City council to vote on $150M Brampton university plan
Councillors to vote on staff recommendation Sept. 6

BramptonGuardian.com
Sept. 1, 2017
Peter Criscione

With Brampton already committing tens of millions of dollars toward a revamped health facility, city leaders will vote on a proposal next week that could see taxpayers spend another $150 million on post-secondary education.

“We need to be bold if we want to build something truly special for Brampton, and by making a historic investment in a university we ensure a visionary outcome for our residents, our businesses, our youth, and our future,” Mayor Linda Jeffrey said in an email.

Councillors will vote on a recommendation Wednesday, Sept. 6, that commits up to $50 million over 10 years, into a post-secondary facility led by Ryerson University. In addition, city leaders will consider $100 million toward a “joint-use centre for education, innovation and collaboration” in the downtown that could also include construction of a new library.

The report states the city could leverage financial resources and other assets toward the university initiative, including donating land, taking on debt or through a dedicated tax levy.

The massive cash commitment comes as the mayor and council face criticism for their handling of the education file after Brampton initially trailed Milton in its bid to land a university campus. One of the sharpest criticisms levelled at officials was the lack of a clear funding strategy put forward by the city.

With council approval Wednesday, taxpayers will commit more funds toward post-secondary expansion locally than the province, which has allocated $180 million to be shared between Milton and Brampton.

According to the staff report, Brampton’s share is subject to “final proposal details, performance measures and outcomes, and in addition to proposed provincial funding.” The cash commitment would be similar to the $60 million city council committed in 2010 toward the redevelopment of Peel Memorial Hospital into an urgent-care centre, which opened to the public this year.

"Securing a university, and all the associated economic and social benefits has been a priority for our city and our residents,” said Jeffrey, who ran on a promise of a university.

This fall, the province is expected to reveal more details about the university project centred on science, technology, engineering, arts and math. It is unclear how the $180 million will be split between both municipalities.

Facing pressure from city council, Jeffrey travelled to Ottawa for the Association of Municipalities of Ontario's (AMO) annual conference with a mandate to ask provincial politicians for a greater share of the $180 million.

City hall watchers, and even some councillors, have pressed Jeffrey to advocate for more of the funding for construction given Brampton’s population size and needs compared to a community like Milton at barely 100,000 people.

Asked how her lobbying efforts played out, Jeffrey responded that Deb Matthews, minister of advanced education and skills development, “was sympathetic to the argument, but indicated that the funds were going to be split evenly between the campuses of Milton and Brampton.”

Earlier this year, Matthews told The Guardian that there would be “flexibility” on how the $180 million would be split between both communities.

“The minister once again indicated that the allocation and the distribution were unlikely to change and that the final decision would rest with cabinet,” Jeffrey said.

Chris Bejnar, co-chair of Citizens For a Better Brampton (CFBB), a group which in the past publicly criticized the mayor for not having a clear plan to land a university campus, suggested city leaders wait on the province’s funding commitment before making a decision. Bejnar argued Brampton's significant cash commitment could drive more provincial dollars Milton's way.

"Why the rush to approve such significant funding? We don’t even know what our share is going to be from the $180 million pledged by the province for both the Brampton and Milton sites. I’m still hopeful that Brampton, a city six times larger in population, will receive a greater share of the funding over the Town of Milton."

The staff report headed to council next week highlights some economic benefits of a university, including a one-time construction impact of $373 million (1,820 jobs) and ongoing annual benefits of $220 million (1,510 jobs), based on a medium-term enrolment of 5,000 students.

The $100 million proposed for a “joint-use centre for education, innovation and collaboration” would help the mayor’s vision to cement Brampton’s place along “Canada’s Innovation Super Corridor.”

Planners say the cash could be put toward “a new central library, entrepreneurial and cultural space in proximity to a university facility in Downtown Brampton.”

The report describes “a creative space with unique attributes and advanced technology housed in an awe-inspiring iconic structure — embodying Brampton Library’s vision of ‘inspiring connections’ and reinventing Brampton’s cultural image across the country. A new central library, supporting a downtown university, can be a key component in transforming the downtown, supporting collaborative learning, and new cultural and business opportunities.”

Construction of a new library was a main feature in the city’s vision for the Southwest Quadrant (SWQ) renewal proposal, before council abandoned the controversial project beyond Phase 1.