In car-dependent Peel, eliminating reliance on the personal automobile is a tough sell for those who get behind the wheel on a daily basis. But transitioning to a zero emission vehicle, one that still affords the freedoms of a gas-powered car without the climate-harming emissions, could be an option—if crucial barriers are removed.
A new Peel strategy looks to do just that, but with the constant flip-flopping from the PC government on its stance towards electric vehicles, Peel is left with little help to reach its goals.
City of Brampton senior staffer Nikki Kaur was fired the same day she released bombshell allegations of widespread corruption under Patrick Brown’s leadership. She was directed to give a contract worth as much as $400,000 to a close Conservative political associate of Brown. The man didn't even have a registered consulting company when he was tapped by City Hall to set up a municipal corporation to handle all of Brampton's real estate transactions, despite having no experience doing such work. Brown would not answer questions after it was reported that he visited Kaur at her home shortly after she made her allegations public.
Between now and the fall municipal election, The Pointer is republishing articles that revealed Patrick Brown’s startling behaviour since becoming mayor of Brampton.
A lawsuit brought forward by a survivor of exploitation on Pornhub has taken a significant step forward after a judge ruled that Visa can be held liable for providing financial services to MindGeek, Pornhub’s Canadian parent company, while it knew the website was infested with child sexual abuse material.
The decision “will have far-reaching implications on credit card companies and online criminal conduct,” the survivors' lawyer says.
Councillor Gurpreet Dhillon says he’s taking legal action against Patrick Brown who claims taxpayer money was used as ‘hush’ payment after a woman accused Dhillon of sexual misconduct (which he denies).
The City’s head lawyer told Brown and all other members of Council that the mayor’s claim was not true, but he later made the allegation publicly, disregarding the solicitor. Brown also claimed the CAO could confirm his story, but the man who holds that position refuses to back up what the mayor said.
Charities like the Mississauga Food Bank are there for people in the worst times, making sure families are fed, seniors are looked after and those who lose housing don’t go hungry. It has been serving the community for decades relying almost entirely on donations.
Now, with demand soaring the Food Bank has outgrown its warehouse on Universal Drive and is desperately trying to find a new home. Twice as many clients, according to projections, will use its services in five years.
The Region’s growing population continues to put intense pressure on its paramedics. Increasing calls for service, combined with an overwhelmed hospital system creating significant delays in handing patients over to emergency rooms are forcing the Region of Peel to reconsider its 2022 budget for paramedics.
Following approval from council, Peel will be pouring millions into new ambulances and hiring new staff. But will it just lead to even more patients being brought to local hospitals that simply don’t have enough room?
Two youth climate activist groups in Peel are providing knowledge and community engagement on issues central to the environment.
Their collective action aims to inspire a stronger young adult voice in government, as too many veteran politicians continue to ignore the climate crisis.
Patrick Brown’s hiring of David Barrick as Brampton’s CAO was the first sign that things were not right at City Hall under the new mayor. Jason Tamming had already been recruited by Brown to head strategic communications. The former Niagara staffer had been investigated by Ontario’s Ombudsman, who found he behaved corruptly in a hiring scandal that Barrick was also implicated in. They were both fired from their roles there, before Brown brought them to Brampton. The moves sent up glaring red flags around the new mayor, as he unleashed his disturbing style of leadership, which places Brown’s political ambition, not the public he’s supposed to serve, at the centre of all decision making.
Between now and the fall municipal election, The Pointer is republishing articles that revealed Patrick Brown’s startling behaviour.
In a political spectacle, Brampton’s mayor keeps organizing special meetings of Council during summer recess, then going to social media to berate councillors for not attending.
After he forced the cancellation of scheduled meetings for a month, prior to his disqualification from the CPC leadership race, the City’s referred matters list, which typically should have no more than 60 items, has reached 75.
An annual report on the equity gap in the Peel District School Board’s special education program shows that marginalized populations within the student body were more likely to be identified as having a behavioural problem.
While much of the province is currently crippled by a frontline healthcare crisis, a spokesperson for Health Minister Sylvia Jones says operations are “running smoothly.”
Meanwhile, ERs across Ontario are closing, surgical backlogs are piling up and frontline staff are exhausted.
