The Region of Peel saw a spike in new cases of COVID-19 confirmed Tuesday morning, less than 24 hours after Premier Doug Ford mandated the closure of all non-essential businesses.
In Peel, small businesses are grappling with how to weather the economic toll of COVID-19 and avoid layoffs. Thousands of Brampton residents are low income earners and more than 500,000 Ontarians have less than a month of savings.
Government measures are set to keep staff on payrolls and stop permanent closures in uncertain times, but they won’t come into effect until April, leaving people reeling in the meantime.
In Mississauga and Brampton, tens of thousands of families rely on people working in construction and development to put food on the table. With strict measures in place — and under the watchful eye of the province — these sites will remain open for now, though some in the industry have pushed back.
Community meals, or langar, provide an invaluable source of relief for impoverished people in Mississauga and Brampton who turn to Sikh Gurdwaras for a warm, nutritious meal every day. No one in need, regardless of faith, culture or creed, is turned away.
But the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic are forcing langars in Peel Region and the rest of the country to shut down or scale back, at a time when the vulnerable face even greater risks.
New cases of COVID-19 continue to spike in Ontario, including a number of confirmed infections in the Region of Peel.
All levels of government continue to implement measures to help citizens and businesses weather the storm while urging everyone to stay home in an effort to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The mayors of Mississauga and Brampton are trying everything to get people to stay home, including the mandated closure of indoor and outdoor public spaces, alongside non-essential businesses.
But to connect with the public, diverse in age, language and culture, the cities are moving past using social media alone to disseminate critical health information.
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Staying away from our fellow humans is a necessary tactic to halt the spread of COVID-19. For many, it is a minor inconvenience and maybe a case of cabin fever.
However, for those who rely on human presence and connection to keep their bodies and minds healthy, the elimination of crucial support groups could have drastic consequences.
As the COVID-19 infection continues its recent sharp spread across Ontario, with a total of 424 cases in the province, Queen’s Park is implementing a number of new measures to mobilize industry to create medical supplies and to help hospitals meet the growing needs.
As bars, cafes, restaurants, schools and many shops close their doors, construction sites around Ontario remain open. These economically valuable operations prompt a crucial question: how do we balance public safety with the need to keep our society, and its people, functioning?
Brampton Transit has followed Mississauga’s lead by announcing free travel throughout the COVID-19 crisis. Both cities are operating reduced schedules, but keeping operators and other staff on payroll while facing increasing losses as they adapt to an unprecedented situation.
COVID-19 continues its steady spread across the province as cities take unprecedented steps to limit infection.
To help residents out of work, Brampton and Mississauga have announced plans to defer property tax payments and other measures to ensure residents can use their available funds to keep their families fed and healthy.
To contain the spread of COVID-19, Ontario schools are closed until April 6, and maybe later.
To ensure students continue learning, the ministry of education is providing online educational resources.
While some boards are moving swiftly to get these alternative education platforms up and running to help parents once the March break is over, the Peel District School Board says it’s not doing the same.
Mississauga is up against formidable odds, both economic and health-wise, as rates of COVID-19 infection are expected to rise in the coming weeks.
On Thursday, council met to discuss short-term relief options for residents and strategize for the immediate future.
The rate of COVID-19 infection in Ontario is accelerating, with 50 new cases confirmed in the province, two of those in Peel. With schools set to remain closed, a new online portal has been launched to help kids learn in these uncertain times.
As cases of COVID-19 mount across Peel, hospitals in Brampton and Mississauga are searching for answers. Both cities went into the pandemic with stretched resources, hallway healthcare and some of the worst wait times in the province.
Now, local health networks are trying to patch together an adequate response to a life or death crisis after years of neglect.
Brampton’s massive auto plant on Williams Parkway, where thousands are employed on its giant assembly lines, can’t inoculate itself from the effects of the novel coronavirus. Hopefully, the latest layoff will only be temporary, says the president of its local union.
As the global COVID-19 pandemic closes the region’s restaurants, cafes and bars, as well as many retail businesses, transit ridership is set to dip significantly.
Brampton Transit and MiWay are now trying to determine the best ways to serve their diverse populations, while protecting drivers and remaining financially viable.
