A tax hike despite deep cuts: another Patrick Brown budget leaves Brampton taxpayers frustrated

"Right here in our city, we have multiple problems with things like basic property standards that are causing our communities to slowly fall apart," Tracy Pepe, a vocal Brampton community activist and local businesswoman, tells The Pointer, sharing her concerns over the recent 2025 budget brought forward by Mayor Patrick Brown. “The budget is not reflective of a proactive approach to address certain issues and to make things more effective. The budget is a reactive approach to deal with crises and issues that can no longer be handled." 

It’s a widely shared sentiment across a city pinned under Brown’s self-serving iron-fisted leadership for more than six years.

"All I can hear from my neighbours…is how excited we're going to be when the streetscaping is completed,” community advocate and local resident Rhonda Collis tells The Pointer, after the mayor's budget was released earlier this week. “However, none of us think the streetscaping will ever be completed. Many of us question all of the promises we have heard from Brown's government over the years about the improvements to downtown Brampton…Some of us older people wonder if we're ever going to see it."

In December 2018, Brown took the stage inside the Rose Theatre to deliver his inaugural address as mayor to a sea of Brampton residents who, only weeks earlier, had salvaged his political career from the gutter. 

The chain of office glinting around his neck and a wide smile on his face, he was a far-cry from the sullen, blank-eyed politician who hosted a snap press conference at Queen’s Park 11 months prior to deny allegations of sexual assault (they have never been withdrawn). He resigned only hours later. 

That night inside the Rose was the apex of a quick political turnaround delivered by the voters of the country’s ninth largest city, who were willing to give Brown a chance after a string of impressive promises he vowed to deliver to the struggling municipality. Bramptonians were desperate for change after years of spending scandals during the long tenure of former mayor Susan Fennell and the council infighting that followed under Linda Jeffrey.

Brown claimed he would fix it all and finally bring prosperity to Brampton, a cunning campaigner who knows how to win, at all costs.

He promised to “stand up for Brampton”, to bring jobs and investment to the city; and focus on smart development and spending for the things desperately needed in the municipality, like better transit, a lively downtown, a world class sports stadium and a reinvigorated arts scene. 

“I love our city,” he said. “I know if we work hard, if we work together, if we keep focused, we will get Brampton back on track.”

Many were skeptical. They had seen Brown’s act before. The claims of belt-tightening while somehow delivering all the big shiny promises, and his lavish spending on perks, extravagant travel and waves of staff to serve his future political ambitions. 

He became a councillor in Barrie at 22, then a backbench MP and, to widespread surprise, the leader of Ontario’s PC Party—a short lived, scandal-plagued tenure. 

Brown left a trail of controversy everywhere he served: even before beginning his time in elected office, he was accused of quietly taking $50,000 from a future senator to win the federal Progressive Conservative Youth Party presidency at 19; as a councillor he was criticized for deploying a particularly nasty brand of campaigning to win his Barrie seat; his time as an MP was then mired in scandal, using his expense account to help a Barrie councillor get re-elected, taking unauthorized trips to India and eventually accepting the help of that country’s controversial ruling BJP government to make the jump as Ontario’s PC leader; while in that role his treatment of young women became a serious concern of the Party, he oversaw a half-dozen nomination races plagued by allegations of ballot-box stuffing and fake memberships, before the sexual assault accusations (which he denies) brought him down.  
 

Patrick Brown delivers his inaugural address as Brampton mayor in 2018. He promised change for residents of the city after years of scandal.

(Joel Wittnebel/The Pointer files)

Then he arrived in Brampton, thanks to the city’s forgiving voters.

In the years since, the sense of optimism about his promised leadership and all the big projects Brown would deliver, has vanished. 

Starting with his first budget in 2019, Brown cut spending so severely in order to achieve a budget freeze, which he promised on the campaign trail, that the ripple effects are still being felt today. 

