Before using the service:

• Review the notice of decision and the relevant legislation to determine:
  • the appeal deadline
  • the specific official/approval authority to file with (for example, municipal clerk, secretary-treasurer, minister, Ontario Land Tribunal)
  • the municipal file number or reference number, if applicable (for example, A24-001).
• Consult the OLT Appeal Guide and Rules of Practice and Procedure.
• Prepare your documentation and reasons for the appeal:
  • Review the checklist relevant to your matter for help identifying required documentation.
  • Name your saved document files using a descriptive naming convention, such as:
    1. the appellant’s last name or corporation/organization name
    2. the document type
    3. the date of submission (month/day/year)For example: “SmithAffidavit11-05-2024”. Important: Do not use special characters in naming your documents. For example: $%#!+*/@\;^”. You may upload Microsoft products (e.g., Word, Excel), PDFs, MP4s, JPEGs or other image files. Msg format and zip files are not supported. Please save any Msg format and zip files as PDFs before uploading to e-file.

• Check if there are any fees:
  • For OLT appeal fees: check the OLT fee chart. If applicable:
    1. Low-income individuals may request a fee waiver using the Low-Income Fee Waiver Request Form. For more information, review the Low-Income Fee Waiver Policy.
    2. Private citizens, registered charities, and non-profit ratepayers’ associations may request a lower fee using the Request for Lower-Fee Form.
  • Some municipalities may charge their own fees. Check the notice of decision or the municipal website. These fees are separate from OLT appeal fees and must be paid directly to the municipality, if applicable.

Please note: Tribunal staff can only provide information on the OLT’s rules and processes. For legal advice, you may speak to a planning or legal professional.

• E-file uses My Ontario Account (Government of Ontario online service) to authorize and authenticate access to the service.
• If you have used e-file or other Government of Ontario online services before, you may already have a My Ontario Account.
• If not, you will need to create a new account.
• You can only access e-file using the log in link at the top of this page. You cannot log in through the MyOntario Account website directly.
• If you need help with accessing or creating a My Ontario Account, consult the My Ontario help page.
• Once your My Ontario Account is set up, you will be prompted to create your OLT e-file profile.

Notes:

• Your e-file profile does not represent your role in any appeals you may be filing. For example, if you are filing an appeal on your own behalf, you will still have to enter your information in the party section as an “appellant.”
• E-file will send a PDF of the appeal and receipt (if applicable) to the email address you enter in your e-file profile. The e-file portal does not automatically send a copy of the PDF of the appeal and receipt to anyone  else, except the applicable approval authority. You may forward your confirmation email to others as necessary. 

1. Add Parties: Start by going to the Appeal Parties tab and adding any parties (i.e., appellants and representatives).

2. Create New Appeal: Click the New Appeal tab and fill out the online form as instructed.

• Note: E-file will save your information automatically as you proceed through each screen. If you need to stop and come back later to finish your submission, you can. Your draft will be available through the My Appeals tab to complete later.

3. Complete/Lock Appeal: Once you have completed your form, you will arrive at the Summary and Review Screen. After reviewing your information and selecting the declaration checkbox, select the Complete/Lock button to lock your appeal. At this point, you can make no further changes.

Note: after creating your appeal, you have the option to create another related appeal (e.g., referring to the same property or matter but a different section in the legislation) before proceeding to the next step.

1. Proceed to Invoice: Before your appeal will be submitted to the approval authority, you must review whether any fees are owing to the Tribunal. Click Proceed to Invoice to find out what is owed (if anything).

• If there are fees, you will be taken to the Review Payment screen to select payment options.
• If there are no fees, you will be asked to finalize your appeal by clicking Submit (see Step 5 below).

Note: Some municipalities charge additional processing fees that must be paid directly to the municipality, outside of the e-file system. Please consult your notice of decision or the municipality’s website to confirm if this applies to your appeal.

2. Select Payment Option (if applicable)

• If there is a fee for your appeal, you can complete the payment through e-file (by Visa, Visa Debit, MasterCard, or MasterCard Debit) or
• Indicate that you will pay by cheque or money order or pay later:
  1. write the Appeal ID number(s) provided on the cheque/money order
  2. make the cheque payable to the Minister of Finance

• Include a copy of your invoice when mailing your cheque to the OLT (655 Bay Street, Suite 1500, Toronto, ON, M5G 1E5)

Important: Payment does not need to be completed to meet the submission deadline for the appeal, but you do need to confirm how you will be paying by completing the payment screens in e-file. The OLT will not begin processing your appeal until you pay any outstanding fees. If the payment is outstanding, OLT staff will contact you to process the payment before opening the case.

How you submit your appeal depends on whether you paid online, will pay later or by cheque, or if no fee applies

• If you are paying online: your appeal will be automatically submitted to the approval authority once you pay online (by card). 

• If choosing toyou are paying later or by cheque: your appeal will not be submitted/filed to the approval authority until you click Confirm and Submit Appeal.  

• If there are no fees for your appeal: your appeal will not be submitted/filed to the approval authority until you click Submit. 

After you submit your appeal, you will see a confirmation screen showing that your appeal has been submitted to the municipality or other approval authority.

Important: You will know your appeal has been correctly submitted because you will receive a confirmation email.

If you do not receive this email, go back into the e-file portal and check that you completed the payment steps.

If your appeal is locked, you can find the appeal invoice under the My Invoices tab. Click the Invoice Number under Pending/Outstanding Invoices to return to the payment screen where you can select your payment options and complete the steps to submit the appeal.

Note: the e-file Appeal ID number is not the OLT case number. OLT will send you an acknowledgement letter citing the official OLT case number when they open your case.

Through e-file, the approval authority will:

• receive a notification when you submit your appeal
• review your submission
• prepare a case package for each appeal, grouping related appeals if applicable
• submit the case package to OLT

You will receive an acknowledgement letter from the OLT once your appeal is processed and a case is opened.