A long-delayed application by Columbia International College will move forward at the Ontario Land Tribunal, following a Divisional Court decision dismissing an application by a neighbourhood association that sought to prevent the OLT from considering the matter.
Columbia International College (CIC) proposes to use the former convent of the Sisters of St. Joseph at 154 and 574 Northcliffe Avenue as a day school location for 1000 students. The proposal includes building a gymnasium to attach to the existing structure.
CIC is a private secondary school that serves students from across the world.
In its decision, issued on June 20 and posted to CanLII in early August, the Ontario Divisional Court confirmed that the Niagara Escarpment Commission’s decision to refer determination of whether the use is an “urban use” to the OLT was proper and sound.
The Court was critical of the OLT’s decision to put the case into abeyance while awaiting the Divisional Court’s hearing of the residents’ application for judicial review.
“Unless this court has ordered a stay, administrative bodies should not stay their processes pending judicial review in this court, unless there are truly exceptional circumstances. Otherwise, judicial review applications may be used as tools for delaying administrative processes, contributing to the very problem the principle of prematurity seeks to prevent.”
The OLT has a case management conference regarding the matter scheduled for tomorrow, August 26, 2025.
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Published: August 25, 2025
Last updated: August 25, 2025
Author: Joey Coleman
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