About
Alan began working with Barry Papazian and Ben Forrest in 1987 and the three of them (together with Michael Myers) formed Papazian Heisey Myers as founding partners in 2001.
He was appointed a federal King’s Counsel in 1993.
Experience
Alan regularly appears before various tribunals and courts. He has acted for public institutions and large corporations on a number of interesting and important development issues.
Alan has lectured and taught municipal law at McGill University, the University of Waterloo, the Bar Admissions Course, the Real Estate Institute of Canada, Ryerson Polytechnical University and the Municipal Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association.
Outside of his law practice, Alan has contributed considerable time to public service. Alan was the Vice Chair of the Toronto Transit Commission Board from 2019-2020. He was also formerly Chair of both the Toronto Police Services Board, and the Toronto Parking Authority Board.
Development and Municipal Law, Labour and Employment Law, and Civil Litigation
Alan has appeared before administrative tribunals and courts which include the Ontario Land Tribunal (formerly the Ontario Municipal Board), the Toronto Local Appeal Body, the Superior Court of Justice, the Divisional Court , the Court of Appeal, Committees of Adjustment, Property Standards Committees and the Joint Hearings Board, the Assessment Review Board, the Ontario Human Rights Commission, the Ontario Labour Relations Board, the Ontario License Appeal Tribunal, and Referees Appointed under the Employment Standards Act. In the Federal jurisdiction Alan has conducted hearings or matters before the Canadian Human Rights Commission, the Canadian Labour Relations Board and the Canadian Transportation Agency.
Land Development and Municipal Law
Nova Res Urbis, the Toronto land development industry trade publication, annually ranks the best development law firms. PHM’s strength in this area has been praised, with the firm ranking in the top 20 land development firms for 9 out of 10 years, and has ranked as highly as 6th. PHM is proud to earn these accolades, especially when it is considered that the Nova Res Urbis rankings include large national and multinational firms.
Alan has extensive experience with land use planning appeals concerning the following issues; employment conversions, air emissions, acoustical, hydrogeological, ecological, biological, land economist, transportation, wildlife corridor, expert evidence, licensing applications under the Aggregate Act and appeals concerning the Greenbelt Act, the Oak Ridge’s Moraine Conservation Plan and the Niagara Escarpment Plan and development charges and community benefits charges appeals.
Alan’s clients in the Land Development Industry have included Menkes, History Hill, Cortel Group, Castlepoint Developments, Tribute Developments, Freed Corp and Terra Corp.
Alan’s public sector clients in the municipal and development law area have included the City of Oshawa, the Town of Markham, GO Transit, the Rouge Park Alliance, the Region of York, the City of Surrey B.C. and the City of Toronto.
Industrial and transportation clients have included S.C Johnson Canada, United Parcel Service (Canada) Inc. Ottawa Central Railway, Southern Ontario Railway, CP Rail, Toronto Terminals Railway (Toronto), Romspen, Loblaw’s Properties Limited, Toronto Terminals Railway, Via Rail , GO Transit, Metrolinx , Infrastructure Ontario, Ontario Realty Corp and CN Rail (throughout Ontario).