Proposed Brampton cricket stadium lacks funding commitment

The City of Brampton recently held two public information sessions to hear feedback from interested community members on its proposed City Lands project, which will redevelop municipally-owned property in the Kennedy Road South and Highways 410 and 407 area, for a large new urban development that would include a multi-purpose cricket facility.

The site formerly known as the CAA Lands, where the CAA sports and entertainment facility (once known as the Powerade Centre) would be transformed, as proposed by the City, into a “new urban core with major transit-oriented opportunities for high-density residential, business, leisure, and tourism,” as described on the City website. 

A permanent cricket facility is something Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown has promised for years, without delivering. Last term, council was told a world-class cricket stadium in Brampton would cost $35 million (a fraction of the pricetag for stadiums built recently around the world). A year later the public was told $49 million was needed. After funds were initially earmarked in the budget process, Brown, who refused to expand the City budget, had the cricket funding removed. Eventually, City Hall halted the project due to a lack of answers around how to fund the stadium, although the City continues to invest in existing cricket infrastructure. 

In the aftermath of the Global T20 Canada cricket tournament that was hosted in Brampton this summer from July 20 to August 6, plans for a permanent cricket stadium that could meet the skyrocketing popularity of one of Canada’s fastest growing sports, are once again in the works. However, like before, the funding details for the project remain unclear. 

Brampton Wolves and Montreal Tigers competed in the Eliminator match during the GT20 Canada cricket tournament held at the CAA Centre.

(GT20 Canada/X)

The City of Brampton has invested over $2 million in cricket amenity enhancements over the past three years and has allocated approximately $7 million for future projects, to support the City’s goal of being the “Cricket Capital of North America.”

In a recent City Lands survey, the results reported in February showed 1,238 participants responded to a question asking, “Who should fund the development of the multi-purpose cricket facility?” Just over 42 percent of respondents said it should be a public-private partnership. The second largest portion of respondents, 27.9 percent, said it should be only privately funded. The remaining two portions at 14.9 percent each selected “public” and “unsure,” respectively.

The following results shared how important respondents believed public ownership of the multi-purpose cricket facility is once it is built, with 47.3 percent saying it is “very important”; 22.2 percent said it was “not important”; and 19.4 percent said it was “somewhat important”. A remaining 11.1 percent were “unsure”.

The Pointer asked the City how much funding the project will require and where the money  will come from, whether through public funds or a private partnership. The City said, “funding details would not be available until after a final project and partnership structure is determined.”

A Request for Expression of Interest (RFEOI), issued by the City in March of 2023, reveals that it is searching for a joint partnership with the private sector to facilitate this project. However, the document did not provide any funding details because, “given the status of the above projects, cost estimates are not yet available and would be prepared alongside the Preferred Partner.” 

The RFEOI highlights that the multi-purpose cricket facility will accommodate “20,000 spectator seats.” It also says the multi-purpose cricket facility will be delivered by the City “in exchange for the opportunity to develop a portion or the balance of the residual lands with a mix of residential, non-residential, and other community uses.” 

The multi-purpose cricket facility is said to be the first phase of the City Lands project, based on Council direction, as the RFEOI says. The document tells prospective partners that the multi-purpose cricket facility must “comply with the standard of the International Cricket Council for hosting and broadcasting international cricket tournaments, including evening games.”

It also states the cricket facility will remain under the ownership of the City. If City ownership of the cricket facility is maintained, this would align with the interest of the majority of community members who participated in the City Lands survey and indicated public ownership of the cricket facility is important to them. 

The document highlighted the growing demand by Brampton residents for cricket fields, which Mayor Brown has also frequently mentioned when claiming since 2018 that he would get a world-class stadium built in the city before the end of 2022. Officials now say new considerations are being weighed. “The current situation is viewed by the City as an opportunity to leverage the needs of its residents, promote Brampton on a national and international stage, and collect greater service fees through various youth or adult cricket programming, renting fields for local, regional or larger tournaments.”

The multi-purpose facility would feature a number of other uses, such as other sports tournaments, special events, outdoor festivals, graduation ceremonies, outdoor concerts and performances, movie screenings, public art installations, and more.

“This multi-use approach is an opportunity to explore an innovative solution to help future proof the sports and entertainment complex, diversifying revenue streams and promoting economic sustainability,” the RFEOI details. 

The larger project will also involve the development of residential buildings, commercial retail sites like shops and hotels; offices, research and development facilities, health care and post- secondary spaces and a myriad of other employment, institutional and community facilities (including parks and open space), according to the RFEOI. The City Lands project also proposes a walking trail toward Etobicoke Creek. 

Without any estimate of the cost, it is unclear how Mayor Brown will achieve the goals set out in the most recent plan. In the past, The Pointer reported how Mayor Brown was unable to answer key questions that City staff had brought to Council in a report regarding the cricket stadium project which resulted in Council halting plans in 2022, as one member asked, “What will be done to ensure the stadium doesn't become another white elephant, like the CAA centre, which Brampton taxpayers subsidize while it sits empty most of the time?”

Regarding costs to taxpayers, the RFEOI says the City’s objective is to “offset the development costs of the Multi-Purpose Cricket Facility with the proceeds of the land sales to mitigate the impact of the project on Brampton taxpayers.”

“It is believed a Public-Private Partnership of this nature has the potential to drive design innovation by working with a Preferred Partner who has direct experience in construction and operating risks,” the RFEOI says. The document says that submissions will be evaluated between May to August of 2023, and that Council can be expected to provide direction on next steps by “October 2023 or earlier.” 

In an email, a spokesperson told The Pointer regarding the RFEOI that, “the City is in the process of evaluating the proposals that were submitted,” and that, “direction from Council… will provide more clarity on next steps to explore potential private sector partnerships to deliver a multi-purpose cricket facility and land use concept.”

Email: [email protected]

At a time when vital public information is needed by everyone, The Pointer has taken down our paywall on all stories to ensure every resident of Brampton and Mississauga has access to the facts. For those who are able, we encourage you to consider a subscription. This will help us report on important public interest issues the community needs to know about now more than ever. You can register for a 30-day free trial HERE. Thereafter, The Pointer will charge $10 a month and you can cancel any time right on the website. Thank you