Melissa is an associate of the Municipal, Planning & Environmental Group at Cassels Brock. Her practice encompasses all aspects of municipal, land use planning and environmental law, including tax assessment appeals, expropriations and proceedings under the Building Code Act. Melissa has represented public and private sector clients before the Ontario Municipal Board and the Superior Courts respecting development approvals, occupational health and safety issues, Building Code inspections, grading and drainage issues, and general negligence.
Prior to joining Cassels Brock as an associate, she was an articling student at the firm and was seconded to the criminal law offices of Greenspan Partners. During her secondment, Melissa had the opportunity to assist on a number of high-profile cases. Melissa also worked at the Ministry of the Attorney General, Crown Attorney's office, where she prosecuted a variety of Provincial Offences. While in law school, Melissa was a caseworker with the Community and Legal Aid Services Program and was also a teaching assistant for Property Law in the Academic Success Program. During this time, she was also the recipient of a number of awards, including the Law Society of Upper Canada award for outstanding achievement in legal studies.
Melissa is co-author of Canadian Forms & Precedents - Land Development, published by LexisNexis Butterworths. In addition to her law practice, Melissa sits on the Board of Directors for Gilda's Club Toronto.
Some of Melissa's experience includes:
· Successfully representing the Corporation of the Town of Georgina in a precedent-setting case before the Superior Court respecting Building Code inspections and occupational health and safety issues (MacDonald v. The Corporation of the Town of Georgina, 2010 ONSC 6169)
· Successfully defending the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville on an action in which the plaintiffs sought to appeal the decision of the Chief Building Official to grant a building permit to the plaintiffs' neighbour, alleging negligence respecting the Chief Building Official's assessment of grading, drainage and septic system issues (Fiore v. Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville and Delic, 2011 ONSC 3928(CanLII))
· Drafting and interpreting municipal by-laws
· Acting for Infrastructure Ontario in the development of the West Don Lands in the Toronto waterfront, including preparations for the Pan/Parapan American Games
· Acting for the University of Toronto in all matters of municipal, planning and environmental law
· Assisting municipalities with large scale expansions of infrastructure, such as roads, water and sewer lines, including expropriations as required
· Preparing development applications and obtaining development approvals for private and public sector clients
· Advising on the redevelopment of contaminated land, including former landfill sites, and assisting with obtaining all required approvals under the Environmental Protection Act and the Environmental Assessment Act
· Acting for developers in obtaining approvals for residential plans of subdivision
· Representing private and public sector clients with respect to municipal enforcement matters, including Building Code prosecutions
Associations
· Canadian Bar Association
· Ontario Bar Association
· Ontario Expropriation Association
Newsletters
Simcoe Sub-Area Amendment
Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe - 5 Year Progress Update
Municipal e-LERT: Proposed Amendment 1 (2010) to the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, 2006