- Bio
- Awards & Recognition
- Professional Involvement
- Representative Matters
- Selected Speaking Engagements
- Selected Publications
- Insights
- Education
Leo's experience enables him to isolate issues quickly and arrive at a creative solution that advances his clients’ objectives. He remains committed to continuously learning and deepening his knowledge of the legal issues that matter to his clients.
As a senior member of the firm's Municipal & Land Use Planning Group, Leo's practice is devoted to all areas of land use planning, development law and municipal law, representing both private and public sector clients.
Leo appears before councils, tribunals and various levels of court.
Awards & Recognition
- Recognized in Chambers Canada as a top practitioner in Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use (Ontario)
- Received the Ontario Bar Association's Award of Excellence in Municipal Law (2010)
- Certified Specialist in Municipal Law: Local Government and Land Use Planning and Development by the Law Society of Ontario
- Recognized in Chambers Canada: Canada's Leading Lawyers for Business as a Senior Statesperson in Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use (Ontario)
- Appears in all editions of The Lexpert American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada as a leading lawyer in the area of Property Development
- Appears in all editions of The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, a guide to the leading law firms and practitioners in Canada, as a leading lawyer in the area of Property Development
- Appears in all editions of The Best Lawyers in Canada in the fields of Municipal Law and Real Estate Law; 2014 Lawyer of the Year (Municipal Law - Toronto)
- Achieved the Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished Peer Review Rating
- Received the Ontario Building Officials Association's Yaman Uzumeri International Award of Excellence
Professional Involvement
Professional Activities
- Co-author of "A Comprehensive Guide to the City of Toronto Act, 2006" (with John Mascarin) - first edition published in 2008 by LexisNexis
- Author of several articles and participant in a number of seminars and programs in his area of specialization
- Occasional contributor, Municipal World and the Ontario Building Officials Association Journal
Memberships
- Canadian Bar Association (National Municipal Law Section, Member and Past Chair)
- Ontario Bar Association (Municipal Law Section, Member and Past Chair)
- International Municipal Lawyers Association
- Lambda Alpha International Simcoe (Toronto) Chapter
Teaching Engagements
- Sessional lecturer, Ryerson University Graduate Studies Course, "Legal and Institutional Context of Planning," 2008 - 2017
- Sessional lecturer, Queen's University Law School, Land Use Planning Law Course, 1999 - 2001
Representative Matters
Selected Speaking Engagements
June 2023 – "The New Planning Regime in Ontario" – IMLA in Canada Program – Co-Speaker & PowerPoint
March 2023 – "Site Plans" – A Deep Dive: Analyzing the Legislative Changes of Bill 23 – Webinar Speaker
March 2023 – "Municipal Liability in Negligence" – LandPro Conference – Speaker/Panellist
October 2022 – “The CBO and Council – A Timely Topic” – OBOA’s 66th Annual Meeting & Training Sessions – Conference Speaker/PowerPoint
June 2022 – “Public Safety Forum-Case Law Update” – City of Markham Staff Seminar – Speaker/PowerPoint
April 2022 – “How to prepare and present evidence at the OLT, both virtually and in person” – Speaker – Canadian Association of Certified Planning Technicians – Lunch & Learn Series
December 2021 – “Legal Miscellany 2021” – OACA Legal Webinar – Speaker/PowerPoint
November 2021 – “What Constitutes a “Core Policy Decision” Exemption from Negligence Liability” – OBOA Legal Session – Speaker/PowerPoint