Foreign nationals and their advocates are concerned that extensive federal border security measures for COVID-19 are excluding them, leaving such groups with unanswered questions on their status in Canada as the global pandemic worsens.
The Region of Peel has declared an emergency, following the province’s lead. As COVID-19 cases related to travel climb in Peel, a second person has died from the novel coronavirus in Ontario. The provincial government is enacting more measures to stop the spread of the disease, including extending validity periods for health cards and driver’s licences.
As Ontario declares a state of emergency and postpones eviction orders until further notice, food bank users and tenants in Peel are grappling with the rapidly changing circumstances of COVID-19.
The Brampton mayor has put himself in self-quarantine for the recommended 14 day period after returning from a trip abroad. But questions on why he chose to travel and where he went during the COVID-19 threat remain unanswered.
WestJet is alerting travellers who might have come in contact with COVID-19 through infected passengers on a number of the airline's recent flights. The news comes as major airlines are each taking measures in response to economic and health concerns over the COVID-19 global pandemic and its effect on passengers and revenue.
As Brampton continues to grow, municipal leaders have begun to look inward and talk about changing the city’s path.
However, despite signs of change, Brampton has continued to greenlight the single-family homes that fuel urban sprawl, pushing itself further away from its own vision for the future.
On Wednesday morning, two new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Peel. This news comes amidst two major announcements from the federal government, including the closure of the Canada-U.S. border to non-essential travel and the provision of billions in aid to people and businesses to help navigate worsening financial concerns.
On Monday, the provincial government confirmed it would put a halt to eviction orders amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Days before, a Peel Region tenant received a notice to join a telephone hearing with the Landlord and Tenant Board, which is set to go ahead on March 24, creating confusion and disappointment for lawyers and advocates over why all proceedings haven’t been suspended.
Recent hiring practices at the City of Brampton can be used as a text-book example of what not to do. Yet, the Region of Peel, headquartered right in Brampton, was about to follow the city’s lead in its search for a new CAO, before Mississauga Councillor Carolyn Parrish stopped staff from making the same questionable move.
In 2018, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown released a controversial memoir detailing his resignation from the leadership of the Progressive Conservative party.
The exposé caused a stir in political circles, in part because of statements about high-profile MPP Vic Fedeli. On Friday, an apology by Brown was published, part of a settlement in an $8 million-dollar defamation lawsuit filed by Fedeli.
While there have been no new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Peel over the past day, Ontario has had its first presumptive death from the coronavirus and declared a state of emergency.
Major announcements have come from the provincial government, including mandated restaurant closures and the suspension of eviction orders until further notice.
In Brampton and Mississauga the vast majority of residents get around by car. From commuting to shopping and taking the kids to school, the automobile is the chosen mode of transport.
One unintended consequence is a lack of Main Street browsing, making it tough for entrepreneurs to start independent businesses. As both cities begin to densify and look to the future, is there room for local businesses to grow?
COVID-19 (the novel coronavirus) is on a killer path and has changed the way we live our lives, for now, with 17 cases reported in Peel as of Sunday morning. But will it also fundamentally change the way we plan and build our cities in the future?
On Monday, four new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Peel. This news comes amidst job protection announcements from the provincial government and the temporary shuttering of Mississauga's Provincial Offences Act courtroom, resulting in cases being adjourned and rescheduled to later dates.
More and more players sign up to play cricket each year in Brampton, where the game is a favourite amongst locals. As the city hopes to become North America's cricket capital, it needs to build more infrastructure to keep pace with growing demand.
Even with coronavirus infections on the rise there doesn’t appear to be a level of panic among local residents or authorities calling for calm. But the virus is starting to take its toll on healthcare delivery for certain services as resources get shifted to contain its spread.
On Thursday, activists from across Ontario gathered to tell Housing Minister Steve Clark they have had enough. As the cost of living continues to outpace wages, protestors were vocal in their demand for the provincial government to freeze rent.
In a symbolic gesture, they attempted to deliver an eviction note to the minister, something some renters in Mississauga and Brampton’s inflamed housing markets have also received.
On Friday the Ontario Ministry of Health announced four new cases of COVID-19 in Peel, bringing the total in the region to 10, plus one infected individual who was tested at Mississauga Hospital. In total, 20 new cases across the province were reported by the ministry on Friday, suggesting that the spread of cases is worsening, with a dramatic spike in Ontario over two days. Unlike earlier reported cases the latest ones include few details about the latest infected individuals.
