Regional Municipality of Peel, Ontario
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The Regional Municipality of Peel encompasses three municipalities directly to the west of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The regional municipality is made up of the cities of Brampton and Mississauga, and the town of Caledon [1]. Mississauga occupies the southernmost portion of the region, a city of over 700,000 (the sixth largest in Canada) that reaches from Lake Ontario north to Highway 407. In the centre is Brampton, a smaller city of 433,806 (ranked 11th by population). Finally, by far the largest (in area) and the most sparsely populated part of the region is Caledon, which is home to only 57,050 residents. The Region of Peel is the second-largest municipality in Ontario after Toronto. The regional seat is in Brampton. Owing to immigration and its transportation infrastructure (seven highways serve Peel and Toronto Pearson International Airport is mostly within its boundaries), the Region of Peel is a rapidly-growing area with a young population and an increasing profile.
The Region was created by the government of Bill Davis in 1974, replacing the County of Peel, and was legislated to provide community services to the large and highly urbanized area. The region is responsible for the services and infrastructure related to water delivery and wastewater treatment, waste collection and disposal, regional roads, public health, long-term care centres, Peel Regional Police, ambulance services, planning, public housing, paratransit, judicial and social services. Other municipal functions are provided by the three local-tier municipalities. These responsibilities have changed over time, as functions have been uploaded and downloaded to and from the provincial and regional levels, as directed by the Province of Ontario.
The County of Peel (and later, the Region of Peel) was named after Sir Robert Peel, the nineteenth-century Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
Contents
1 Government and Politics
1.1 Senior administrators
1.2 Notable government decisions
2 The Region’s future
3 Services
3.1 Law enforcement
3.2 Education
3.3 Other services
4 Highways
4.1 400-series freeways
4.2 Other highways
5 Demographics
6 Surrounding census divisions
7 References
8 External links
Government and Politics
Senior administrators
Emil Kolb, Regional Chair and Chief Executive Officer
David Szwarc, Chief Administrative Officer
Kent Gillespie, Commissioner of Corporate Services and Regional Solicitor
Mitch Zamojc, Commissioner of Public Works[2]
Notable government decisions
In 2005, Peel Region approved without tender a $557 million waste management contract commitment lasting 20 years that can potentially allow it to dump garbage in Ontario landfill sites if Michigan bans Canadian trash. (Toronto Star, October 21, 2005)
In 2004, Peel Region began a more than $600 Million Water Works expansions by conducting invited public tenders, one of Canada’s largest in water and wastewater infrastructure. (Brampton Guardian 7 July 2004)
The Region’s future
Seats on Peel Regional council are not assigned to member municipalities according to population or tax contributions, and this has produced considerable controversy within the region.[1]
Mississauga currently comprises about 62 per cent of the region’s population and says it contributes 66 per cent of the taxes, but had been assigned 10 of the 21 council seats (or 48 per cent) distributed among the municipalities, with Brampton receiving six and Caledon five. In June 2005, the provincial government passed legislation[3] that will revise the composition of the council. Beginning in the 2006 municipal elections, one additional seat will be assigned to Brampton and two additional seats will be assigned to Mississauga, giving Mississauga 12 of the 24 seats assigned to municipalities.[4] These numbers do not include the regional chair, who is appointed by council members.
These changes are the result of a provincially appointed impartial arbitrator [5] who noted:
“ Regional councilors, whether or not they also wear an area (local) hat, represent all taxpayers in that region…no one area municipality has a majority of regional councillors. This is also why Mississauga’s claim for two more regional representatives was seen as vexing – Mississauga would then have a majority at the regional level. Mississauga magnified the control issue by complaining of a historic underrepresentation given that a majority of taxpayers in Peel reside and have resided within Mississauga .. [I] recommend a continuation of a structure that denies any one area municipality a majority at the region. ”
— George W. Adams
Mississauga council, led by mayor Hazel McCallion, has argued that Peel Region is an unnecessary layer of government which costs Mississauga residents millions of dollars a year to support services in Brampton and Caledon. Mississauga council unanimously passed a motion asking the Province of Ontario to separate Mississauga from Peel Region and become a single-tier municipality, arguing, among other things, the need to keep property tax dollars within the city of Mississauga for the good of the future of the City.[6]
Opponents of Mississauga’s position, including Brampton mayor Susan Fennell, have argued that from the 1970s through the 1990s, Mississauga was the chief beneficiary of Peel’s infrastructure construction projects — funded by taxpayers in all three municipalities — and it is now Brampton’s turn to benefit, as it is growing faster than Mississauga, which is mostly built-out.[7][8] As well, they have argued that common infrastructure, such as waste and water services, would be more efficiently managed at a regional level.
