SORE is pleased to report that the Conservation Review Board (CRB) has now set hearing dates in December of this year on the Marotta group request for a review by that tribunal of the Town’s decision in August of 2018 to initiate the designation of the Rand Estate under the Ontario Heritage Act. Several hearing days have been set aside starting on December 9.
The CRB does not have the authority to overturn Council’s decision; merely to hear evidence and make recommendations to Council. SORE fully expects the CRB to support your elected Council’s decision to issue the Notices of Intent to Designate. We will provide further information closer to the start of that hearing.
Separately, our supporters will recall that the Marotta group brought an application to Superior Court to challenge the legality of the Town’s Notices of Intent to Designate. That application was rejected in its entirety this spring and both the Town and SORE were awarded significant legal costs payable by the Marotta companies.
An appeal of that decision has now been brought by the Marotta companies to the Ontario Court of Appeal. SORE will be filing its responding materials with the Court of Appeal very shortly and we look forward to receiving the Town’s materials in due course. A timeline has not yet been set for the hearing of that appeal; we are hoping for sometime this fall.
Thank you as always for your continued support and encouragement.