The Ford Government has changed its mind about dissolving Peel

BY PAUL JUNOR

There has been opposition to the Ontario government’s intention to dissolve the Region of Peel. The passage of Bill 112 (or the Hazel McCallion Act) by the provincial government was the initiation process to usher independent status to Brampton, Caledon and Mississauga. Patrick Brown, Mayor of Brampton and Mayor of Caledon has expressed disapproval of the planned dissolution while Bonnie Crombie, Mayor of Mississauga and newly elected leader of the Ontario Liberals Party is in favour.

One of the groups that was opposed to the planned dissolution of Peel was the Metamorphosis Network. It is a network of over 100 non-profit community service agencies working to ensure that the dissolution of Peel does not harm vulnerable communities with: new barriers to services, longer wait times, or increased overhead costs. The official launch of this group was held at Queen’s Park on October 24^th, 2023. There were speeches by many of the Leadership Team members who expressed loudly and clearly the multiple challenges that would need to be faced head-on, and the processes and mechanisms that would ensure that those who need to access programs and services can do so easily.

There were representatives from several community organizations in Brampton, Caledon and Peel at the media launch. They included: Sharon Mayne from the Catholic Family Services, Priyanka Sheath from Dixie Bloor Neighbourhood Centre, Angela Carter from Roots Community Services, and Geraldine Aguilar from Caledon Community Services.

The Ford government has changed its mind about dissolving Peel after concerns were raised about the potential of residents facing increased taxes and disruption in services. Paul Calandra, Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister announced on Wednesday, December 13^th, 2023, that the Peel deal has been repealed. He told the media that this decision is necessary in order to, “Provide the certainty and stability that Peel needs.”

He states, “While we originally thought that the best way to achieve our goals of better services and lower taxes was through dissolution, we’ve since heard loud and clear from municipal leaders and stakeholders that full dissolution would lead to significant tax hikes, and disruption to critical services the people of Caledon depend on. This is something our government will never support. While some might be okay with using taxes from hard-working people, families and businesses; we aren’t.”

The provincially appointed five-person Peel transition panel was tasked with looking at the dissolution and will now be given a new purpose. Minister Calandra notes, “This new mandate of the board will deliver improvements to local services like police, paramedics, and public health while always respecting taxpayers.”

Patrick Brown, Mayor of Brampton is excited about the cancellation. He warned Bramptonians about a possible increase of $1.3 billion in property taxes in the next ten years if the deal had gone through. He states, “We have averted a disaster. The Ford government has stopped a potential financial train wreck and diminished emergency services across the board.”

Bonnie Crombie, former mayor of Mississauga who is disappointed with the decision expressed her displeasure at a press conference at Mississauga city hall. She states, “They need to step aside, let the transition board do their work, stop caving into pressure, and make rushed, uninformed decisions based on Mayor Brown’s scare tactics and fearmongering. This is not how the government should be making decisions that impact the lives of 1.5 million residents in Peel Region.” She referenced that 60% of Mississauga’s coffers go towards Peel’s costs, and $84 million to subsidize services in Brampton and Caledon.

Annette Groves, Mayor of Caledon is happy with the decision. She was really pleased to see the province listened. “Nando Iannica, Chair of Peel Region is exhilarated by the news as he was concerned about the fate of 9,600 municipal workers, especially police and paramedics. He mentioned that “We’ve lost 500 staff in the last year due to all of the uncertainties.”