Services
Law enforcement
Peel Regional Police (PRP) provides police coverage for the majority of the region.
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) mainly provides highway coverage and fulfills a contract to police the town of Caledon.[9]
Education
Main articles: Peel District School Board and Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board
Other services
Emergency medical services provided by Peel to the region’s municipalities:
Peel Regional Paramedic Services
Formerly administered by the province, now in the hands of the region.
Child Care
Day care centres are operated for residents in Peel:
Brampton West Child Care Centre
Howden Child Care Centre
Greenbriar Child Care Centre
Chinguacousy Child Care Centre
Collegeside Child Care Centre
Streetsville Child Care Centre
Malton Child Care Centre
Ernest Majury Child Care Centre
The Valleys Child Care Centre
Cooksville Child Care Centre
Ridgeway Child Care Centre
PLASP Daycare Centre
Long Term Care
Facilities are for seniors and others with long term health needs:
The Davis Centre
Malton Village
Peel Manor
Sheridan Villa
Tall Pines
Social Housing
Peel is the largest landlord in the Region. Its non-profit housing company, Peel Living, is one of the largest in Canada.[10]
Public Works
Peel manages the regions public works needs including:
garbage and recycling programs
water works
road maintenance — non provincial roads
TransHelp
The Region of Peel’s unique transportation service for people with disabilities
Formerly run for Mississauga Transit and Brampton Transit, Transhelp is now operated solely by region.
Highways
Seven 400-Series Highways border or pass through Peel Regional Municipality making it one of the best suburban freeway networks in Ontario and Canada. These freeways are among the busiest and most modern of Ontario, mostly constructed since the 1970s, and have contributed significantly to the rapid growth of the Region. One of the welcome signs of Brampton has the slogan “All roads lead to Brampton” and shows six 400-series numbers (401, 403, 407, 409, 410, 427).
400-series freeways
Highway 401
Highway 403
Highway 407 (ETR)
Highway 409
Highway 410
Highway 427
Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW)
Other highways
Highway 7
Hurontario Street (Highway 10)
Demographics
(Statistics Canada, 2006)
Population in 2006: 1,159,405
Population in 2001: 988,948
1996 to 2001 population change (%):17.2
Land area (square km): 1,241.99
Percentage of Provincial Population: 9.53%
Surrounding census divisions
Dufferin County
Halton Region
Simcoe County
Toronto
Wellington County
York Region
References
^ Regional Municipality of Peel (map). Map 21-6 [Southern Ontario]. Survey and Mapping Branch, Ministry of Natural Resources, Government of Ontario Canada (1980). Retrieved on 2006-07-05.
^ Executive Management Team. Region of Peel website. Region of Peel, Ontario Canada. Retrieved on 2006-07-05.
^ Regional Municipality of Peel Act, 2005. S.O. 2005, c. 20. Canadian Legal Information Institute (2005). Retrieved on 2006-07-05.
^ Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (2005-06-13). Peel Residents To Get Fairer Regional Representation. Press release. Retrieved on 2006-07-05.
^ Regional Municipality of Peel Act, 2005 S.o. 2005, chapter 20.
^ City of Mississauga, Ontario Canada (2004-04). Mayor’s Update. Press release. Retrieved on 2006-07-07..
^ House Proceeding: Regional Municipality of Peel Act, 2005. 18:50 – 19:00. Debates of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Legislative Assembly of Ontario (2005-04-26). Retrieved on 2006-07-07.
^ Divell, Sabrina. “Region will grind to a halt: Mayor”, Brampton Guardian, 2005-04-01, p. 01. Retrieved on 2006-07-07.
^ Regional Municipality of Peel Services Police Board website on the division of policing between the OPP and Peel Regional Police.
^ Housing – Peel Living. Regional Municipality of Peel, Ontario Canada (2007). Retrieved on 2007-07-05.
