Legal Blog: Expropriation

This Land was my Land, now this Land is your Land: An Owner’s Guide to Expropriation

In Pixar’s Up, a widowered balloon salesman faces the prospect of having the city expropriate his land to build a new high-rise complex. Rather than leave his life-long home, he ties thousands of balloons to his roof and escapes with his house to a far-off tropical paradise filled with stunning vistas and talking animals. Unfortunately, in real life, business owners facing expropriation cannot simply fly away. Instead, they are tethered to the cold hard reality of the Expropriations Act. We address below some of the most common questions that owners have about the expropriation process.

What is Expropriation?

Expropriation arises when government, or its agencies, takes land without an owner’s consent. Expropriation often occurs when government needs specific land for public works projects (i.e. highways or mass transit, such as LRTs). The Act attempts to compensate owners (which can include tenants) for the fair value of their interest in the land.

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