Bickering shows how nasty it could get Peel-ing region apart
Rival mayors make demands for money as regional government splits
Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Published May 18, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read
Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark has his work cut out for him while trying to navigate the split of Peel Region.
Thoughts and prayers for Steve Clark.
That’s all I could think of watching Ontario’s minister of municipal affairs and housing hold a news conference with Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown and Caledon Mayor Annette Groves. As the province moves to dissolve Peel Region, to which all three municipalities belong, Clark gets to play the role of mediator — or you could say failed marriage counselor.
Sure, he’s going to appoint a five-member transition board to work with the cities to negotiate the hard stuff, but he’s still going to be caught in the middle of it all.
“I’ll stand over here,” Clark said at one point as Brown and Crombie took turns making their points at the microphone.
What is clear from the actions of all of the players involved is that this is a divorce that Crombie wanted for Mississauga and Brown didn’t want for Brampton. Caledon and Groves are just caught in the middle of this old fight.
Crombie carried on the campaign started decades ago by her predecessor Hazel McCallion to get Mississauga out of Peel Region. Brown, on the other hand, clearly viewed the status quo or a merger of the region into one city as preferable options.
Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie doesn’t want her city to pay a dime once Peel Region dissolves, while Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown wants a $1.7-billion breakup fee from Mississauga.
Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie doesn’t want her city to pay a dime once Peel Region dissolves, while Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown wants a $1.7-billion breakup fee from Mississauga. Postmedia files
Premier Doug Ford, though, is following through on a promise he made to McCallion, who died earlier this year at the age of 101. The legislation tabled at Queen’s Park to dissolve Peel Region is even named the Hazel McCallion Act.
“We will be able to work this out amicably and I think we have a very professional, very cordial relationship,” Crombie said when asked if she and Brown could work together during the disentanglement of the cities.
Take Crombie’s words on that front with a grain of salt. The two mayors were asked that because each of them were rolling their eyes and making faces each time the other was speaking.
Brown was at least open, if subdued, in his hostility.
“I would just say we’re going to be watching this process very closely,” Brown said in response to the same question.
The Brampton mayor claimed that billions have been spent building infrastructure in Mississauga – like the water treatment plant and wastewater treatment plant – that he said Brampton will need to build on its own now. He said Brampton taxpayers must be made whole on that front and wants Mississauga to pay a breakup fee of $1.7 billion for the various pieces of infrastructure.
Crombie suggested there was no need for her municipality to pay anything to Brampton and suggested that the water facilities could be rolled into a utility company owned by all of the municipalities it serves.
“Brampton would never accept our residents being taken advantage of. Every single cent we put in to build that infrastructure in Mississauga, my residents expect back,” Brown said.
Crombie dismissed Brown’s arguments, saying it was Mississauga that paid the lion’s share of the infrastructure costs and, in her words, paid for the growth and development in Brampton.
“Perhaps it’s Mississauga that will be needed to be made whole for the contributions that we have made over the past 50 years during the growth phase of Brampton and Caledon,” Crombie said.
Welcome to the next 18 months of your life, Minister Clark. I hope you asked for a raise or bonus for taking on this task.
Merging municipalities in Ontario 20 odd years ago was an incredibly difficult task; taking them apart may prove just as difficult.
torontosun.com
Rival mayors make demands for money as regional government splits
Author of the article:Brian Lilley
Published May 18, 2023 • Last updated 1 day ago • 3 minute read
Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark has his work cut out for him while trying to navigate the split of Peel Region.
Thoughts and prayers for Steve Clark.
That’s all I could think of watching Ontario’s minister of municipal affairs and housing hold a news conference with Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown and Caledon Mayor Annette Groves. As the province moves to dissolve Peel Region, to which all three municipalities belong, Clark gets to play the role of mediator — or you could say failed marriage counselor.
Sure, he’s going to appoint a five-member transition board to work with the cities to negotiate the hard stuff, but he’s still going to be caught in the middle of it all.
“I’ll stand over here,” Clark said at one point as Brown and Crombie took turns making their points at the microphone.
What is clear from the actions of all of the players involved is that this is a divorce that Crombie wanted for Mississauga and Brown didn’t want for Brampton. Caledon and Groves are just caught in the middle of this old fight.
Crombie carried on the campaign started decades ago by her predecessor Hazel McCallion to get Mississauga out of Peel Region. Brown, on the other hand, clearly viewed the status quo or a merger of the region into one city as preferable options.
Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie doesn’t want her city to pay a dime once Peel Region dissolves, while Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown wants a $1.7-billion breakup fee from Mississauga.
Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie doesn’t want her city to pay a dime once Peel Region dissolves, while Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown wants a $1.7-billion breakup fee from Mississauga. Postmedia files
Premier Doug Ford, though, is following through on a promise he made to McCallion, who died earlier this year at the age of 101. The legislation tabled at Queen’s Park to dissolve Peel Region is even named the Hazel McCallion Act.
“We will be able to work this out amicably and I think we have a very professional, very cordial relationship,” Crombie said when asked if she and Brown could work together during the disentanglement of the cities.
Take Crombie’s words on that front with a grain of salt. The two mayors were asked that because each of them were rolling their eyes and making faces each time the other was speaking.
Brown was at least open, if subdued, in his hostility.
“I would just say we’re going to be watching this process very closely,” Brown said in response to the same question.
The Brampton mayor claimed that billions have been spent building infrastructure in Mississauga – like the water treatment plant and wastewater treatment plant – that he said Brampton will need to build on its own now. He said Brampton taxpayers must be made whole on that front and wants Mississauga to pay a breakup fee of $1.7 billion for the various pieces of infrastructure.
Crombie suggested there was no need for her municipality to pay anything to Brampton and suggested that the water facilities could be rolled into a utility company owned by all of the municipalities it serves.
“Brampton would never accept our residents being taken advantage of. Every single cent we put in to build that infrastructure in Mississauga, my residents expect back,” Brown said.
Crombie dismissed Brown’s arguments, saying it was Mississauga that paid the lion’s share of the infrastructure costs and, in her words, paid for the growth and development in Brampton.
“Perhaps it’s Mississauga that will be needed to be made whole for the contributions that we have made over the past 50 years during the growth phase of Brampton and Caledon,” Crombie said.
Welcome to the next 18 months of your life, Minister Clark. I hope you asked for a raise or bonus for taking on this task.
Merging municipalities in Ontario 20 odd years ago was an incredibly difficult task; taking them apart may prove just as difficult.
LILLEY: Bickering shows how nasty it could get Peel-ing region apart
The province is splitting up Peel Region into separate cities and despite claims otherwise, it's already getting nasty.