This year’s budget is the latest iteration of a blank financial strategy Brown had no mandate to deliver, one that has eliminated spending on key infrastructure, delayed investments into the downtown core which has business owners questioning their futures, and left Brampton Transit to become one of the most overburdened public systems in the GTA. 

The financial mismanagement and scandals have not stopped either. 

Brown handed over $630,000 to close friends of his and fellow councillor Rowena Santos for a failed university project; has stubbornly pursued a tunnel route for the short extension of the Hurontario LRT into downtown at a projected cost of $2.8 billion which torpedoed the plan; has repeatedly misled his constituents on critical issues including promises of a third hospital, Covid-19 testing numbers during the pandemic and investigations into his own actions; during his attempt to become federal Conservative Party Leader in 2022, he spent $35,000 of taxpayer money to boost his personal social media, used City staff on his campaign without approval and attempted to fight the implementation of a hospital levy to help pay for the desperately needed Phase II of Peel Memorial because he did not want to jeopordize another budget freeze (so he could campaign federally as the cost cutting mayor); he used taxpayer funds to pay the salaries of two men he hired for top positions at City Hall, David Barrick as CAO and Jason Tamming as director of communication, despite both of them being implicated in a high-profile hiring scandal in Niagara Region (Barrick is no longer with the City, Tamming was fired and then rehired); he handed a consulting contract for a Municipal Development Corporation to a close friend who didn’t even have a registered company when he was quietly contacted for the contract under orders from Brown’s hand-picked CAO; he cancelled the Downtown Reimagined plan and then repeatedly delayed any further work to revitalize the withering city centre; he directed municipal staff (paid by taxpayers) to campaign for Peter MacKay when he ran for the Conservative Party leadership in 2020; promised a world-class cricket stadium he has failed to deliver (there is no funding for it in this year’s budget); attempted to have Mississauga cover the City’s infrastructure needs, a move which would have forced Region of Peel staff to break the law and saddle taxpayers with $11 billion of debt; he fabricated political attacks against one of his fellow council members; in 2021 the City’s budgeting was criticized by the Brampton Board of Trade which stated businesses were “losing confidence in the City’s ability to plan”.

Councillors last term finally declared democracy was “under siege” in Brampton due to Brown’s authoritarian leadership. 

When he lost control of his council, he stopped showing up at City Hall, causing municipal business to grind to a halt. He later took advantage of a councillor’s absence and used his bloc of supporting members to cancel the half-dozen external investigations launched into his questionable behaviour. One of his fellow council members labelled it a “high-level cover-up”. 

Most recently he admitted to foreign interference, bowing to the whims of the Indian government (whose ruling Party had years earlier helped him become Ontario PC leader) which ordered him to change the language he was using while campaigning to become the federal Conservative leader in 2022. 

The consequences of Brown’s failed leadership can be seen across the city.

The much-needed extension of the Hurontario LRT into downtown has no funding source in sight; City Hall needs to somehow find $9 billion to fund electrification of public transit; the underfunding of key environmental initiatives has left Brampton at risk of missing its key emissions reduction targets; infrastructure is crumbling; businesses are boarded up; and residents are in desperate need of more parkland space. 

Only a fraction of these needs are being addressed through Brown’s 2025 financial plan. 

The budget allocates $15 million for the Riverwalk flood mitigation project (estimated at $300 million) something that needs to be completed in order to allow more development downtown. Brown is also putting $23.8 million toward downtown revitalization (less than a quarter of what is needed, using figures six years ago when he cancelled the previous Downtown Reimagined plan). The widespread improvements outlined in that strategy would now be complete. 

During a press conference earlier this month to present his financial plan and a 2.9 percent tax increase to residents (just for the City’s share; the Region of Peel’s will be added to this) Brown claimed it was part of an initiative to drive progress and prosperity. 

But it cuts spending in areas that could deliver just that. 

