Expropriation Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. E-21)

Marginal note:Copy of report and reasons to be sent on request

13 If the Minister, after receiving and considering a report of a hearing officer appointed to conduct a public hearing with respect to an objection served on the Minister by any person under section 9, has confirmed an intention to expropriate an interest in land or immovable real right, or a more limited interest or right in it, in the manner provided in section 14, the Minister shall, at the written request of the person who served the objection, provide that person with a copy of the report of the hearing officer and, if effect was not given to the objection, a statement of the reasons that the Minister had for not giving it effect.

Marginal note:Notice of confirmation of intention

• 14 (1) The Minister may confirm an intention to expropriate an interest in land or immovable real right to which a notice of intention relates, or a more limited interest or right in the land, by requesting the Attorney General of Canada to register a notice of confirmation, signed by the Minister, setting out,

  • (a) if the interest or right expropriated is the same as the interest or right to which the notice of intention relates, a statement that the intention to expropriate that interest or right is confirmed; or

  • (b) if the interest or right expropriated is a more limited interest or right than the interest or right to which the notice of intention relates, a statement that the intention to expropriate the interest or right to which the notice of intention relates is confirmed except as expressly specified in the statement.

• Marginal note:Registration of notice

  (2) On receiving from the Minister a request to register a notice of confirmation described in this section, the Attorney General of Canada shall cause the notice to be registered in the office of the registrar where the notice of intention was registered, and if the land to which the notice of confirmation relates is more limited in area than the land described in the notice of intention, shall cause a revised plan of the land to which the notice of confirmation relates to be registered therewith.

Marginal note:Effect of registration of notice

15 On the registration of a notice of confirmation,

• (a) the interest or right confirmed to be expropriated becomes and is absolutely vested in the Crown; and

• (b) any other estate, interest or right is, as against the Crown or any person claiming on behalf of or under the direction of the Crown, thereby lost to the extent that the estate, interest or right is inconsistent with the interest or right confirmed to be expropriated.

Marginal note:Copies to be sent and offer of full compensation to be made

• 16 (1) When a notice of confirmation has been registered, the Minister shall,

  • (a) immediately after the registration of the notice, cause a copy of the notice to be sent to each of the persons then appearing to have any estate, interest or right in the land, so far as the Attorney General of Canada has been able to ascertain them, and each other person who served an objection on the Minister under section 9; and

  • (b) within 90 days after the day on which the notice is registered, or, if at any time before the expiration of those 90 days an application has been made under section 18, within the later of

    • (i) 90 days after the day on which the notice is registered, or

    • (ii) 30 days after the day on which the application is finally disposed of,

    make to each person who is entitled to compensation under this Part, in respect of an expropriated interest or right to which the notice of confirmation relates, an offer in writing of compensation, in an amount estimated by the Minister to be equal to the compensation to which that person is then entitled under this Part in respect of that interest or right, not conditional on the provision by that person of any release or releases and without prejudice to the right of that person, if the person accepts the offer, to claim additional compensation in respect thereof.

• Marginal note:If delay in offer

  (2) If, in any case, it is not practicable for the Minister to make an offer of compensation under this section in respect of an expropriated interest or right within the applicable period described in paragraph (1)(b), the Minister shall make such an offer as soon as practicable after the expiration of that period and in any event before any compensation is adjudged by the Court to be payable under this Part in respect of that interest or right, in which case, interest as described in subsection 36(4) is payable in addition to any other interest payable under section 36 to the person entitled to compensation in respect of that interest or right.

• Marginal note:Offer to be based on written appraisal

  (3) An offer of compensation made to a person under this section in respect of an expropriated interest or right shall be based on a written appraisal of the value of that interest or right, and a copy of the appraisal shall be sent to that person at the time of the making of the offer.

• Marginal note:Statements to be included in copy of notice and in offer

  (4) There shall be included in any copy of a notice of confirmation sent to any person as described in paragraph (1)(a) a statement of the provisions of section 29 as that section applies to them, and there is to be included in any offer in writing sent to any person as described in paragraph (1)(b) a statement to the effect that the offer is not conditional on them providing any release or releases and is made without prejudice to their right, if the offer is accepted, to claim additional compensation in respect of the expropriated interest or right.

Marginal note:Where offer accepted

17 Where an offer of compensation has been made to any person under section 16, the full amount thereof shall, forthwith on the acceptance of the offer, be paid to that person.

Marginal note:Determination respecting title

• 18 (1) If the Attorney General of Canada, at any time after the registration of a notice of confirmation, is in doubt as to the persons who had any estate, interest or right in the land to which the notice relates or as to its nature or extent, the Attorney General of Canada may apply to the Court to make a determination respecting the state of the title to the land or any part of the land immediately before the registration of the notice, and to adjudge who had an estate, interest or right in the land at that time, and its nature and extent.

