Whenever you make an application for a licence, a permit or assistance; or appear before a decision-maker for such matters as a property tax appeal, re-development in your neighbourhood, or an issue of environmental concern, the law imposes certain standards on the decision-maker. If the decision-maker doesn't meet these standards, it is possible to strike down the decision.

According to basic tenets of administrative law, a decision-maker must, at a minimum, act fairly. If, however, the decision-maker is doing more than administrative work and is acting more like a court, the standard increases to acting in accordance with principles of fundamental justice. In acting fairly, the decision-maker must act without bias and must take into account all the relevant information presented. In acting in accordance with fundamental justice, the decision-maker may be required to ensure that each side to be heard, that sworn evidence be given, that cross-examination be permitted and that reasons be given after the decision is rendered

Please contact one of our administrative law lawyers for more information.