The City of Brampton will face many challenges in 2006. As your Regional Councillor I believe it is important for you to know what issues are facing the City and in the neighbourhoods of Wards 7 & 8. This newsletter, which will be delivered to your homes twice a year, is intended to keep you informed. I encourage you to contact me on any issue facing Brampton as your ideas and opinions are very important to me.

Growth continues to be the driving force behind City and Regional budgets and impacts the important services we provide to you. I have consistently maintained the position that growth should be controlled in a way that enhances our quality of life, not have a negative impact on it. Provincial Legislation limits our powers to control growth. Over the last four years Brampton has been developing the tools to defend our growth management strategy. Recently Council unanimously voted to cap the number of building permits we will issue annually. This should allow Council to better determine the future of our municipality.

The most frequent concern raised by constituents in Ward 7 and 8 is aggressive driving in our neighbourhoods. The most recent survey conducted showed that issues related to traffic and traffic safety continue to be the number one concern of all Brampton residents. As the Vice-Chair of the Peel Regional Police Services Board, I supported the implementation of a Traffic Safety Division, the introduction of a red light camera program and the formation of a community based Traffic Safety Committee to address issues of aggressive driving and traffic safety.

Without question, protecting our children must be a priority. As a direct result of concerns raised by residents in wards 7 and 8 the municipality installed a lighted school crossing on Balmoral Drive, a 40 km zone on Massey Street, flashing lights on North Park Drive at St. John Bosco School and traffic signals on Central Park Drive at Howden Boulevard. I am committed to working in partnership with the police and community to look for ways to make people slow down.

However, the real solution for traffic safety issues lies with all of us. By educating our young drivers, setting a good example, and demonstrating respect for one another and the road is the most effective way we can reduce accidents and save lives.

Last year Brampton saw the biggest investment in history in our Transit System. New buses, route changes to increase speed and efficiency, a 25 per cent increase in service hours and extended hours both evenings and weekends will increase ridership. This is essential to a growing municipality as an efficient public transportation system will encourage greater ridership, help protect the environment and reduce the need for more cars on our roads.

We have much to be proud of as a community. Being recognized as the “Best Floral City in Canada” in the national Communities in Bloom competition shows what we can achieve when we work together. Plant a flower or a tree, pick up litter or organize a neighbourhood event. Your participant in the beautification of our City will make a difference. For more information on how to get involved please call the city line at (905) 874-2000.

As always safety, health and economic prosperity will continue to be my priorities. I believe these are the fundamental components that shape the quality of life of all Brampton residents. I hope you find this newsletter informative. If you have any questions about this or any other issue please contact me at connected@ gaelmiles.com or give me a call at (905) 874-2671.

Community

Spring Cleanup

Each winter, litter accumulates in the parks, greenbelts, walkways and playgrounds all over our community. Once the snow finally melts and the warmer weather arrives, it’s time for a spring cleanup. For many years, Councillors Sandra Hames and Gael Miles have held a community cleanup around the Professor’s Lake Recreation Centre. Because of the success of this annual event, the spring cleanup was expanded to include other areas in Wards 7 and 8. Today, this successful anti-litter project is held in conjunction with Brampton’s Spring Clean-Up, which takes place in various locations throughout Brampton during the month of April. Combined, Brampton’s spring and fall clean ups attract 42,000 participants each year, including community groups, schools and neighbourhood groups. Helping to keep our city clean is something we can all do everyday. Thank you for your efforts in making our community a cleaner, safer and happier place to live.

Safety

Brampton Safe City

Make community safety your priority in 2006. The Brampton Safe City Association calls upon all residents and businesses to “Do just one thing,” to make your community a safe place to live, work and play. Please visit the Brampton Safe City Association Web site at www.bramptonsafecity.ca or call 905 793-5484 to learn about our programs and find out how you can become involved.

Recreation Centre Expands

Earnscliffe Recreation Centre is one of a number of the City’s indoor recreation centres, which will become expanded and modernized to improve service to the community. At present, approximately 70 per cent of the City’s Indoor Recreation Facility inventory is 18 years of age or older. To improve efficiency and continue to attract users, recreation facilities should be minimum of 75,000 square feet and designed with the flexibility to change with the recreation trends over time.

The other sites chosen for expansion are: Century Gardens Recreation Centre, Chris Gibson Recreation Centre and Loafer’s Lake Recreation Centre and Chinguacousy Park, where it is anticipated that a totally new facility will be constructed.

The first concept in the process of modernizing these recreation facilities to the community means these specific locations will be redeveloped and enlarged. These new sites will contain centres of up to 80,000 square feet of building and parking space.