• Marginal note:Hearing

  (2) An application under this section shall in the first instance be made ex parte and the Court shall fix a time and place for the hearing of the persons concerned and give directions as to

  • (a) the persons who are to be served with the notice of the hearing, the contents of the notice and the manner of service thereof;

  • (b) the material and information to be submitted by the Attorney General of Canada or any other persons; and

  • (c) such other matters as the Court considers necessary.

• Marginal note:Adjudication

  (3) After the hearing under subsection (2), the Court shall either adjudge for the purposes of this Part what persons had any estate, interest or right in the land to which the notice of confirmation relates immediately before the registration of the notice, and its nature and extent, or direct an issue or issues to be tried for the purpose of enabling the Court to make such an adjudication.

• Marginal note:Effect of adjudication

  (4) An adjudication made by the Court for the purposes of this Part is deemed to be a final judgment of the Court and, subject to variation on appeal, if any, to finally determine for all purposes of this Part what persons had any estate, interest or right in the land to which the notice of confirmation relates immediately before the registration of the notice, and its nature and extent.

Marginal note:Right of Crown to physical possession

• 19 (1) Despite section 15, the Crown becomes entitled to take physical possession or make use of any land to which a notice of confirmation relates, to the extent of the expropriated interest or right, only at such of the following times as is applicable:

  • (a) at the time of the registration of the notice of confirmation, if at that time no other person who was the owner or holder of an interest or right in the land immediately before the registration of the notice of confirmation is in occupation of the land;

  • (b) at such time, if any, after the registration of the notice of confirmation as physical possession or use of the land to the extent of the expropriated interest or right is given up to the Crown without any notice under paragraph (c) having been sent to the persons described in that paragraph; or

  • (c) in any other case, at any time after the registration of the notice of confirmation that

    • (i) the Minister has sent a notice to each of the persons appearing to have had any estate, interest or right in the land at the time of the registration of the notice of confirmation, so far as the Attorney General of Canada has been able to ascertain them, or, if an application has been made under section 18 and has been finally disposed of, to each of the persons adjudged to have had an estate, interest or right in the land immediately before the registration of the notice of confirmation, that physical possession or use is required by the Crown on and after the expiration of any period that is specified in the notice, being not less than 90 days after the day on which the notice is sent to each of those persons, and either that period has expired or physical possession or use has been given up to the Crown before the expiration of that period, and

    • (ii) the Minister has made an offer under section 16 to each of the persons then entitled to compensation under this Part in respect of an expropriated interest or right.

• Marginal note:If possession by Crown urgently required

  (2) If, at any time before or after a notice of confirmation has been registered, the Governor in Council is of the opinion that the physical possession or use by the Crown of the land to which the notice relates to the extent of the expropriated interest or right or interest or right intended to be expropriated is, by reason of special circumstances, urgently required, the Governor in Council may direct

  • (a) that there be substituted for the 90 days referred to in paragraph (1)(c) any lesser number of days that in his or her opinion the circumstances require; or

  • (b) if an application has been made under section 18 but has not been finally disposed of, that physical possession or use may be taken or made by the Crown despite the fact that no offer has then been made under section 16.

Marginal note:Intention to abandon expropriation — right of election to accept or reject abandonment

• 20 (1) If, at any time before any compensation is paid in respect of an expropriated interest or right, the Minister is of the opinion that the interest or right is not or is no longer required by the Crown for a public work or other public purpose, or that a more limited interest or right only is so required, the Minister may give notice that he or she intends to abandon the interest or right or the remainder of the interest or rights, as the case may be, by causing a copy of the notice to be sent to each of the persons mentioned in paragraph 19(1)(c), each of whom may, within 30 days after the day a copy of the notice was sent to them, serve on the Minister a notice in writing that they elect to

  • (a) accept the abandonment, and have the interest or right or the remainder of the interest or rights revest in them to the extent that the abandonment would operate so that the interest or right or the remainder would revest in them; or

  • (b) reject the abandonment.

• Marginal note:If election to accept abandonment

  (2) If each of the persons to whom a notice is sent under subsection (1) serves a notice on the Minister under that subsection that they elect to accept the abandonment, the Minister may cause a notice of abandonment of the expropriated interest or right or the remainder of the interest or rights, as the case may be, to be sent to each of those persons and to the Attorney General of Canada, who shall immediately confirm the abandonment by causing the notice to be registered in the office of the registrar where the notice of confirmation was registered.

Marginal note:Effect of confirmation of abandonment

21 If an expropriated interest or right or the remainder of the interest in land or immovable real rights is confirmed to be abandoned, the expropriated interest or right then revests in the persons from whom it was taken or the persons entitled to claim on their behalf or under their direction, or the land revests in those persons subject to the more limited interest or right in the land retained by the Crown, as the case may be.

Marginal note:Duties of registrar

22 Every registrar shall receive and permanently preserve in their office any notices and plans that the Attorney General of Canada causes to be registered under this Part, and shall endorse on the notices and plans the day, hour and minute when they were received as the time of registration and make any entries in the records or registers that will make their registration public.