Brampton secures loan for electric buses; MiWay maps route to net-zero 

Each week, The Pointer checks agendas of public institutions involved in decision making that impacts the citizens of Peel. This feature is designed to act as a guide for local residents, unlocking the often stodgy and byzantine process of local government.

Accessibility Advisory Committee

Date: March 8 | Delegate | Full agenda | Watch live

Last-minute discussion on e-scooters and presentations from opponents

Weeks after the City of Brampton decided to move forward with plans to introduce e-scooters, the City’s Accessibility Advisory Committee will get a say. David Lepofsky, the chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance and a strong opponent of e-scooters, will present, alongside Bernard Akuoko, the program lead of advocacy for Accessibility & Community Engagement.

The 6:30 p.m. timing of the meeting will clash with an e-scooter consultation in Mississauga.

Previous reporting: 

• Brampton's plan to unleash e-scooters prompts accessibility & safety concerns, questions about viability | The Pointer 

• Mississauga moves toward municipal bike-share scheme as province debates e-scooters | The Pointer 

• 'They are engaging in a fundamental violation of the Human Rights Code': Virtual council meetings a nightmare for local accountability | The Pointer 

You can view the staff slide presentation the committee will consider here.

Committee of Council

Date: March 9 | Delegate | Full agenda | Watch live

Advocates ask Brampton to clean up its pension fund

Representatives from Shift Action for Pension Wealth and Planet Health will ask the City of Brampton to make changes to its pension plan to better align with investments that will help mitigate climate change. The group is looking for the City to “urge AMO to formally request that OMERS [pension fund]  implement clear and measurable targets that fully align OMERS' investment strategy with the goals of the Paris Agreement to limit global heating to 1.5°C, including a measurable timeline to eliminate fossil fuel related investments”. 

Previous reporting: 

• 'The clock is ticking loudly'—UN Decade of Restoration aims to inspire global action on climate change; what can Peel do? | The Pointer 

• 'Nature can be our saviour, but only if we save it first': preserving nature is one of our strongest tools in the fight against climate change | The Pointer 

You can read the minutes of Brampton’s environmental committee, which already discussed the issue, here.

Brampton nears major deal to finance electric buses

Brampton Transit is almost ready to sign a historic agreement with the Canada Infrastructure Bank to finance a transition to electric buses. The deal allows Brampton to borrow the price difference between diesel and electric buses at an interest rate of one percent. The loan can only be repaid through fuel savings from the transition and, if they do not occur, it will be forgiven. The deal could pay for 450 new zero-emissions buses by the end of 2027.

Previous reporting:

• Potential loan offers Brampton incentive to green its bus fleet but how will City pay for its share? | The Pointer 

• Brampton eyes new federal financing model to secure much needed funds for transit | The Pointer 

• After Brown stalled transit expansion Brampton gets major funding but it's not aligned with green targets | The Pointer 

You can read the detailed staff report, including conditions for the loan, here.

Brampton pushes to keep car manufacturing jobs in the city

A presentation from staff will outline the steps Brampton is taking to retain the Stellantis car assembly line in the city. The plant, previously owned by Fiat-Chrysler before a historic merger, makes gas-powered cars and is a major employer. Uncertainty hangs over its future, with the current collective agreement set to expire in 2023. 

Previous reporting: 

• Will the cars of tomorrow be built in Brampton? Workers at Chrysler plant left in the dark about their future | The Pointer

• With a new owner Brampton's Fiat Chrysler plant faces an uncertain future | The Pointer  

You can view the staff presentation here.

Brampton seniors raise concerns about budgeting

A letter from the Brampton chapter of the Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP) raises a series of concerns about how the City is budgeting and the unsustainable practice of zero percent tax increases. “We are concerned that Brampton City Council may unwittingly replicate the past municipal experiences of, for example, the cities of Toronto and Mississauga,” the letter says. The criticism from CARP echoes harsh words the Brampton Board of Trade shared in December. 

Previous reporting:

• 'Brampton businesses are losing confidence in the City's ability to plan': Industry leaders blast Patrick Brown's incompetent budget | The Pointer 

• 'We're cutting everywhere to get to zero': Brampton's fourth straight tax freeze guts infrastructure and transit, ensures future financial chaos | The Pointer 

You can read the letter from CARP here.

Brampton to discuss integrity commissioner

Councillors will discuss the City’s integrity commissioner at the request of Councillor Martin Medeiros. This comes exactly a week after councillors voted to refer Councillor Rowena Santos to the integrity commissioner for links to a consultant who received funding from City Hall in relation to the failed BramptonU project. The current integrity commissioner, Muneeza Sheikh, has ties to Mayor Patrick Brown. 

Previous reporting:

• Integrity commissioner's exoneration of Patrick Brown's hockey excursions riddled with inconsistencies | The Pointer 

• Court upholds most of commissioner's findings against Gurpreet Dhillon in sexual misconduct case | The Pointer 

• Rowena Santos votes against motion calling for integrity commissioner investigation into her links with university consultant | The Pointer

Councillors to reconsider cancelled capital projects and hospital funding

A separate discussion proposed by Councillor Medeiros will focus on unfunded projects and Brampton’s hospital expansion. Council voted during the budget process to delay funding for a range of projects, including the Centre for Innovation. The funds saved were put toward a hospital expansion to avoid any tax increases. 

