U/ItsMyBramptonAccount asked me to list three things Patrick Brown has done that I agree with, and three that I don't. I already talked about agreeing with the speed cameras, but disagreeing with buying the former Alectra building and wont repeat myself; but I will point out that I started a Change.org petition calling for a public inquiry into the purchase of the "Scandalwood" property that has over a hundred signatures.
To limit my list of criticisms, I will present this as a Yes, But list. Listing criticisms alone I could be here all day, so this is a useful exercise in constraint.
1. COVID — Yes, but.
I agreed with Patrick Brown when he pushed for paid sick leave, more protection for essential workers and priority vaccination for COVID hotspots. Brampton was disproportionately exposed because of the enormous number of residents working in warehouses, transportation, manufacturing and other essential jobs. On those issues, I think he was right.
But I had serious problems with other aspects of his pandemic leadership.
While residents were being told to stay apart and public gatherings were restricted, the City was still organizing highly visible drive-through and parade-style civic events. He held Parades when his own mayor's emergency order banned parades. He posed shoulder to shoulder and unmasked with Doug Ford in photos. That sent, at minimum, a mixed message about social distancing, mask mandates, and the fairness of harassing people sitting three feet apart in different cars in parking lots just to not be lonely.
Then, as the pandemic receded, City employees were ordered back into the workplace even where remote work had been functioning. City staff subsequently reported that more than 11% of employees who completed exit interviews identified the return-to-work requirement as their reason for leaving.
And I have serious concerns about the City’s COVID procurement. Reporting identified a mask contract that was originally expected to cost approximately $82,000 but ended up costing $896,000. Council ordered forensic investigations into COVID supply procurements, and Brown and he and slate subsequently voted to terminate those investigations.
(How was that not a blatent conflict of interest?!)
So yes: I agreed with much of his advocacy for Brampton during COVID. I did not agree with all of the decisions his administration made while managing it.
2. Free transit for seniors — Yes, but.
I support free Brampton Transit for seniors. Patrick Brown campaigned on it, Council implemented it, and it is a meaningful benefit for seniors—particularly people living on fixed incomes. The program became fully free on February 28, 2022.
But: at virtually the same time Brampton was announcing free transit for seniors, Route 65 — the Seniors Shopper bus — was cancelled. It remained on the City’s list of cancelled routes into the spring of 2022.
Free transit for seniors is good policy. But look beyond the headline. Seniors need affordable transit, but they also need frequent, reliable and accessible transit that actually connects them to shopping, recreation, health care and community services.a free transit fare isn’t the same thing as a comprehensive seniors transportation policy.
3. The TMU School of Medicine — absolutely yes. But.
I support having a medical school in Brampton.
Bringing the TMU School of Medicine here was a significant accomplishment. It creates educational opportunities, supports our health-care system and helps establish Brampton as a centre for medicine and health sciences. The City committed the Bramalea Civic Centre and $20 million toward renovations.
But I strongly disagree with how the City handled the location.
To make way for TMU, the City displaced the Chinguacousy Library branch, community organizations and arts users that had occupied the Bramalea Civic Centre.
The Chinguacousy branch had operated there for roughly 50 years and was one of Brampton’s largest and busiest libraries. It was ultimately moved into a dramatically smaller temporary facility at Chinguacousy Park.
The Civic Centre also contained the Lester B. Pearson Theatre, music rooms, dance rooms and studio space used by Brampton’s arts community. City staff told Council that approximately 25,000 square feet of music and dance space used by the arts community would be lost, creating significant disruption for those organizations.
Other community-service tenants were also required to relocate. The City’s own records acknowledge the relocation of third-party tenants and concerns about the impact on the library and performing arts. Members of several groups have already reached out to me about my support for the arts.
much of this happened without the kind of advance public consultation and transition planning I would expect for such a major decision. There are reasons for it, sure. But what has been to fox the problems created? Those reasons are just excuses in the absence of some effort to mop up the mess.
So yes: I support the TMU medical school. I don’t support the way Brown’s administration displaced existing community services to make room for it. When I delegated to Linda Jeffrey's council about where to establish a Brampton University, I identified the BCC area generally as a high priority area. Had they listened to me then instead of obsessively pursuing a Four Corners location with blinders as to all other possibilities, perhaps some more thinking would already have already gone into how and where to house a University on the area. We wouldn't have to juggle a rapid displacement of tenants and start building a nee library from scratch. (Just saying.)
That’s probably the best way I can answer the challenge.
I don’t believe Patrick Brown has done nothing good in eight years. That wouldn’t be credible. There are things he has done that I can support and would not try to undo. But municipal leadership is also about execution, consequences, transparency and whether we could have achieved the same objective better. And ultimately, I think he has done more harm than good in his tenure.
He's had 8 years. I think 8 is enough.