The City’s Urban Design Section will participate in the modernization process to translate the program requirements, determined by the Recreation Division, into a block-building program. This information will then be applied to the existing site conditions to determine if the property can accommodate the program or if adjustments or additional property needs to be considered. Part of the review will be the application of the Community Design Guidelines and principles to ensure the building is easily identified within the community and contributes to the character of the area.

Chinguacousy Park A Recreational Treasure in the Heart of Our Community

The Chinguacousy Park Project is a joint partnership between our Community Services and Planning, Design and Development departments who are working toward developing a master plan for what is one of our community’s most treasured recreational assets.

This spectacular 100-acre park located in the heart of Brampton holds dozens of events and celebrations during the year. Renowned for its greenhouse and botanical garden, Chinguacousy Park is home to events such as NittyGrittyBramaChingWingDing in Ching, the Bunny Eggcitement, the Victoria Day amusement fair and the annual Canada Day celebration.

Chinguacousy Park is also home to an animal farm and petting zoo, a historic teahouse, wedding chapel, concert band shell, ski hill, sheltered picnic areas, and leisurely paths winding through the park. For sports enthusiasts, there are fields to play softball, soccer, football, curling, tennis, volleyball and facilities for BMX and skateboarding.

This year, the park purchased a state-of-the-art carpet lift from German manufacturer SunKid to take snowboarders, skiers and snow bladers up Mount Chinguacousy Ski Hill.

Chinguacousy Park is one of Brampton’s premier citywide recreational features and we encourage you and your family to experience the wonder of this magnificent natural treasure.

Brampton Is Designated a Safe Community

The Safe Communities Foundation officially designated the City of Brampton a Safe Community. We are the first community to receive this distinction in the Greater Toronto Area. Brampton is the 32nd community in Canada to receive the Safe Community designation. This plan is an ambitious injury and crime reduction strategy, which will be implemented over the next year.

Taxi Cab Safety

Brampton taxicabs are now equipped with a flashing emergency light as part of a new safety program.  Drivers needing help will activate the light, signaling an emergency. Brampton residents are asked to call the police if they should witness a flashing light in the rear of a cab.  Your call could save a life. According to City by-law, all taxicab operators are required to outfit their vehicles with emergency lights and security cameras. The flashing emergency light program was introduced after extensive consultation with the taxicab industry and studies show this type of safety program is most effective in reducing crime.

Putting a Stop to Red Light Runners

Safety is a top priority in the Region of Peel. In conjunction with Ministry of Transportation, the Region has placed cameras at high-risk intersections. In 1997, more than 48,000 collisions took place at signalized intersections operated by municipalities in Ontario. Red light cameras have been installed at 20 intersections throughout the Region. Since red light cameras have been installed, statistics demonstrate the technology is effective in reducing the number of motorists running red lights.

Changing tow truck by-laws

The City of Brampton has made changes to its tow truck by-law to protect the rights of residents. If you are in an accident and require a tow, keep in mind you're in charge.

Business is Booming in Brampton

For information on what's happening in our business community click here.

Brampton Public Library Board

Gael Miles serves on the Brampton Public Library Board, which oversees operation of Brampton Libraries.

Currently, the Library is made up of four branches: Chinguacousy Branch, Cyril Clark Branch and Lecture Hall, Four Corners Branch and South Fletcher’s Branch. Together, the system houses a collection of more than 610,000 books, magazines, large print materials, audio cassettes, CDs, videos and computer workstations for accessing CD-ROM data and the Internet.

This year, Brampton Library has launched a new Study Hall Program to support school children at all four of its locations. Because the program does not fall under the Library’s annual budget, $10,000 in funding is needed to make Study Hall a success. Donations to the Annual Giving Campaign are still being accepted in support of this initiative, and Donor Reply Forms can be downloaded from the Library’s website at www.bramlib.on.ca.

The library employs 154 full-time and part-time employees. These staff members dedicate a large part of their time to educating and entertaining more than 40,000 children and young adults each year through a number of popular reading programs, such as Teddybear Time, Share the Stories Reading Circle, Comic Art Instruction and Sleepyhead Storytime.

Staff holds a number of teen workshops, such as St. John Ambulance Babysitting Courses and poetry and songwriting workshops, hosts class visits from local schools and has recently launched a new Teen Library Council (TLC). Adult programs include the Adult Book Club, various computer applications tutorials and more. As well, a growing Homebound service sees volunteers deliver books and other resources to shut-ins throughout the City.

The Brampton Public Library Board is made up of three Council members, three citizen appointees, two representatives from the Peel District School Board and two members representing the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board.