After Peel Public Health released recommendations for controlling the outbreak of COVID-19, Brampton and Mississauga have announced a series of citywide shutdowns — events, theatres, council meetings, libraries, recreation and community centres will be impacted.
The Ontario Ministry of Education did not pull its punches in a scathing report that paints a deeply troubling picture of the Peel District School Board, which has failed to reflect the incredibly diverse community it serves.
Widespread anti-Black attitudes as well as bias against other marginalized students have become entrenched within the board. Its director, Peter Joshua (who has faced mounting criticism) and the rest of the board have been given a strict set of directions by the province to change their ways.
The Peel District School Board has sent out warnings and trespass notices to two parent advocates, banning one of them from attending future public meetings until the end of the school year. These are reprisals, say the advocates, a direct result of speaking out against anti-Black attitudes within the school system.
Regional roads in Brampton and Mississauga have speed limits as high as 80 kilometres per hour. While both cities have lowered limits on some streets after resident petitions, a broader vision is needed for smart growth.
A uniform, slower speed limit could divert fast, bypass drivers back to the highway, while making cycling safer and walking more appealing.
The relationship between Peel District School Board (PDSB) and the Black community in the region is broken. Mounting frustration led to the police being called to the board’s last meeting.
PDSB issued a letter forbidding at least one parent from setting foot on its property, with protestors and presenters at Tuesday’s meeting demanding answers and change.
In Peel, a regional policy stipulates no one seeking shelter should ever be turned away. However, with rising housing unaffordability and population growth, the temporary accommodation system has come under increasing pressure.
In 2019, more than $2 million was spent to house people in hotel rooms, but could money spent on this short-term fix be used more effectively in the long-term?
The union representing MiWay transit workers is calling on the transit agency to test for COVID-19 and agree to voluntary quarantine for workers now that a case has been linked to the bus service. While other transit agencies have agreed to similar measures as more cases are diagnosed, MiWay has not yet followed suit.
With more than four million international passengers moving through Peel at one of the world’s busiest airports each month, the region faces a particular set of concerns over the worsening global spread of COVID-19. On Monday, another infected patient at Brampton Civic Hospital was reported.
Unique circumstances in Peel mean COVID-19, currently spreading in parts of the world, could impact the region more than other parts of Ontario. The virus could pose challenges for William Osler Health Network in Brampton and Trillium Health Partners in Mississauga if a high workload of COVID-19 cases puts pressure on a healthcare system already stretched to its limit.
Mississauga, Brampton and the Region of Peel begin their respective council meetings with land acknowledgements to commemorate their Indigenous histories. Critics argue these represent little more than empty words, with actions few and far between.
Last week, one Brampton councillor proposed a move that would see tangible action in the city to acknowledge its colonial past, while a similar opportunity has been presented to the City of Mississauga in Lakeview Village.
Mississauga city council’s latest rejection of a development proposal, which could bring affordable housing options to a municipality that desperately needs them, may result in a hearing before the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal. However, decisions like these seldom lead to a win for the city, amounting in a hefty bill instead.
During last summer’s contentious regional review process, forced by Premier Doug Ford, Brampton and Mississauga clearly stated their positions. Brampton wanted to retain the status quo while Mississauga longed for independence.
While the province eventually killed the idea of breaking up some regions, and Peel remained as is, Mississauga continues to add to its status as an economic powerhouse, and Brampton stumbles forward with no clear path to attract future investment.
While the initial proposal for Bill 108 and its Community Benefit Charge seemed to signal less money for libraries, community centres and other soft services regularly underfunded in city budgets, new changes offer some hope.
Now, the province is suggesting these facilities, alongside parklands, could be entirely funded by development charges.
The Doug Ford PC government has made a huge investment, with an additional $202 million, to fight the devastating crimes of human trafficking and child sexual exploitation. It will add to increased education and awareness among stakeholders who are trying to take a more comprehensive approach to fight sophisticated crime rings, including many operating across Peel Region.
The overt examples of bias that infest two of the major institutions serving Mississauga and Brampton are by-products of deep-seeded prejudices that can only be exposed and expelled by a new approach to policing and education.
