Ajay
Gajaria
Partner
Ajay offers a thoughtful and analytical approach to his municipal and land use planning practice. His background in public administration and his in-house municipal experience provide him with deep insight into the culture and challenges faced by municipalities, and how to work with municipal governments. Ajay is passionate about municipal law and leverages his experience to provide practical solutions and exceptional client service.
Ajay is a member of the firm’s Municipal, Land Use Planning & Development Group and Expropriation Group. He provides counsel and representation to both private and public sector clients on a wide variety of matters, including governance, jurisdictional issues, by-law development and implementation, land expropriations, procurement, municipal elections and complex contractual issues.
He frequently writes and presents on a number of topics related to municipal and expropriation law.
Prior to joining Aird & Berlis, Ajay worked at one of Ontario’s largest municipalities, where he provided advice to all levels of senior management.
Professional Involvement
Memberships
- Executive Secretary, Ontario Expropriation Association
- Honourary Member at Large, Municipal Law Section, Canadian Bar Association
- International Municipal Lawyers Association
- International Right of Way Association
- South Asian Bar Association of Toronto
Teaching Activities
- Adjunct Professor, Municipal Law Course, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, Fall Semester, 2024
Speaker, "Expropriation Lawyer Says High-Speed Rail Project Will See a Record Number of Landowners Forced to Give Up Property," CBC Radio, March 26, 2026.
Panellist, "Critical Legal Issues for Homeless Encampments on Public Lands," Ontario Legal Conference, February 5-7, 2025.
Presenter, "Interim Control By-laws, Are the New Rules Fair?" The Six-Minute Municipal Lawyer 2021, Law Society of Ontario, May 10, 2021.
Presenter, "Recent Changes to Expropriations Law in Ontario for Priority Transit Projects," International Right of Way Association (Ontario) Annual Education Seminar, May 6, 2021.
Guest Lecturer, "Property and the City," University of Toronto’s School for Policy Studies, November 26, 2020.
Presenter, "Ride Sharing Panel," The Region of Durham's Sharing Economy Conference, February 13, 2020.
Co-authored paper and presentation with David P. Neligan and Rebecca Hines, "Divisional Court Confirm Expropriation Claimants Not Immune to Interest and Costs Consequences," Ontario Expropriation Association 2019 Fall Conference, October 25, 2019.
Co-Presenter with David P. Neligan, "Expropriation Costs; Recent Developments in the Shergar Case," Ontario Expropriation Association 2019 Fall Conference, October 25, 2019.
Guest Lecturer, Osgoode Hall Law School, Municipal Law, October 8, 2019.
Presenter, "Public Protests, Rooming Houses, Conflicts of Interests and Municipal Elections: Recent Cases in the World of Municipal Law," Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, May 30, 2019.
Presenter, "Trends and Changes in Procurement," Aird & Berlis LLP Procurement Webinar, May 29, 2019.
Panellist, "Municipal Implications of Cannabis Legalization," Adapting to the New Era of Municipal and Planning Law: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, OBA Institute, February 8, 2019.
Quoted in "Why Union Station May Not Be a Stop on Canada's New High-Speed Rail Line," Toronto Star, April 19, 2026.
Quoted in "Dozens of Ontario Farming Communities Fear Losing Businesses and Land to Canada's New High-Speed Train Line," Toronto Star, March 4, 2026.
Quoted in "New Expropriation Powers in Budget Bill Spark Concern Over High-Speed Rail Megaproject," The Globe and Mail, November 25, 2025.
"Summary of Major Eminent Domain Cases & Legislation Reports," IRWA, December 31, 2023.
"Summary of Major Eminent Domain Cases & Legislation Reports," IRWA, May 31, 2022.
"Walking in a Winter Wonderland of Risk: The Impact of Nelson (City) v. Marchi on Municipal Liability and Policy Versus Operational Decisions," The Digest of Municipal & Planning Law, February 2022 (Co-Authored with John Pappas).
“'Always, and We Mean Always, Be Good' - The Supreme Court of Canada Weighs in on Municipal Contractual Discretion” (2021) The Digest of Municipal & Planning Law, September 2021 (Co-Authored with Jennifer Bilas).
"Not a Blank Cheque - Costs in Appropriation Litigation," The Digest of Municipal & Planning Law, October 2020 (Co-Authored with Matthew Helfand).
“The Shergar Decision,” Ontario Expropriation Association Magazine, Spring 2020 (Co-Authored with Rebecca Hines and David Neligan).
“Litigation Exclusion Clauses in Canadian Municipal Procurement - A High-Handed Reprisal or a Reasonable Commercial Practice?,” The Digest of Municipal & Planning Law, December 2019.
“The “Uber” Impact of E-Scooters on Canadian Municipalities,” Municipal World, August 2019 (Co-Authored with Meaghan Barrett).
“Divisional Court Confirms Expropriation Claimants Not Immune to Interest and Costs Consequences,” Aird & Berlis LLP Expropriation Law Bulletin, May 16, 2019.
“Bill 108: The Province Introduces Ministerial Oversight in Advance of School Board Expropriation Approvals,” Aird & Berlis LLP Expropriation Law Bulletin, May 10, 2019.
“How the Legalization of Recreational Cannabis Use Will Affect Canada’s Municipalities,” Municipal World, May 2018.
“CETA: What It Means for the Canadian Municipal Sector,” Municipal World, Vol. 127, No. 3, March 1, 2017.
“Street Legal: Uber Gets Regulatory Approval in Toronto but Still Faces Challenges Across the Country,” The Lawyers Weekly, June 7, 2016.
“Injurious Affection Claims Where No Land is Taken after Antrim: Charting a New Course?,” Ontario Bar Association, February 2014.