Turning wastewater into energy may sound odd, but that’s exactly what is planned at Lakeview Village. A district energy system will provide the power to heat and cool the future homes being constructed as part of the massive development, harnessing the power of wastewater from the nearby G.E. Booth treatment facility. The Region of Peel believes if the system is a success it could be used for future projects, as part of its goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions.
The 413 Highway remains in stasis as the federal government awaits the final report from the Province that will detail how Premier Doug Ford and the PCs plan to address a number of Ottawa’s concerns over the environmentally destructive project.
With all of this looming, residents and policy makers are asking, “what happens next?”
The City of Brampton is falling behind other cities in the race to create sustainable transit infrastructure.
A recent federal investment to study zero emissions transit is overshadowed by the City’s reluctance under Patrick Brown to pay for a non-carbon public transportation system, as he refuses to fund a transition needed to meet the Council approved emissions reduction targets.
Patrick Brown announced his bid for a second term as Brampton’s mayor Monday at a press conference peppered with misleading claims and a refusal to answer some questions entirely.
Brown’s decision to run again comes two weeks after his disqualification from the CPC leadership race, as allegations of misconduct hang over him at the federal level and inside City Hall.
A trio of projects in Peel received a $53-million boost from the federal government, providing a small ounce of relief to Peel's affordable housing system.
Indwell, a non-profit organization, is spearheading one of the projects in Brampton that looks to reuse existing empty buildings instead of tearing them down, a sustainable and cost-effective way to grow Peel’s affordable housing stock.
Brampton’s main courthouse which serves all of Peel is one of the busiest in the country, and a lack of funding is impacting public safety across the region.
The shortfall in judicial resources and funding for support staff are creating significant backlogs resulting in serious charges being dismissed. The funding gap in one of the country’s fastest growing regions, where tax dollars are not coming back to meet the need for services, has once again drawn the ire of those responsible for administering justice in Peel.
Even before Patrick Brown’s disqualification from the Conservative leadership race for allegedly using a campaign worker paid by a third-party, questions were raised about City Hall staff working for the now disqualified federal Conservative leadership candidate, and how they were being compensated.
As first responders and communicators are forced to deal with a growing list of calls that can distract them from the real emergencies across the region, the increasing misuse of 911 is compromising public safety in the Region of Peel.
Last week’s Rogers black out was a reminder of what can happen when people are disrupted from making critical emergency calls.
In May, the Ciasullo family hoped for some closure after Brady Robertson was sentenced to 17 years in prison for killing Karolina Ciasullo and her three daughters.
Now, Robertson, who claimed he felt remorse for his tragically destructive behaviour, after driving with eight times the legal limit of THC in his system, is attempting to overturn the sentence and the impaired driving charges.
A motion on May 31st by Brampton Council, initiating the succession planning for Charmaine Williams’ Ward 7 and 8 seat, has been quashed by the Ontario Superior Court.
Councillors who supported the motion and launched a series of forensic investigations after evidence and allegations of widespread misconduct under Patrick Brown came forward, are now asking the RCMP to get involved in light of recent allegations against Brown that led to his disqualification from the CPC leadership race last week.
Peel’s two largest school boards are in a predicament. Despite being located in one of the fastest growing regions in all of Canada, fewer students are walking through their doors. It’s a trend that could threaten funding levels while schools are adapting to a post-COVID reality with increasingly complex student needs.
The financial hit has already caused staff reductions and other impacts at Peel’s Catholic board.
Following approval from regional councillors, staff will be moving forward with the consultation and site selection process for a supervised drug consumption site in the Region of Peel. The action comes on the heels of Peel’s deadliest year for opioid overdoses in its history.
Some councillors are already voicing concern over the selection of a site after a 2019 needs assessment identified where the service is most needed.
Peel will expand its urban boundary into 11,000 acres of prime farmland and greenspace, putting local food security at risk.
The loss of this valuable land comes at a time when food prices are at unprecedented levels while the demand for local-grown food is on the rise. More and more residents are looking for sustainable options to combat the climate crisis.
In the wake of his CPC disqualification, five Brampton councillors issued a blistering press release Wednesday, after Patrick Brown unilaterally cancelled a Council meeting scheduled for the morning. They said his alleged conduct in the federal campaign is nothing new, writing Brampton's local “democracy is under siege because of Patrick Brown” pointing out forensic investigations into allegations of widespread wrongdoing under his leadership cannot move forward because Brown has shut down Council for a month.