While providing a generous 8.2 percent increase to salaries and wages for staff inside City Hall, it slashes 22.7 percent from the capital budget. This means that while more money is being doled out to senior managers and commissioners, the frontline investments that will help Brampton grow and improve services for taxpayers are seeing a cut of $83.5 million from what was proposed last year. 

Nearly $1 million has been cut from the capital budget for Brampton Public Library, slashing collection development from a planned $1.5 million to $700,000 and cutting spending on new furniture to just $50,000, half of what was initially proposed. This further handcuffs a vital public service that already provides the lowest amount of library space per capita among Canada’s 10 largest cities. A $29 million investment proposed this year for a new library at the Embleton Community Centre may inch Brampton closer to the average.  

This irresponsible approach that ignores Brampton’s core needs has not gone unnoticed by residents. 

Pepe warns that Brampton is on a downward trajectory, with the budget revealing the type of neglect that leads to deeper issues like the widespread decay of properties and  crime.

"We are heading towards Detroit. We are continuing to fall," she says. "The budget is not going to improve the City of Brampton at all.”

When comparing the proposed spending for 2025 that was outlined last year as part of the 2024 financial plan, to the actual budget just brought forward by Brown, the cuts being made by the mayor are tough to swallow. 

Studies meant to guide Brampton toward achieving the world-class city Brown promised in 2018, just like the Brampton 2040 Vision Master Plan, have been ignored under his distracted leadership. His latest budget makes further cuts to future plans, and investments outlined in already approved strategies. For example:

• $3.5 million in environmental assessment studies has been pushed off until 2026
• $460,000 has been cut from plans and studies to improve Active Transportation options in the city
• $300,000 worth of initiatives in the City’s Environmental Master Plan have been removed
• A $450,000 Official Plan review has been removed, as has $600,000 for other policy planning studies
• $15,000 has been cut from spending on the Transportation Master Plan, $100,000 from the Financial Master Plan, and $50,000 from Engineering and Parkland Studies

The City’s transit system, in desperate need of a cash influx to meet soaring demand—the service recorded over 40 million riders in 2023–but it is also seeing its budget slashed: 

• Bus purchases have been nearly cut in half from a planned $89.7 million to $55.3 million 
• $15.4 million in bus refurbishments have been removed, along with $300,000 worth of work on bus shelters, pads and stops, and $400,000 in minor capital investments  
• A $1.5 million contribution to bring high-order transit to the Bovaird corridor has been removed 
• $17.8 million for Zum service expansion to the Bramalea Corridor has been cut. It’s unclear in the budget whether this is a result of a lack of investment from the City, or the City’s failure to secure grants to support the project 

Brampton Transit is seeing capital investments cut in 2025, despite increasing ridership.

(Alexis Wright/The Pointer files)

Preventative maintenance to aging infrastructure is a particularly important investment to extend the longevity of roads, bridges and other urban assets to ensure residents do not have to pay more in future years. It also safeguards against critical failures. Brown’s 2025 budget cuts spending in this area as well:

• $12.6 million in bridge repairs have been eliminated. According to the 2024 budget document, $9 million of this funding was meant to come from grants and subsidies, it’s unclear why it has been removed from the 2025 budget 
• $883,000 of preventative maintenance for various assets has been cut for 2025 and the spending for upkeep to traffic and roads related infrastructure has been reduced from a planned $3.7 million to just $364,000

Brampton roadways, under increasing pressure from the reliance on vehicles from its growing population, are also seeing cuts to spending this year:

• $350,000 worth of miscellaneous road work has been pushed off until 2027
• A planned $25.8 million in road resurfacing has been reduced by more than half to $11 million. $25 million of this was meant to come from grants and subsidies. It’s unclear why it is not a part of the 2025 budget 
• $600,000 in sidewalk work has been pushed to 2026
• $20 million in planned improvements to Torbram Road have been eliminated 
• Road work to accommodate active transportation has been reduced from $800,000 to $293,000
• $100,000 for controlled pedestrian crosswalks has been cut
• $35,000 in minor capital projects for roads and traffic operations are gone, also pushed to later years 
• $4 million in traffic calming measures have been eliminated, with only $200,000 now planned for 2027
• $2.7 million in traffic signalization and modernization is gone

