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Milestones filled the year for the City of Brampton
Sunday, January 7th, 2007
- Brampton Guardian
From the grand opening of the Rose Theatre in September, to a $95 million check for rapid transit, 2006 was a year filled with milestones for the City of Brampton.
The year started off with the opening of nominations for the November municipal elections. Four challengers for two-time winner Mayor Susan Fennell were unable to come anywhere close to unseating her in the end. Two incumbents did get defeated, though-- Wards 9 and 10 City Councillor Garnett Manning and Wards 3 and 4 Regional Councillor Susan DiMarco. The two new faces on council are City Councillor Vicky Dhillon and Regional Councillor John Sanderson.
Allegations flew
Allegations of multiple voting by some electors continue to dog the city and a review is expected to examine the process with an eye to possible changes next election, which is in 2010.
The city approved its operating budget early-- in January, hiking taxes 4.96 per cent or $55.64 for an average single-family home. It was called a tight, bottom-line budget and staff pared down an original 5.9 per cent recommendation at the request of councillors. Fennell called the increase "modest" compared to the quality of life Bramptonians enjoy.
The city's much-touted residential development cap came into play for the first time in March when, out of 10,900 applications, city councillors approved just 5,500 homes to be considered for draft plan approval this year.
However, because the cap is still in transition, an additional 2,600 units have the potential to move forward based on commitments made by council before the cap was created.
That means the total could reach 8,100 units draft plan approved by the end of the year, although, because of the varying lengths of time it could take any one application to move through the process, some of those 8,000 may not get approval until next year, according to a staff report.
Also in March came the announcement the city's rapid transit bus plan would get $95 million in funding from the province. It's by far the largest amount of grant money Brampton has ever received from the province, according to Fennell. The money was in Brampton's bank by the end of the month and Fennell said AcceleRide on Queen and Main Streets would go ahead, despite no financial commitment from the federal government.
In April, Brampton's bylaw enforcement officers started driving two-seater Smart Cars and hybrid cars, the start of the city's plans to build a "green fleet". Reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions will save taxpayers money and help the environment, according to city officials. The addition of 10 Daimler-Chrysler Smart Cars and six Honda Civic hybrid cars is expected to reduce fuel consumption by 13,000 litres a year and CO2 emissions by 32,000 kg.
The province's announcement in April a Greater Toronto Transportation Authority (GTTA) would be set up came with the added news that there would be only one seat at the table for a representative from Peel region. Fennell and Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion both wanted to be at the table, and they tried unsuccessfully to make a case for one representative from Brampton and one from Mississauga. Peel regional council will elect one representative to the GTTA. The authority will be responsible for implementing the GTA fare card system that would allow riders to use a single card on transit systems from Hamilton to Durham, it will manage GO Transit, coordinate bus purchases so municipalities can get bulk-order discounts, and integrate municipal and regional transit planning.
The city named the recreation centre under construction at Dixie Road and Sandalwood Parkway the Brampton Soccer Centre. The complex is scheduled to open this spring.
Also in May, then-Transportation Minister Harinder Takhar was in Brampton to announce the immediate start to construction on the second phase of the Hwy. 410 extension. Exactly when the highway will open is still up in the air. The second phase will take the highway up to Mayfield Road and some want to see it open on to Mayfield, while others support keeping it shut until the third and final phase to Hwy. 10 is complete.
The $13 million renovation at Earnscliffe Recreation Centre started in May. The renovation includes the addition of another ice rink.
Residents in Heart Lake raised the alarm after learning of a developer's desire to build six highrise apartment buildings between 18 and 32 stories high on the northwest corner of Sandalwood Parkway and Conestoga Drive.
Residents were outraged at the plan, and area councillors vowed not to support it. The developer agreed to consider an alternate site if one could be found by the city along the Queen Street Corridor. The issue is still unresolved.
City councillors were in support of a highrise, high-density plan in June, but it was a 27-storey condominium on George Street in the downtown core. Council's approval was seen as the beginning of a revolution in the core, where intensification is desired and expected in the near future.
Explosions
Also in June, two explosions rocked Mississauga Metals & Alloys (MM&A), the controversial company that had applied to expand its operations and run an incinerator for low-level radioactive waste. The MM&A saga went on for several months, with the company eventually withdrawing its incinerator application and making changes to meet all fire code requirements.
In September it was announced the city had won the top award in the Canadian Communities in Bloom competition. Brampton was named the Best Blooming Community in Canada.
Sept. 29 was the data of the gala opening of the new Rose Theatre in the downtown core. Canadian jazz icon Diana Krall was the opening night attraction.
In a rush to build a major transit facility, the city failed to notify residents in an adjacent subdivision that construction was about to begin in October. The city later sent an apology letter, but residents are still expressing anger that the facility is being built so close to their homes on land that has been a park for more than a decade.
The city responded by saying the land, on Sandalwood Parkway west of Hurontario Street, had always been earmarked for the facility and is zoned for industrial use. There was no sign on the property indicating that plan.
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Heart Lake & Brampton
