Brampton council endorses $150M university plan
Commitment includes $100 million toward a “joint-use centre for education, innovation and collaboration.”

TheStar.com
Sept. 6, 2017
Peter Criscione

Brampton city council took major steps forward Wednesday on advancing plans for a new university campus. In addition to committing $50 million, over 10 years, towards a post-secondary facility led by Toronto’s Ryerson University, city councillors agreed unanimously to invest $100 million toward a “joint-use centre for education, innovation and collaboration” in the downtown.

“Today, Brampton city council has demonstrated leadership and a commitment to the future of Brampton,” Mayor Linda Jeffrey said following Wednesday’s vote. While the decision commits the city financially to post-secondary expansion plans, details regarding timelines, type of funding, and sources of funding, including whether to impose a special levy on taxpayers, will be made at a later time.

“Securing a university, and all the associated economic and social benefits, has been a priority for the city and I’m very pleased we’ve taken this bold step to support a positive outcome for our residents, our businesses, our youth, and our future,” Jeffrey said.

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. Brampton is the largest city in Canada without a university presence.

With council’s 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.

Following speeches from residents and representatives from Ryerson and Sheridan College, Jeffrey, who ran on a promise to deliver a university to Brampton, said she will push the province to allocate a greater share of funding to Brampton, as well as advocate for an increase the current enrollment numbers set by the province at 1,000 students.

“You have my commitment to work on that.”

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. A location is also expected to be unveiled sometime this year.

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.

In addition, city leaders agreed to $100 million toward a “joint-use centre for education, innovation and collaboration” in the downtown that could also include construction of a new library.

Wednesday’s 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.”

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.

Officials said Wednesday that 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.”

Despite hundreds of millions of dollars invested in the downtown, efforts to revitalize the core have produced mixed results.

Wes Jackson, resident and local business owner, said while he is not opposed to a downtown location for the university “this council shouldn’t be handcuffed” to building it there.” Jackson said he wants to see due process in selecting a site that benefits the city at large and not just a few business interests around the Four Corners area. He listed a number of alternatives to a downtown campus including near the Mount Pleasant GO station in the north end or at Sheridan College’s current campus at Steeles Ave. and McLaughlin.

Councillors on Wednesday called for an involved process that is transparent and ensures the campus has the capacity to grow as the city’s population expands.

Regional Coun. John Sprovieri, a vocal critic of the city’s handling a half-billion-dollar city hall expansion and downtown development project, warned against making “bad investments.”

“We have to keep in mind we are investing the peoples’ money and we need to make sure we invest wisely” he said, “because $150 million for 1,000 students isn’t a good investment.”

The staff report 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 enrollment of 5,000 students.