excellence for its clients. Company: Ackerman Law Office Professional Corporation Contact: Bob Ackerman Address: Liberty Square Tower, 3621 Highway 7 East, Suite 210, Markham, Ontario, L3R 0G6, Canada Phone: 001 905 305 8844 Website: www.ackermanlawoffice.com CB180010 Expropriation Law Firm of the Year 2018