Flower CityStrategy Blooms in Brampton

The City has embarked on a new initiative intended to inspire a City where all citizens recognize and celebrate their floral heritage. It is a vision that imagines a future where Brampton is known as Canada’s Flower City - recognized through its distinctive character and image. It is also expressed in the preservation of our heritage, in our architecture and our partnerships formed with residents, community groups, and businesses. This exciting City vision will emerge and be expressed through the planning and design of our parks, valleys, pathways, streetscapes and local programs.

Although this is a City initiated project, it’s ultimate success will depend upon the participation of local residents and community partners. Citizens can make this vision come alive by planting flowers in their front yards.

This summer watch for the Communities in Bloom competition that Brampton has committed itself to participating in. This friendly competition is the first step along the path of recapturing the history that once defined Brampton. It is also a glimpse into a possible future City that we can all be proud of.

As Chair of the Flower City Strategy, Councillor Gael Miles is hoping to inspire a City where all citizens recognize and celebrate their floral heritage. For more information on how to participate, residents can contact Councillor Miles at (905) 874-2671 or Steve Preston at (905) 874-2918.

Communities in Bloom: Making Brampton beautiful

I am excited to announce the City of Brampton enrolled in Communities in Bloom (CIB) this year. CIB is a national competition run by a nonprofit group committed to fostering community pride and municipal environmental responsibility.

On Aug. 16 and 17, CIB judges visited Brampton and rated the city on: tidiness, environmental effort, turf area, heritage conservation, urban forestry, floral arrangements, landscaping and community involvement. At the national conference in P.E.I. Brampton was awarded the trophy for the best floral displays in all of Canada. This award is a major achievement and a reason for us all to be proud.

An important driver for winning this award was Brampton's Gateway Beautification Program. Designed to create an inspiring travelling environment, high profile locations are enhanced with colourful and well maintained floral landscaped areas.

Community participation is key to Brampton realizing its goal of becoming recognized as the Flower City. I look forward to working with local businesses, and individual residents over the next few years as we expand to involve all sectors of our community. Congratulations!

City Council Decisions

The Council Decisions Newsletter is published after each City Council meeting. 

 

Road Construction in Brampton

Ensuring that roads keep pace with growth is a difficult task when one considers that there are three levels of government responsible for roads within the city of Brampton. City roads are your neighbourhood streets, major arterial roads like Queen Street, Airport Road and Dixie Road are regional roads and highways such as Highway 410 and Highway 427 are the responsibility of the province of Ontario. The government responsible determines when a road gets built or widened.

Preparing the City’s capital road program involves prioritizing projects to fit within funding envelopes. Widening roads are funded 90% from development charges and 10% from your property taxes. The amount of work that can be accomplished in any given year is governed by the tax based funding allocated to road construction.

Other considerations are jurisdictional, such as Highway 410 and Highway 427 are needed transportation links but are not under the control of the City. Brampton is an extremely fast growing area and application of the Growth Management Strategy will provide assistance in ensuring that road construction, together with other required infrastructure, will keep pace with development.

Tax Information

General Tax Information

The City of Brampton is responsible for billing and collecting property taxes. It is also responsible to bill and collect taxes for the Regional Municipality of Peel and the school boards. Property taxes are levied twice a year by an Interim and Final Notice. The Interim billing reflects taxes due for the first six months of the year in three installment due dates. The Final billing reflects taxes due for the last six months of the year in three installment due dates. The tax rate is expressed as a percentage of the assessed value. Different tax rates are set for different classes of property; (i.e.: Residential, Multi-Residential, Commercial, Industrial).

Where Does the City get the Information to Issue Tax Bills?

The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) is responsible for assessing all properties in the Region of Peel, including the Cities of Brampton and Mississauga and the Town of Caledon. MPAC is located at 6745 Century Ave., Mississauga, Ontario, L5N 8C9. Call 905 813-9930.

The City of Brampton then calculates the tax bills based on information supplied by MPAC. In the case of a new house, when there is a delay in receiving the information from MPAC, the City cannot issue a tax bill. This delay can be considerable, with some people not receiving a tax bill for as long as two years after occupancy. Payment arrangements may be made by calling the Tax Department at 905 874-2200.

What If I Have A Question?

For evaluation and assessment information about your property, call the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation office at 1 866 296-6722.

Elderly Assistance

Qualifying seniors, 65 years and older, may apply for a tax credit of up to $300 per year, provided they are receiving a Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS). Seniors must live on the property for which they are applying for the tax credit and can apply for only one tax credit each year. For information about qualifying for GIS, call 1-800-277-9914.

Penalty and Interest Charges

Penalty and interest is applied to overdue taxes at a rate of 1.25% on the day after the due date and on the first day of each month until paid. Tax payments are applied to penalty / interest charges owing and then to the taxes owing starting with the oldest year.

Bylaws

Below is a list of the most frequently asked about bylaws. A complete list of city bylaws can be found at the City of Brampton site.


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