The list goes on: 

• $205,000 has been cut from spending on the City’s 185 Clark Facility (down to $1.2 million); $378,000 cut from the Cassie Campbell Community Centre; $23,000 from Eldorado Park and Outdoor Pool; $77,000 from Ellen Mitchell Recreation Centre; $30,000 from Paul Palleschi Recreation Centre; and $2 million for a Central Storage Facility
• The planned $23 million for an Environmental Education Centre and Animal Shelter and Post Traumatic Growth Association Space has been pushed to 2027; $1.1 million for Fire Station 216 has been pushed to 2026, same for $3 million for Fire Training Props at Fire Station 203
• the $25 million for a desperately needed Brampton Arts and Culture Hub has been delayed until 2027
• $5 million worth of construction on east-west arterial roads is gone; $11 million for the extension of Lagerfield Road Extension is gone; $20 million in land acquisitions are gone
• $140,000 in minor capital projects in the engineering department, pushed to 2026 
• $3 million in Utility Relocation has been pushed to 2026
• $2.9 million worth of facility inspections and audits have been eliminated with $1.2M now proposed in 2026
• $2 million for a street lighting LED Retrofit has been removed 
• $1.2 million for a new co-working space downtown is now pushed to 2026
• Stormwater and environmental monitoring has been reduced to $75,000 from a planned $400,000
• $4.5 million for stormwater asset management has been cut to $0
• Stormwater pond restoration has been cut to $40,000 from a planned $3.5 million and $7 million in stormwater pond retrofits has been removed entirely 

Collis criticized the budget. It reflects a reactive approach, she said, to issues; rather than a proactive plan to address deteriorating property standards and infrastructure. She expressed mistrust and disappointment toward Brampton’s leadership.

“I'm very disappointed, and I'm really lacking in trust about my local politicians," Collis said, highlighting the deteriorating state of the roads and garbage collection in the city.

"I’ve reached out to 311, contacted elected officials, attended community rallies and meetings, and while the information they share often seems credible, the promises they make are rarely fulfilled. When I follow up, asking for the status of those promises, I’m completely ignored."

The Riverwalk flood mitigation project is receiving $15 million in 2025 to help eliminate the flood risk from Etobicoke Creek, a fraction of what is needed. Other critical climate change mitigation initiatives have been cut from the budget.

(Alexis Wright/The Pointer files)

Collis criticized Brown’s leadership while highlighting misplaced priorities such as allocating $7 million of taxpayer funds for a tennis dome at a private club where wealthy residents play, while people live in tents across the street. She expressed concern over the lack of empathy and collaboration. "How can you spend $7 million on three tennis courts when people are dying in tents across the street? It's wintertime." 

She said high-paid management staff inside City Hall have not delivered valuable, responsive community services, leaving residents doubtful about the completion of projects like streetscaping and the long-promised innovation district.

The inability to invest in key projects, and the delays to other initiatives are a direct result of previous decisions to freeze the budget entirely during Brown’s first three years in office. In a growing city, with no additional revenue from ratepayers, the municipality either needs to cut services or delay investments in order to balance the books. The snowball effect of several years of this strategy under Brown are now being felt. 

“The whole problem is how the city spends our money; it is terrible, and when it becomes budget time, they are put into a position where they just don't have enough funds, and the budget, to me, is a crack that represents how broke we are,” Pepe said. 

She lambasted Brown’s poor judgement in avoiding incremental property tax increases over the past six years.

"One of the biggest issues when Patrick Brown came into power was that he was bent and determined to have no property increases. Well, that's really showing the success of his poor judgment,” she said. “This is the result of bad government and bad planning. And I hate to say it, but usually it takes a decade before you start to see how pathetic it is, and Brampton is at that point."

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Email: [email protected]

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