Ontario. Ministry of Transportation. Regional Offices Property Section

• Regional Offices Property Section

• Property Administration Section

Originally, the central Property Office had been performing the activities of acquiring property / property rights and arranging compensations until 1958, when these responsibilities devolved to regional offices of the ministry. A designated Property Section (also called the "Property Administration Section" at various times) was established in 1977 within the Central Region (Toronto) office of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications. With the creation of two separate ministries in 1987, the division and its respective offices came under the Ministry of Transportation. Over the years, the Property Section formed part of various higher-level offices within the division, including the Engineering and Right of Way Office as well as the Planning and Environment Office. It is currently part of the Engineering Office, and continues to exist (as of 2016).

In later years, Property Sections were also added to regional offices in London, Kingston, North Bay, and Thunder Bay.

The primary function of the Property Section within the regional offices of the Ministry of Transportation is to provide property and property rights for the construction and maintenance of provincial highways in Ontario.

This function involves determination of compensation settlements arising from the acquisition of land or interests in land, along with the removal of buildings or other obstacles to allow for highway construction. The Property Section is also responsible for the management, leasing, and disposal of property declared surplus to right-of-way requirements and property held pending highway construction. The activities of investigating and settling damage and business loss claims arising from ministry construction activities, along with damage claims arising from survey, construction, and maintenance operations (but excluding contractors' liabilities) also fall within the Property Section's responsibilities.

The Property Section's activities are overseen and co-ordinated by the central office, which is called the Property Office. Disputed settlements from the regional Property Sections are also arbitrated by the Property Office. Confusingly, the central Property Office has also been called the Property Section at certain times in its history, but the central and regional offices should be distinguished.

RAD: Rules for Archival Description, 2nd edn (2008)

2026-11-16: migrated to AtoM

Government of Ontario telephone directories, INFO-GO online directory.

"Regional Offices" has been added in the title to distinguish this authority from the "Property Office" a.k.a. "Property Section"

Archivist(s):
Shimpo