Regional Representation

Brampton represents 44% of the population of the Region of Peel, but the City has only 29% of Regional Council seats. For nearly two decades, Brampton has been advocating for our fair share of representation at Regional Council. In other words, Brampton wants all of its 10 Councillors to sit at the Region of Peel Council, which is more in keeping with Brampton’s fast growing population.

Currently only six Brampton Councillors and the Mayor are at the Regional Council, while all of Mississauga’s Councillors, and five out of eight Caledon Councillors, and their respective Mayors are part of the Regional Council.

A stronger voice at the Region is a priority for Brampton because it is fair, allows elected officials to advocate for the needs of the City’s growing population. It ensures that Brampton’s interests are more effectively represented when Council makes decisions on important matters such as housing, community safety, social services, health and more.

We’ve made progress.

Stronger Representation. Stronger Voice. Stronger Impact.

On November 26, 2020, Peel Regional Council approved a motion put forth by Brampton, giving two additional seats to Brampton, taking the total to eight Brampton Regional Councillors and the Mayor.

The addition to Brampton’s total number of Councillors was offset by removing two seats from the Town of Caledon. This means there are still 25 representatives on Peel Regional Council (including the Regional Chair), and there is no financial impact to taxpayers.

This is the first significant progress made in nearly 20 years since Brampton started advocating for a stronger voice at the Region.

Next steps

On December 17, 2020 the Region of Peel is holding a public engagement meeting on the proposed change to Brampton’s number of Regional Council representatives. This meeting is open to the public, and residents can speak during the meeting by submitting a delegation request through the Region of Peel website

The By-law to amend Peel Regional Council composition would then need to be passed at the Region of Peel and also in each of the municipality’s Council, Brampton, Mississauga and Caledon. When that is complete with a successful “triple majority” vote, the changes would come into effect for the 2022-2026 Term of Council.

FAQs

To advocate effectively for Brampton residents and businesses, we need to have a more equitable number of seats i.e. voting capabilities at the Region of Peel Council. Brampton represents 44% of Peel’s population, yet we only have seven Members (six Councillors and Mayor) out of the total 24 seats (29%) at the Regional Council. Our population growth has outpaced that of Mississauga and Caledon, and by 2041, Brampton’s population is expected to reach 900,000.

Rural municipalities such as Caledon must have adequate representation based on geographic make up, and at the same time, fast growing cities such as Brampton would require adequate representation by population. For these reasons, the by-law proposes that Caledon retain three seats (i.e. two Councillors and Mayor) and Brampton’s representation totals nine seats (eight Councillors and Mayor).

This move is a also mindful of Regional taxpayers as there is no financial impact. Brampton took this interim measure of securing two additional seats for the 2022-2026 Term of Council. Our ultimate goal is full representation where all 10 Councillors and Mayor sit at the Region. Stronger representation means a stronger voice when making decisions that matter to our community.

Decisions made at Regional Council impact important issues that affect the community’s quality of living. This includes affordable housing, social services, community and road safety, policing, paramedics, garbage disposal, recycling, planning-related matters, etc.

There is no financial impact since the size of Peel Regional Council would stay at 25 members (includes Regional Chair). The two additional seats for Brampton Councillors would be offset by the reduction of two seats for Caledon. Brampton’s total representation will rise from seven to nine (includes Mayor), while Caledon’s total representation will be reduced from five to three (includes Mayor).

The Province of Ontario has been involved in discussions about the composition of Peel Regional Council since 2004 when it commissioned Justice Adams to produce a report on this issue. Justice Adam’s report recommended full representation for Brampton (i.e. all 10 Councillors + Mayor) at the Regional Council.

Provincial legislation requires that an upper-tier (e.g. Region of Peel) by-law making changes to its Council composition requires certain support, also known as triple majority support, to come into force. This includes:

Step 1: By-law to be approved at Region of Peel Council – majority vote is required
Step 2: By-law goes to each of the three municipalities, Brampton, Mississauga and Caledon for approval by their respective councils. A combined majority support is required at this stage.
Step 3: The combined number of municipal councils who supported the by-law must make up the majority of the total Region of Peel electors.

Since 2003, the City made several attempts to achieve full representation, including:

Voluntarily reducing Brampton Council size from 17 to 10 to prepare for full representation at the Region of Peel
Ongoing advocacy to the Province for introducing legislation that ends the inequality at Regional Council composition
Participated in the Regional Task Force deliberations during 2010-2014
Collaborating with the third-party mediator-led discussions initiated by the Region
Conducting a ward boundary review in 2013 to get a clearer picture of population forecasts
Participating in and advocating at the annual conferences of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO)

The City of Brampton is optimistic that the current proposal to adopt a regional representation by-law is a thoughtful, measured step that introduces a more proportionate representation for all partners in line with their population without creating a financial impact on Regional taxpayers.