Previous reporting:

• Patrick Brown forces defunding of projects he's trumpeted to avoid implementing vital hospital levy | The Pointer

• City considering $125M levy on Brampton residents to pay 'their share' for Peel Memorial expansion | The Pointer 

Questions about legal service available to Brampton councillors

Councillors will also discuss Justice Risk Advisory Services, a legal hotline provided to council. The company appeared in Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown’s expenses in 2019 to the tune of $44,000. “This agreement is a fixed monthly charge that would be incurred regardless of usage and is a service available to all members of Council,” Brown told The Pointer last year, saying it was legal advice for all members of council.

Previous reporting:

• Patrick Brown dodging questions about his spending & disturbing conduct inside City Hall | The Pointer 

• Brown wants City ombud for accountability but questions mount about his own behaviour | The Pointer 

Special Council Meeting

Date: March 9 | Delegate | Full agenda | Watch live

Brampton will hold a special council meeting to ratify various decisions from its committees before a break. Councillors will not meet again on March 16 or 23. The next full council meeting is scheduled for April 6.

General Committee

Date: March 9 | Delegate | Full agenda | Watch live

Mississauga needs 84 more hectares of parkland

A parkland strategy for the City of Mississauga notes it has a parkland deficit. As of 2021, there was a 36 hectare deficit in urban growth centres and major nodes and 43 hectares in other areas of the city, for a total of 79 hectares across Mississauga. That deficit is expected to increase to 84 hectares by 2041. The parkland strategy is required under the Planning Act.

Previous reporting:

• Ford PCs backtrack on developer giveaway but buyers will end up covering new community features | The Pointer

• Mississauga works to maintain its remaining green spaces | The Pointer

• Mississauga isn't a dense, towering metropolis, yet | The Pointer  

You can read the Mississauga staff report here.

Malton Youth Hub set to open in 2023

A project spearheaded by Mississauga Ward 5 Councillor Carolyn Parrish will be ready to open in the third quarter of 2023. The Malton Youth Hub will be a space for young people in the area to meet, create and learn. The City is currently looking for service providers who can offer programming at no cost to youth.

Previous reporting: 

• Youth gang activity prompts region to fund community hubs in Malton and Brampton | The Pointer 

• Violent youth crime drops to its lowest point in years and a new Malton hub hopes to continue the trend | The Pointer 

You can read the timeline and staff report here.

Mississauga needs 66 electric buses by 2030 to meet climate goals

The City of Mississauga’s transition to a zero-emissions future relies heavily on how it builds and maintains its transit fleet. A new staff report outlines a timeline required to hit its climate goals with an electrified bus garage and vehicles by 2028 listed as a must. All new buses from that year onwards must be fully electric in order for Mississauga’s goals to be met. “MiWay’s plan is to fast-track the fleet replacement program with a target fleet composition of 391 hybrid buses (almost 80% of the entire fleet) and 101 diesel buses by the end of 2027,” the report explains. 

Previous reporting: 

• Mississauga hydrogen bus pilot moves forward; future depends on Ottawa | The Pointer 

• Autonomous vehicles and more bus rapid transit among options MiWay is considering | The Pointer

You can read the staff report and its timeline here. 

Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee

Date: March 9 | Delegate | Full agenda | Watch live

An update on diversity and inclusion inside City Hall

A presentation from KPMG details equity, diversity and inclusion recommendations for the City’s recruitment and succession planning. A damning audit last year found that just 0.6 percent of Mississauga’s employees aged 50 to 69 were racialized. The work by KPMG makes several recommendations including the addition of a dedicated resource to support talent diversification efforts. 

Previous reporting: 

• City Hall doesn't reflect its residents; can Mississauga's white leadership change this? | The Pointer 

• Mississauga's mayor & its almost exclusively white Council slow to act on anti-Black racism commitments | The Pointer 

• Economic Inequality: Region of Peel under-hires visible minorities, completing a hat trick of municipalities | The Pointer

You can view the slide deck here.

Council

Date: March 10 | Delegate | Full agenda | Watch live

Peel considers Brampton’s request for help funding Peel Memorial expansion

An information report by Region of Peel staff offers context for a request from the City of Brampton for Peel to contribute $62.5 million to hospital expansion. Regional staff say there is no reserved funding available for the request, meaning the Region of Peel would have to raise taxes, take out debt or delay other projects to help with Brampton’s hospital request.

Previous reporting: 

• ‘The fact is, we need way more than what we’re getting—we are in a crisis’: Anger mounts over Brampton’s latest hospital fiasco

• City considering $125M levy on Brampton residents to pay ‘their share’ for Peel Memorial expansion

You can read the staff report and its funding suggestions here.

Peel considers incentives to encourage new long-term care homes

Region of Peel staff are recommending a financial program to encourage new long-term care and hospice projects in the region. Staff are proposing extended deferrals for payments of development charges and grants-in-lieu to help support new long-term care homes and hospices. The program would only be open to non-profits. 

Previous reporting:

• Proposal for South Asian long-term care home stalls after Brampton staff pulled offer ahead of deadline | The Pointer

You can read the full staff report here.  
 

Special Board Meeting

Date: March 8 | Delegate | Full agenda | Watch live

Board looks for new ways to fund facility upgrades 

Trustees at the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board will meet to discuss urgent financial matters. The board has around $6.2 million available in funds raised from selling excess lands, according to a staff report. It also has “several urgent facility renewal needs” that the Ministry of Education will not fund. Staff recommend requesting an exception to traditional financial rules that would allow the board to redirect its excess land funds. 

A full list of the urgent repairs and details of how they could be funded can be read here.

The Peel Regional Police Services Board has cancelled its March 25 meeting. The next meeting will be on April 29.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @isaaccallan

Tel: 647 561-4879

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