Shane is a partner of Rueter Scargall Bennett LLP. Shane’s practice is focused on the area of expropriations law and real property litigation. Shane’s practice also includes commercial litigation, regulatory and administrative matters, as well as professional negligence claims and professional discipline proceedings.

Shane has appeared before all levels of court in Ontario and the Federal Court of Canada. Shane appears regularly before the Ontario Municipal Board and has been involved in notable expropriations including the Yonge-Dundas Redevelopment in Toronto and the Richmond Landing Block in Windsor. In addition, Shane represents numerous expropriated owners throughout Ontario in projects such as the 407 East, the 404 Extension, Hydro One Expansions, York Rapid Transit Initiatives (Davis Drive, Hwy 7 and North Yonge) and other major infrastructure projects.

Shane received a B.A. in Economics from York University in 1996 and an LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1999, where he was awarded the Matthew Wilson Memorial Scholarship for standing third overall in a class of 300 in his final year of studies. Shane was called to the Ontario Bar in 2001. Shane is a Vice-President of the Ontario Expropriation Association, has been a director since 2006, and chairs two committees of this association.  He is also a member of the Canadian and Ontario Bar Associations, the Advocates’ Society, and the Ontario Chapter of the International Right of Way Association.

Shane has presented on various topics relating to his expertise before the Ontario Expropriation Association, the Ontario Chapter of the International Right of Way Association, the Michigan Chapter of the International Right of Way Association, the Appraisal Institute of Canada, the New Brunswick Association of Real Estate Appraisers and the Bureau of Housing and Rural Development of the People's Republic of China. Shane also created and presents a full day seminar on the expropriation process to the International Right of Way Association. 

Publications

The Evolving Obligations of an Expert Witness
Ontario Expropriation Association, October 2009

Tax Implications of Expropriation
Canadian Tax Journal (2009) Vol. 56, No. 4, 870-892
(co-author with Adam Scherer, C.A.)

The Private Nature of Necessity Hearings and Inquiry Officer Reports: An Oddity in the Ontario Expropriation Legislation
Ontario Expropriation Association, Fall Newsletter 2007
(co-author with Matthew Owen-King)

Legal Privilege and its Application to Appraisers
Appraisal Institute of Canada, March 2007

Large Scale Expropriations and Reverberative Effects
International Right of Way Association – Joint Seminar, Detroit, Michigan, April 2006

Private Rights, Public Good: Balancing Competing Interests under Expropriations Law
Annual Review of Civil Litigation 2006, The Honourable Mr. Justice Todd Archibald, ed.
(co-author with Paul Scargall and Shara Wright)

Recovery of Costs in Expropriations: Policy and Reality
Ontario Expropriation Association, October 2005

Threatened Expropriation and Blight: Valuation Issues
Ontario Expropriation Association, October 2004

Expropriation: An Initial Perspective
(co-author with Paul Scargall)

Recovery of Economic Losses of a Small Business Arising Out of the Principal’s Personal Injuries
Ontario Trial Lawyers’ Association, April 2000
(co-author with James M. Newland)