Mississauga council will determine next steps after Integrity Commissioner Robert Swayze found Ron Starr guilty of scratching a former councillor’s car; Brampton Council will try to move forward with filling the vacant Wards 7 and 8 seat, if quorum is finally reached; a possible Supervised Drug Consumption Site is being explored by regional government.
There was ample evidence of wrongdoing in the systematic execution of three family members in four years inside their Mississauga house. In the first of a three-part series, signs of incompetence within Peel police are revealed, one of many underlying tragedies behind the Harrison family murders. The Pointer republishes the chilling stories by Joel Wittnebel, detailing the mishandling of a homicide case by a police force that slipped up time after time.
Three family members were killed inside their Mississauga home four years apart. Despite obvious signs of foul play, Peel Regional Police didn’t pursue a homicide investigation in the first two deaths. How was this allowed to happen?
In Part 2 of a three-part series, The Pointer looks at the death of Bridget Harrison and how egregious lapses in police judgement and poor management led to the entire Harrison case getting shelved, in the face of glaring clues. The Pointer republishes the chilling stories by Joel Wittnebel, detailing the mishandling of a homicide case by a police force that slipped up time after time.
In the final story of this three-part series, The Pointer looks at the death of Caleb Harrison and how the ensuing homicide investigation shed new light on the deaths of his parents, forcing Peel Police officers to accept their own missteps. Bill and Bridget Harrison’s son might still be alive if trained investigators had done their job. The Pointer republishes the chilling stories by Joel Wittnebel, detailing the tragic mishandling of a homicide case by a police force that slipped up time after time.
To reach the City’s ambitious emission reduction targets by 2050, Mississauga’s MiWay operation has to be transitioned from its carbon-polluting buses to hybrid and/or electric vehicles already being used in municipalities around the world that are years ahead of Canada’s sixth largest city.
Mississauga’s Integrity Commissioner Robert Swayze has found Ron Starr guilty of harassment, in violation of the City’s workplace policies, in the case brought forward by former councillor Karen Ras, who alleged Starr was behind the keying of her car multiple times in a City Hall parking lot. Swayze determined Starr keyed her car at least once and has recommended Council punish Starr by docking 60 days pay.
A judicial review to overturn the selection of Elaine Moore for the seat of former councillor Charmaine Williams will be heard Thursday, after Patrick Brown and his council allies have waged a recent attack on Moore, the former longtime council member with a record of fighting for accountability, shutting down all council meetings to prevent her appointment.
The Region of Peel is discussing waste diversion and management possibilities after the $124 million anaerobic digestion facility was cancelled. Staff are now trying to plan a new strategy as the current system reaches its capacity.
Mississauga staff provide an update on the fines paid to the City through the automated speed enforcement cameras and on the Applewood Creek restoration project.
This morning City of Mississauga officials and Councillor Ron Starr's lawyers met in front of Justice Michael G. Emery. The parties were supposed to set a date to hear Starr’s application to block the public release of an integrity commissioner’s report on allegations that Starr harassed former councillor Karen Ras, in breach of the City’s Code of Conduct. Andra Maxwell, the City’s solicitor, told The Pointer Wednesday the investigation report will now be released publicly on Thursday ahead of discussion during the July 6 Council meeting.
Jaime Santana, President-Elect of the Ontario Association for Behaviour Analysis, responds to a recent article in The Pointer that raised concerns about the use of ABA (applied behavioural analysis) therapy in Ontario on some autistic individuals. While critics point out that ABA applies “normalizing” behaviour expectations on those who do not want such outcomes, Santana reminds readers that the therapy is crucial for many on the autism spectrum who benefit significantly from ABA.
On June 27 Councillor Ron Starr dropped off an application to run in the upcoming municipal election. A few weeks earlier he took legal action to block the public release of the Mississauga integrity commissioner’s investigation report into allegations Starr harassed former councillor Karen Ras. Voters might be asked to make a decision October 24, without knowing the findings of the probe.
Housing in Peel has become so unaffordable that even middle-income families, once comfortably able to cover prices, are now being squeezed out of the market. With tens of thousands of residents at the breaking point and without adequate funding from upper tier governments, the Region has turned to nonprofits for help, while the private sector remains largely disinterested in cutting into its bottom line.
Two high profile arrests in June highlight the work done by Peel Police’s Internet Child Exploitation Unit.
However, the growing complexity and workload for the unit places a constant pressure to do more with less at a time when online sexual exploitation of children, child pornography offences and luring continue to increase.