October 2021 – “Inclusionary Zoning – Ontario’s Legislation and Toronto’s IZ Initiative” – OPPI21 Conference - Co-Speaker with John Pappas
October 2021 – “Inclusionary Zoning – The ‘How’ and ‘Why’” – 86th IMLA Conference - Speaker/Materials
March 2021 – “Municipal Law Miscellany” – Speaker/PowerPoint – Canadian Association of Certified Planning Technicians – Lunch & Learn Series
March 2021 – “Municipal Law Coffee Talk” – Speaker – CBA Municipal Law Section & CBA Young Lawyers Section
March 2021 – “A Question Respecting Conduct: What is Proper?” – OBOA Journal, Issue No. 129
February 2021 –"Digging in the Dirt: Seven Things to Know about Ontario’s New Regulation for Excess Soils” – Speaker/Paper, co-authored with Matthew Helfand and Stacey Blydorp - OBA’s 2021 Annual Institute: Building Communities – Municipal Law Section
October 2020 – “How Crazy Has 2020 Been?” – 64th Annual OBOA Meeting – Conference Speaker/PowerPoint
June 2020 – “On-Site and Excess Soil Management: MECP's New Regulations” – Aird & Berlis LLP Webinar – Organizer/Moderator
April 2020 – “Changes to Planning Act Timelines During Ontario State of Emergency” – Aird & Berlis LLP Newsletter – co-authored with Patrick Harrington
March 2020 – “Crown Immunity From Subdivision Control” – Aird & Berlis LLP Website Blog – co-authored with Matthew Helfand
January 2020 - “Some Perspectives on Transforming and Modernizing the Delivery of Ontario’s Building Code Services” – OBOA Journal, Issue No. 125
October 2019 – “Building permits – A Very Abridged History” – 63rd Annual OBOA Meeting – Conference Speaker/PowerPoint
September 2019 – “Bill 108 Updates: Key Amendments” – Aird & Berlis LLP Webinar – Speaker/PowerPoint
May 2019 – “A ‘Lot’ About Sewage Systems” – OBOA Journal, Issue No. 122
April 2019 – "Municipal & Planning Law Potpourri” – 16th Annual Real Estate Law Summit, LSO – Co-Speaker with Maggie Bassani
March 2019 – “The Regulation of Building Materials” – Construction Canada, Vol. 61, No. 2 – Article co-authored with Meaghan Barrett
March 2019 – “LPAT – Planning Lawyer Panel” – LandPro Conference 2019 – Moderator/Speaker
November 2018 – “Bill 5 – Better Local Government Act, 2018” – OBA Municipal Law Section Dinner Program – Speaker/PowerPoint
October 2018 – “Planning Act vs. Building Code Act, 1992: Which Prevails Respecting Site Plans?” – 62nd Annual OBOA Meeting – Conference Speaker/PowerPoint
September 2018 – “The Division of Powers in Site Plan Control” – OBOA Journal, Issue No. 119, article co-authored with Meaghan Barrett and John Pappas
September 2018 – “Navigating the Rules of the New Local Planning Appeal Tribunal – Part 3: Things You Need to Do” – Municipal World – Article co-authored with Patrick Harrington
August 2018 – “Navigating the Rules of the New Local Planning Appeal Tribunal – Part 2: Things You Need to Understand” – Municipal World – Article co-authored with Patrick Harrington
July 2018 – “Navigating the Rules of the New Local Planning Appeal Tribunal – Part 1: Things You Need to Know” – Municipal World – Article co-authored with Patrick Harrington
Summer 2018 – “Ontario’s New Land Use Planning Appeals Regime: An Overview of What Has Changed” – Public Sector Digest – Article co-authored with Patrick Harrington
April 2018 – "The ‘Abolition’ of the Ontario Municipal Board and the Curtailment of Appeal Rights” – 15th Annual Real Estate Law Summit, LSO – Paper
April 2018 – “What You Need to Know When the OMB Becomes LPAT” – Aird & Berlis LLP Webinar – Speaker/PowerPoint
March 2018 – “Toronto’s Regulation of Short Term Rentals” – LandPro Conference 2018 – Speaker
March 2018 – “Green Buildings: Municipal Requirements and Other Building Standards” at OBA Webinar “Land Development and Construction Law Issues in Ontario: Part 2” – Speaker/Paper
