Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he is in favour of granting Mississauga and Brampton their independence from Peel Region — a move that would fulfill the long-standing wishes of some politicians, and pave the way for a messy divorce.
At a news conference in Mississauga on Monday morning, Ford said he had “always been for an independent Mississauga,” suggesting that he is ready to split the municipalities apart.
That move could be finalized as long as both cities can work out the financial details over shared assets, infrastructure and the future costs for police, paramedics and other shared services.
It is unclear what this would mean for the Town of Caledon. The three municipalities of Brampton, Mississauga and Caledon make up the Region of Peel.
Splitting the three would likely spell the end of the Region of Peel.
Ford said his stance dates back to before he was elected as premier and was rooted in conversations with former Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion who had long advocated for Mississauga to become a stand-alone city.
Mississauga is the third largest city in the province behind Toronto and Ottawa.
“You can’t have a city the size of Mississauga, close to 800,000 people and it’s continuing to grow, being tied into other jurisdictions,” Ford said.
The other major jurisdiction, Brampton, has argued that separation would come at a cost, owing to the money both cities pay into the Region of Peel for shared services including housing, waste management, transportation, paramedics and public health among others.
Roughly 42 per cent of property taxes paid in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon are diverted to the Region of Peel.
Mississauga contends its larger population, growing density and spread of business — featuring offices from a range of Fortune 500 companies — mean it naturally puts more in the regional coffers than its northern neighbours. Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie argues that separation would allow taxpayers “to invest their tax dollars back into our city rather than to support the growth of the other municipalities.”
The Region of Peel’s 2023 budget pegs Mississauga’s population at 745,000, compared with Brampton’s 687,000.
Brampton, on the other hand, has argued its tax dollars are the reason Mississauga was able to grow in the first place.
Brampton’s Mayor Patrick Brown indicated to Global News Mississauga would owe nearly $1 billion to replace shared infrastructure.
“If the mayor of Mississauga thinks she can leave and not pay her bill, the residents of Brampton would be outraged,” Brown said at a news conference last week. “Brampton needs to be made whole in the sense that the water treatment facilities, the police headquarters, we have built in Mississauga.”
Ford, whose government is auditing the finances of the Region of Peel, Brampton and Mississauga, indicated the municipalities would be made whole upon separation, without adding additional details.