Called to the Bar
  • Ontario (2013)
Education
  • J.D., Queen’s University, 2012
  • M.Sc., London School of Economics, 2007
  • B.A. (honours), Glendon College, York University, 2006
Affiliations
  • Ontario Bar Association
  • Ontario Expropriation Association
  • International Right of Way Association
Languages
  • English

Abbey Sinclair is a Partner in the Municipal, Development and Land Use Planning Practice Group at WeirFoulds. Her practice focuses on expropriation and municipal law.

Abbey provides practical and strategic advice to municipalities and public authorities on various land, expropriation, and infrastructure related issues. She also represents landowners throughout Ontario in a wide range of expropriation and real property litigation matters. She regularly appears before the Ontario Superior Court and Ontario Land Tribunal.

Prior to joining WeirFoulds, Abbey practised at a boutique expropriation law firm. She started her legal career with the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General in the Legal Services Branch of the Ministries of Energy and Infrastructure. Abbey also worked as a Senior Policy Advisor in the Realty Division of the Ministry of Infrastructure, where she provided advice on complex infrastructure projects, transit initiatives, land use and real estate matters.

Abbey frequently writes and presents on property acquisition and expropriation related topics. She is actively involved in a number of industry and community organizations. Abbey currently serves on the executive of the Board of Directors of the Ontario Expropriation Association.

Experience
  • Recognized by Best Lawyers in Canada as a leading practitioner in Expropriation Law and Municipal Law (2025)
  • Member, Board of Directors of the Ontario Expropriation Association
  • Recognized by Best Lawyers in Canada as a leading practitioner in Expropriation Law and Municipal Law (2025)
  • Member, Board of Directors of the Ontario Expropriation Association

Abbey Sinclair is a Partner in the Municipal, Development and Land Use Planning Practice Group at WeirFoulds. Her practice focuses on expropriation and municipal law.

Abbey provides practical and strategic advice to municipalities and public authorities on various land, expropriation, and infrastructure related issues. She also represents landowners throughout Ontario in a wide range of expropriation and real property litigation matters. She regularly appears before the Ontario Superior Court and Ontario Land Tribunal.

Prior to joining WeirFoulds, Abbey practised at a boutique expropriation law firm. She started her legal career with the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General in the Legal Services Branch of the Ministries of Energy and Infrastructure. Abbey also worked as a Senior Policy Advisor in the Realty Division of the Ministry of Infrastructure, where she provided advice on complex infrastructure projects, transit initiatives, land use and real estate matters.

Abbey frequently writes and presents on property acquisition and expropriation related topics. She is actively involved in a number of industry and community organizations. Abbey currently serves on the executive of the Board of Directors of the Ontario Expropriation Association.

Experience
  • Recognized by Best Lawyers in Canada as a leading practitioner in Expropriation Law and Municipal Law (2025)
  • Member, Board of Directors of the Ontario Expropriation Association
  • Recognized by Best Lawyers in Canada as a leading practitioner in Expropriation Law and Municipal Law (2025)
  • Member, Board of Directors of the Ontario Expropriation Association
Called to the Bar
  • Ontario (2013)
Education
  • J.D., Queen’s University, 2012
  • M.Sc., London School of Economics, 2007
  • B.A. (honours), Glendon College, York University, 2006
Affiliations
  • Ontario Bar Association
  • Ontario Expropriation Association
  • International Right of Way Association
Languages
  • English
Upcoming Event
Dec 6 2024

OPPI & WeirFoulds LLP Annual Seminar 2024

The Ontario Professional Planners Institute (OPPI) and WeirFoulds invite you to join our expert panel, including Co-Managing Partner Denise Baker, and Partners Chantal deSereville, Bruce Engell, Raj Kehar and Abbey Sinclair, for an information session on the ever changing land use planning framework in Ontario.

Speaking Engagements
  • Speaker, “Expropriations: The Nuts and Bolts”, The Eight-Minute Real Estate Lawyer 2024, Law Society of Ontario, Toronto, ON, November 19, 2024
  • Speaker, “What Leasing Lawyers need to know about expropriation”, ICSC+Canadian Law 2024, Toronto, ON, April 8, 2024
  • Speaker, “Making Sense of Compensation Under the Expropriations Act“, Ontario Bar Association Legal Conference 2024, Toronto, ON, February 8, 2024
  • Speaker, “What Leasing Lawyers Need to Know About Expropriation”, ICSC+Canadian Law Conference, Toronto, ON, May 4, 2023
  • Speaker, “Bill 23: More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 and Bill 97: Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act, 2023 – Current Issues for Municipalities”, WeirFoulds LLP Municipal Infrastructure Projects Update, Seminar (April 24, 2023)
  • Speaker, “What Leasing Lawyers Need To Know About Expropriation”, ICSC Canadian Law Conference, Roundtable, Toronto, Ontario (September 21, 2022).
  • Speaker, “New Legislation and Provincial Initiatives Impacting Projects”, WeirFoulds LLP Municipal Infrastructure Projects Update, Webinar (April 25, 2022).
  • Speaker, “Expropriation Law”, Lawyered Podcast: Episode 65 (June 23, 2021).
  • Speaker, “Using Old Right of Way for New Projects: A Review of the Supreme Court’s Findings in Hydro-Québec v. Matta”, International Right of Way Association, Chapter 29, Luncheon Seminar, Online (March 10, 2021).
  • Speaker, “Case Law Update”, Ontario Expropriation Association Annual Fall Conference, Toronto, Ontario (October 21, 2016).
  • Speaker, “Case Law Update”, Ontario Expropriation Association Annual Fall Conference, Toronto, Ontario (October 23, 2015).
Latest Insight & News

Publications:

  • “The Use of Old Takings for a New Project: HydroQuébec v. Matta”, Ontario Expropriation Association Magazine (Summer 2021).
  • “Shovel Ready. Expediting Property Acquisitions for Infrastructure Projects Post-COVID-19,” Municipal World, (September, 2020).
  • “Expropriation: The Legal Landscape Since Antrim”, Changing Landscapes in Municipal and Planning Law v 2.0, Ontario Bar Association Institute, (February 5, 2016) (co-authored with Paul Scargall).
  • “Assessing Credibility of Expert Evidence After Moore v. Gatahun: More Focus on Subject Matter, Less Focus on the Expert”, Working With Experts: Practical Skills, Civil Litigation Section, Ontario Bar Association (March 12, 2015) (co-authored with Barry Weintraub).
  • Tribunal Administration and the Duty to Consult: A Study of the National Energy Board (2015) 65:4 University of Toronto Law Journal 382-433 (co-authored with Sari Graben).
  • “Administering Consultation at the National Energy Board: Evaluating Tribunal Authority” in Patrick Macklem & Douglas Sanderson (eds.) From Reconciliation to Recognition: Essays on the Constitutional Entrenchment of Aboriginal and Treaty Rights (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2015) (co-authored with Sari Graben).