Raivo Uukkivi Joins Cassels Brock

Raivo’s practice is focused on advocacy. He acts for a broad range of public and private sector clients. His emphasis is on developing and implementing practical, time-saving resolutions to conflict, particularly in complex disputes.

Raivo advises on decisions or actions that are impacted by municipal law or otherwise arise from the development, use and ownership of land. This includes land use planning and development, property and title disputes, environmental disputes, green energy projects, municipal by-law challenges, municipal conflicts of interest, elections disputes, archaeological matters and freedom of information requests. He is regularly engaged in construction- and infrastructure-related litigation, specializing in matters involving municipalities.

Some of Raivo’s experience includes:

•Gunn v Halton District School Board, [2012] OJ No 2972.
•Chambers v Prince (Township), [2011] OJ No 6376.
•Brampton (City) v Brar, [2011] OJ No 5518, 2011 ONSC 7156.
•Aubrey et al v Prince (Township), 2011 ONSC 5944.
•The Corporation of the Municipality of Meaford v Grist et al, 2011 ONSC 5195.
•Stephen Kotyck & Partap Duo v Returning Officer for Town of Markham, 2010 ONSC 7221 (SCJ).
•Ontario Pork Producers’ Marketing Board v Hunter, 2010 ONSC 2622, supplementary reasons at 2010 ONSC 6841 and 2011 ONSC 841 (SCJ).
•Zver v Aurora (Town), [2010] OMBD No 695.
•Hancock v Wasaga Beach (Town), [2010] OMBD No 587.
•Hancock v Wasaga Beach (Town), [2010] OMBD No 271.
•Brown v Bracebridge (Town), [2010] OMBD No 119.

He was also involved in the following cases:

•Cusimano v Toronto (City) (2011), 82 MPLR (4th) 263 (ONSC).
•Holyday v Toronto (City) (2010), 265 OAC 109 (Div Ct), 74 MPLR (4th) 194.
•Jackson v Vaughan (City) (2010), 68 MPLR (4th) 161 (Ont CA).

Raivo appears before all levels of court in Ontario, including the Court of Appeal. He acts as lead trial counsel before the Superior Court of Justice and appears before tribunals in Ontario, with emphasis on advocacy before the Ontario Municipal Board.

Raivo also prosecutes and defends charges under statutes that govern municipal and land use planning law. This includes prosecutions under the Planning Act, Green Energy Act, Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act, Building Code Act and the Fire Protection and Prevention Act. During one of his mandates, Raivo acted as the prosecutor for a major municipality in Ontario.

Raivo speaks regularly to various councils, staff, associations and groups on topical issues concerning municipal, development and construction law. He is a regular contributor to Carswell’s Legal Alert for their municipal law and land use planning section. He is an instructor for sections of the Construction Law course at George Brown College, and for several years has acted as a judge in the Lerners Cup advocacy competition at the University of Western Ontario. Raivo also acts as an advisor to the Healthy Food Bank, an organization whose mandate is to deliver healthy, perishable foods to people in need throughout North America.

Raivo also speaks Estonian.

Publications

-"Counsel to Counsel: Beware of approaching council", Municipal World, February 2012
-"Nasty Neighbours Dispute Resolved on the Public Purse: The Lessons learned", Municipal Information Network, October 2011

Education
-LL.B., University of Western Ontario, 2003

-B.A. (Hons. with Distinction), University of Western Ontario, 2000

Achievements
-Best oral argument and second place overall in the Niagara Moot Competition (an oral advocacy competition involving competitors from Canada and the US)

Call to the bar
-Ontario, 2004

Associations
-Ontario Bar Association
-The Advocates’ Society
-Toronto Lawyers Association
-Director on the Board of the Estonian House in Toronto, a non-profit organization serving the needs of the Estonian Community