Ursula K. Melinz

partner

  • Environmental Law

  • Municipal, Land Development & Expropriation

Contact

About Ursula

Ursula Melinz is a municipal lawyer in Ottawa. As a member of our Municipal, Land Development & Expropriation team, Ursula advises and represents a full range of clients in Eastern Ontario including developers, municipalities, associations, businesses, and individual homeowners.

Ursula assists clients in pursuing site-specific development matters and broad policy issues. She has extensive experience in taking raw land through the development approval process to obtain subdivision, site plan or development approval, including strata consents. Ursula also has extensive experience in development charge matters, development agreements, dedications or levies (such as parkland dedication), cost sharing agreements, environmental protection matters and whole scale re-writes of official plans and zoning by-laws. She is also the administrator for several community development areas or landowner groups.

Ursula is also experienced in expropriation matters. She has represented landowners or tenants expropriated by all levels of Government including the Ministry of Transportation and the City of Ottawa (for example, road widenings or for the purpose of the light rail transit projects).

Ursula frequently appears before municipal committees (including planning committees and the Committee of Adjustment) and councils, the Ontario Land Tribunal (formerly the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal and Ontario Municipal Board) and the Board of Negotiation on behalf of clients. She has also appeared before the Ontario Divisional Court for expropriation matters.

Outside of work, Ursula enjoys being outdoors and actively exploring the City and region.

Call to Bar 2002

Education

  • Bachelor of Laws – LLB, University of Ottawa (2000)
  • Honours Social Science (Political Science) & Francais Langue Seconde
  • Osgoode Certificate in Fundamentals of Indigenous Peoples and Canadian Law (2021) – York University Law School

Location

Ottawa Office

Languages

English, French

Professional Memberships and Affiliations

  • Greater Ottawa Home Builders Association
  • Lambda Alpha International (Ottawa Chapter)
  • Ontario Expropriation Association
  • County of Carleton Law Association
  • Canadian Bar Association
  • Ontario Bar Association

Portfolio

  • University of Ottawa Law School, Common Law Facility, teaching the Municipal and Planning Law course to students (2003 to 2007)
  • Montebello Solicitor’s Conference May 2010 and 2013
  • Ursula K. Melinz and Meagan Dutchak, “Lame Duck Councils and the 2018 Municipal Election” – May 2018
  • Ursula Melinz, “Expropriation Law: A Brief Introduction”, East Region Solicitors Conference, May 2013.
  • Fernbank Landowners Group
  • Suburban subdivision approval projects
  • City of Ottawa LRT Expropriations – representing owners & tenants
  • City of Ottawa road widenings (expropriation or acquisition)
  • MTO expropriations