Precedent Research
Purpose
Find relevant planning history without overstating what precedent can prove. Prioritize nearby official case history first, then expand to comparable cases and tribunal decisions.
Use when
- The subject site and project concept are known
- The pipeline needs precedent signals for entitlement-risk analysis
- Nearby approvals, refusals, or appeals could change the recommendation
Do not use when
- The task is to discover baseline parcel or zoning sources
- The task is to extract current zoning standards
- The task is to write the final report without supporting case research
Inputs
{
"project_id": "uuid",
"subject_address": "123 Main St, Toronto ON",
"municipality": "Toronto",
"project_concept": {
"project_type": "multiplex"
},
"search_radius_m": 500
}
Outputs
Produce precedent_packet.json.
Workflow
1. Search nearby official application history first
For Toronto, prioritize:
- Application Information Centre
- official staff reports
- official committee or tribunal records linked from the application record
Start with the subject site, then the immediate surrounding area.
2. Expand to comparable cases only when needed
If nearby history is thin or not directly comparable:
- search for the same relief type
- search for the same zone or land-use context
- search for recent tribunal decisions that clarify the issue
3. Treat case status carefully
Allowed outcome labels:
- approved
- refused
- withdrawn
- under_appeal
- pending
- unknown
Do not call an application approved because it was filed, discussed, or recommended.
4. Produce a structured case record
For each case, record:
{
"case_id": "AIC or tribunal identifier",
"address": "123 Main St",
"distance_from_subject_m": 0,
"application_type": "Minor Variance | ZBA | OPA | Site Plan | Appeal",
"status": "approved | refused | withdrawn | under_appeal | pending | unknown",
"project_description": "",
"relief_sought": "",
"decision_date": null,
"decision_summary": "",
"source_url": "",
"confidence": "confirmed | inferred | unknown",
"relevance_to_subject": ""
}
5. Synthesize cautiously
Summarize:
- what relief types appear common
- what refusal reasons repeat
- whether the area shows favourable, mixed, or unfavourable precedent
Do not convert precedent into a probability score unless the evidence is unusually strong and recent.
Fallback Rules
- If the official application portal is incomplete, search by file number or address through official records or CanLII
- If case status cannot be confirmed, keep the case but mark the outcome unknown
- If no reliable precedent exists, return
insufficient_data
Reference Files
| File | Description | Key Topics |
|---|
references/toronto-planning-sources.md | Toronto AIC, staff-report, and tribunal search guidance | AIC, staff reports, tribunal records |
references/olt-search-patterns.md | OLT case search strategies and result interpretation | Search queries, case classification, decision weight |
Stop Conditions
Stop and return a partial artifact when:
- No applications or decisions are found within a 500m radius or comparable scope
- AIC search results are ambiguous and cannot be classified with confidence
- The OLT case database is unreachable or returns incomplete results
- The parcel's zone or OP designation is unresolved (precedent relevance depends on these)
Quality Bar
- State the evidence, not the conclusion — no predictions from precedent
- Categorize cautiously: "approved" means approved, not "likely approved"
- Never call precedent "binding" — distinguish precedent from binding case law
External References