February 2018 – “Bill 139: How Will This Affect You and Your Clients?” – Aird & Berlis LLP Webinar – Speaker/PowerPoint
December 2017 – "Bill 139: How This Will Affect You and Your Clients” – Aird & Berlis LLP Breakfast Seminar – Speaker/PowerPoint
December 2017 – “Your Time Is Up [The Law Respecting Extensions of Time to Appeal]" – OBOA Journal, Issue No. 116
November 2017 – "LPAT – The New OMB” – Aird & Berlis LLP Real Estate & Development Law Breakfast Seminar – Speaker/PowerPoint
October 2017 – “The Elliot lake Inquiry Report – Three Years Later: What Has Happened?” – 61st Annual OBOA Meeting – Conference Speaker/PowerPoint
October 2017 – “Beyond Airbnb: Balancing Community Interests in the Sharing Economy - Lessons Learned from Regulating Short Term Accommodations in the Town of The Blue Mountains” – OPPI Annual Conference – Speaker/PowerPoint
June 2017 – “Provincial Planning Policy & Legislation: Highway Infrastructure” – OPPI Summer Solstice Seminar – PowerPoint/Speaker
June 2017 – “The New Provincial Plans” – Moderator, Aird & Berlis LLP Municipal Law Webinar
April 2017 – "Your First Look at Second Units” – Paper – 14th Annual Real Estate Law Summit, LSUC
February 2017 – “What Constitutes a ‘Material Alteration’ Requiring a Building Permit?” – OBOA Journal, Issue No. 112
September 2016 – "Addressing Airbnb" - 81st IMLA Conference - Speaker/Paper
June 2016 – "Short Term Accommodation Regulation” – Corporate Housing Providers Association Chapter Meeting – Speaker
June 2016 – “Provincial Planning Policy and Legislation Concerning Public Infrastructure” – OPPI Summer Solstice Seminar – PowerPoint/Speaker
May 2016 – "Municipal Summit on OMB Reform: Process & Powers" – Speaker/Facilitator
May 2016 – “Three Truths About Building Permit Appeals” – OBOA Journal, Issue No. 110
May 2016 – “OMB Think Tank: Future Directions, Updates and Best Practices” – Discussion Facilitator – OBA Municipal Law Section Dinner
April 2016 – "What’s Going on Today in Municipal Law that Real Estate Lawyers Really Need to Know” – Speaker/Paper – 13th Annual Real Estate Law Summit, LSUC
February 2016 –"Provincial Plan Review – 2016 Update” – Speaker/Paper, OBA’s 2016 Institute: Municipal Section
February 2016 – “Municipal Jurisdiction to Regulate Short Term Accommodations – Addressing Airbnb” – Speaker/Paper, LSUC Real Estate Webinar
December, 2015 – “Professionalism Issues for Municipal Lawyers” – “Communicating with Members of Council and Staff” – PowerPoint & Speaker, OBA Seminar
October 2015 – “On the Waterfront” – Speaker/PowerPoint – 59th Annual OBOA Meeting Conference
May 2015 – “Brampton ‘Monster Home’ Saga Continues” - OBOA Journal, Issue No. 106
May 2015 – “The PPS 2014: What’s New? Has It Made Any Difference?” – Speaker/Paper, The Six-Minute Municipal Lawyer 2015, LSUC
May 2015 – “Bill 73: Smart Growth for Our Communities Act, 2015” – Speaker/Presentation – OSUM Conference
April 2015 – "I Object – How to Advise a Client Who Wants to Oppose a Development Application or Municipal Approval” - Speaker/Paper - 12th Annual Real Estate Law Summit, LSUC
April 2015 – "Bring Us a Problem…and Go Home with a Solution” - Moderator, 11th Annual Planning & Development Law Forum, Cambridge Forums
March 2015 – “The Declaration of Office: What it Covers; What it Means; Why it Matters!” – Speaker/PowerPoint, Aird & Berlis LLP Municipal Law Webinar
Selected Publications
November 2022 - “The CBO’s Relationship with Council” - OBOA Journal, Issue No. 136, co-authored with John Mascarin and Chris Williams
January 2022 –“Stalled and Dormant Construction Sites: What can be done?” – OBOA Journal, Issue No. 133
Insights
Education
- LLB, Queen's University, 1977
- BA, St. Michael's College, University of Toronto, 1974