Census reveals ongoing concerns with diversity, lack of advancement at Region of Peel; Brampton reviewing ward boundaries as population balloons
Peel Democracy Watch is The Pointer’s weekly feature aimed at increasing the public’s awareness and political involvement in the Region of Peel by highlighting key agenda items, motions and decisions.
Council
Date: April 5 - 9:30 p.m. | Delegate | Full agenda | Watch live
Ward boundary review
The City of Brampton is launching a ward boundary review after a petition from over 500 residents was brought to council in November 2022, urging the City to decrease the size of council and number of wards from 10 to eight. The last ward boundary review was undertaken in 2012/2013 in advance of the 2014 municipal election.
Staff has outlined five options for council, based on the premise that council does not want to increase or decrease its number of elected officials. The options include: maintaining current structure, revising current ward pairings, unpairing wards, defining new wards, or creating a new composition with eight wards.
If approved by council, a consultant will be hired to lead the process at a cost of $250,000.
Read the full report here.
Previous reporting:
Environmental Action Committee
Date: April 4 – 9:30 a.m. | Delegate | Full agenda | Watch live
Living Green Master Plan final report
In 2012, Mississauga Council approved the Living Green Master Plan (LGMP) as the City’s sustainability blueprint. The plan provides a framework for the City to meet its environmental goals through 49 identified actions. To date, 34 of the actions are either completed or ongoing. Of the remaining actions, 14 are underway and 1 was deferred.
The final status report on the 10-year plan features success stories like the City’s designation with Tree Cities of the World and the implementation of 600 kilometers of cycling infrastructure to encourage active transportation.
View the presentation here.
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Green Development Standards update
Following a powerful delegation from Mississauga youth two weeks ago, the City is updating its Green Development Standards (GDS). Mississauga GDS were initially adopted in 2012 as measures to encourage environmentally, socially and economically sustainable planning within the city.
Mississauga is working on a tiered approach to limit new emissions from buildings — buildings currently make up the largest source of emissions in Mississauga. The new GDS will simplify and streamline environmental regulations for development in the city while working toward the goal of net zero. The City is currently undertaking consultation with developers, youth and Indigenous populations to inform the update.
View the presentation here.
Previous reporting:
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Mississauga sees emissions reduction success by building greener, but PCs need to step up
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As the IPCC issues ‘final warning’ youth raise their voice in push for stronger climate action
Council
Date: April 5 – 9:30 a.m. | Delegate | Full agenda | Watch live
City manager and CAO hiring process
Throughout April and May, the City will be undergoing interviews and deliberations in closed meetings in relation to the hiring process for a new City Manager and CAO. City commissioners Shari Lichterman and Geoff Wright have taken over CAO duties since the departure of former CAO Paul Mitcham in February.
Mitcham, who served 30 years with the City of Mississauga as commissioner of community services and then CAO, stepped down February 1 following a lawsuit filed by former councillor Karen Ras alleging the City and Mayor Crombie failed to protect her from abuse she faced within City Hall. Ras resigned following the alleged abuse, and the supposed abuser Ron Starr was defeated in the October municipal election. Mitcham’s resignation was the final straw in the case that alleged toxic workings inside City Hall.
Previous reporting:
General Committee
Date: April 4 - 2:30 p.m. | Delegate | Full agenda | Watch live
Update on Age-Friendly Action Plan
In 2021, Caledon adopted a 10-year plan to create a safe and welcoming community for residents regardless of their age. The update on the plan comes at a time when the seniors population is increasing exponentially across Canada — the number of seniors age 55 and up has surpassed the number of youth across the country. In Caledon, 29 percent of the population is over the age of 55.
For 2023, the Town is continuing advocacy for affordable and accessible housing for seniors and building awareness of housing retrofit programs that allow seniors to continue living in their homes for longer.
View the full report here.
Previous reporting:
Police service board model
In 2019, the Community Safety and Policing Act (CSPA) replaced the Police Services Act, 1990 with the intent of modernizing policing and enhancing community safety across the province. Under the CSPA, each municipality and Indigenous community receiving OPP services had to create an OPP Detachment Board to advise and monitor the work of the detachment commander and provide an annual report to municipalities and band councils.
Peel is the only upper tier municipality in Ontario that has two policing services within its boundaries — Mississauga and Brampton are served by Peel Regional Police (PRP) and Caledon by the OPP. Due to its unique position, Caledon was provided an exemption from creating this additional Detachment Board, allowing the OPP to report to the existing Peel Police Services Board. With a new council in place, Town staff were looking to gauge interest in switching to a Detachment Board model. The report recommends sticking to the status quo.
Read the full report here.
Building permit data
In 2022, the Town of Caledon Building Services Division received 1,717 building permit applications — the highest number of requests that have ever been seen by the Town in one year. In addition, there was a record number of building permits granted by the Town in 2022 (1,962)—some may have been received late in 2021— totalling $683 million in construction value.
Diversity, Equity and Anti-Racism Committee
Date: April 6 - 9:30 a.m. | Delegate | Full agenda | Watch live
Workplace Census results
The Region of Peel completed its second We All Count Workforce Census in 2022, which collected data and employee sentiments related to diversity, equity, inclusion, health, safety and wellness at the Region of Peel. The survey found progress in many areas compared to the first census completed in 2020. Across the organization favourability scores increased in every category. For example, 70 percent of respondents agreed that the workplace provided inclusivity, up from 55 percent in 2020. However, the census found significant gaps and lower equity scores for those who identified as BIPOC, persons with disabilities and caregivers.
“Lowest favourable-scored questions highlighted concerns with lack of diversity at all levels of the organization, workload inequity, and lack of opportunity for respondents to grow and advance in their careers,” the report states.
View the full report here.
Previous reporting:
Physical Planning, Finance and Building Committee
Date: April 4 - 5:30 p.m. | Delegate | Full agenda | Watch live
Response to concerns about COVID-19 protocols in schools
On February 1, Laura Bowman, a parent whose daughter attends Agnes Taylor Public School in Brampton, delegated to the PDSB’s Physical Planning, Finance and Building Committee on the safety measures and protocols being implemented in Peel public schools in response to the ongoing threat from COVID-19. The response from PDSB states the safety of children is the top priority and addresses concerns regarding masking, ventilation, filtration and the potential transmission of the COVID-19 virus in school.
According to the response, one of the most significant measures the Board has taken is updating all mechanically ventilated spaces to exceed provincial standards for air quality. In addition, PDSB has installed a total of 4,497 standalone portable HEPA filtration units in classrooms, mandated by the Ministry of Education. While the Board cannot mandate masks unless given the direction by Peel Public Health or the Ministry, masking is still widely encouraged in all schools.
Previous reporting:
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