The coroner inquest report and 35 recommendations into the 2015 shooting death of Marc Ekamba by Peel Regional Police officers landed quietly online, without even an agenda item on the Peel Police Services Board addressing the recommendations put forward. The bungled police response, which led to a lawsuit against former chief Jennifer Evans for her alleged interference, was an embarrassment to the force.
Peel community members are calling for the police board to follow the coroner’s 35 recommendations following Ekamba’s death.
When the Ministry of Education ordered Peel District School Board to complete 27 binding directives to finally end systemic discrimination, stakeholders knew it would be a challenge. An embedded culture, internal politics and certain trustees at the heart of the problem were always going to be barriers to change. Directive 19, to end the streaming of students in Grades 9 and 10, is being painstakingly implemented but an updated report shows longstanding racist practices within the PDSB still have plenty of support.
In 2019, a groundbreaking assessment by Family Services of Peel indicated the Region needed to do much more to help survivors of human trafficking while preventing others from being victimized in an area of the country that has become a hotbed for traffickers.
After three years, a regional strategy has shown great success. Now, it’s up to Peel’s councillors to approve the required funding to make critical programming a permanent fixture.
The Brampton mayor and his allies refuse to show up for council meetings, leaving the BramptonU forensic audit and other investigations into allegations of wrongdoing stalled. Brown continues to campaign nationally for his federal Conservative leadership bid, raising questions about his motives for halting City business by preventing a replacement from filling the seat of Charmaine Williams who was elected to be an MPP.
Peel Police Services Board members will hear powerful delegations on police shootings. Two members of the community are bringing forward an inquest report on a young man who was shot and killed by Peel police in 2015. The report is not attached to the agenda. Leadership within Peel District School Board is displaying “resistance” against the implementation of structural changes ordered by the Province after decades of systemic discrimination within the board.
The Region of Peel has updated numbers on the housing subsidy waitlist and Caledon wants to “Caledonize not urbanize” the future of the Town. Brampton discusses Riverwalk, an expensive police station and leasing land to Indus Community Services — if the meeting ever happens.
For years Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) has been marketed as the best practice for families with an autistic child, described as something “essential” to parents.
Against the well-connected establishment is a community of autistic individuals pushing back on the practice which has been dubbed “autistic conversion therapy.”
The Region of Peel is used to fighting for its fair share of funding from higher levels of government.
When Peel was hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, Regional staff hoped Queen’s Park and Ottawa would cover the unprecedented costs to keep local residents safe. While the Province has covered most of the vaccine rollout (with more funding anticipated) staff are concerned the price of the public health emergency may leave the budget with a $46.5 million gap.
The City of Brampton has confirmed that Sameer Akhtar, who had been the head solicitor, is no longer with the municipality. He joins the growing list of senior staff brought in under the leadership of Mayor Patrick Brown who no longer work for the City.
Brown and his four allies on council were a no-show for the Wednesday, June 15 meeting, preventing the session from happening and postponing all municipal matters that were supposed to be dealt with to a later date. The official replacement for Wards 7 and 8, after Charmaine Williams won a provincial seat, was supposed to take place, but Brown and the four others who did not show up, previously voiced their opposition to the person selected as a replacement by the majority of councillors.
Charline Grant of Kedz Consulting knows people can’t unlearn system-wide racism overnight; it takes years to undo policies and procedures that for decades have benefited those in power while excluding others. Community advocate Idris Orughu and PDSB Trustee Kathy McDonald have fought for years to transform the school board’s ingrained culture of discrimination.
Now, the board says one of the foundational directives issued by the Education Ministry has been completed. Time will soon tell if this leads to actual change.
A number of reports will appear before Mississauga council this week with details on how to make getting around the city more environmentally friendly, including Peel’s strategy for zero emission vehicles, details on how to move forward with the Dundas Connects Master Plan and future charging options for MiWay’s electric fleet.
Brampton will be occupied with officially filling the vacancy left behind by newly elected MPP Charmaine Williams and a special meeting of council Friday to deal with the audit of the controversial spending on BramptonU.
Social services agencies and other advocates working to help residents struggling with addictions watched in despair as the number of opioid deaths continued to rise throughout the pandemic.
To combat the growing number of overdoses, the Region of Peel is moving forward on a multifaceted strategy to address society’s chilling opioid reality.
