Brampton City Council Meeting

Brampton City Council amended and reordered its agenda, heard several proclamations and community recognitions, and approved motions on cycling infrastructure, speed cushions, environmental stewardship, volunteer insurance reporting, and other consent items. The longest debate focused on Charlay Boulevard and gaps in the city's east-west cycling network, with council approving changes on Charlay while also requesting more information on missing links and related costs.

Topics Discussed

1. Charlay Boulevard cycling infrastructure and mobility plan

Council spent significant time debating bike lanes on Charlay Boulevard and how changes there would affect the broader active transportation network.

Councillor Navjit Kaur Brar said the issue was not opposition to cycling itself: "So, this isn't about not wanting active transportation. This is not about um trying to rip apart a system. This is about really looking at how we can make it work for everybody and making sure that we do it in a way that keeps people safe."

She also warned that the current network is incomplete, noting that "There's no alternative right now," and adding that "we have to make sure that the network stays connected, especially on the east west connections."

Councillor Rowena Santos argued council should not retreat from previously approved transportation plans, saying: "We're either going to support this stuff or we're not. We can't say yes to all of these plans, policies, expect staff to implement everything. And then when people are afraid because they see the change happening, we reverse our decisions and take the the network apart piece by piece."

Mayor Patrick Brown pointed to resident survey results, saying, "578 people do that survey, 482 of them say no to bike lanes on Charlay. Well, 96 of them said yes."

A speaker emphasized the safety imperative: "Streets are for people, not just for cars. If you build streets for cars, all you'll get are cars. Providing safe space for cyclists in this city can literally be a matter of life and death."

Council approved modifications to the Charlay Boulevard configuration and requested follow-up information on missing links and potential boulevard work.

2. Speed cushions for cyclist and pedestrian safety

Council approved a motion on speed cushions aimed at improving cyclist and pedestrian safety, including Fenton Way and streets in Wards 9 and 10.

In discussion, Councillor Michael Palleschi said staff had already reviewed the issue: "this isn't a motion that we're moving today without looking at anything. We've we've investigated." He added that the review came in the context of "a tragedy."

The motion passed unanimously.

3. Proclamations, heritage months, and community recognitions

Council issued proclamations and recognitions for Vesak Day and Buddhist Heritage Month, National Accessibility Week, Seniors Month, Pride Month, Bike Month, Italian Heritage Month, Aphasia Awareness Month, and Ontario Crossing Guard Appreciation Week.

Venerable Jafan said, "The Buddha taught hatred is never appeased by hatred. By non-hatred alone is hatred appeased."

Deputy Mayor Harkirat Singh, speaking on Aphasia Awareness Month, said aphasia is "most commonly caused by stroke affecting an estimated 165,000 Canadians," and that "only 5% of the population possesses basic knowledge of aphasia."

On accessibility, Councillor Rod Power said, "The city of Brampton is committed to preventing and removing barriers and enhancing access to goods, services, and facilities so that everyone can participate fully in the community with independence and dignity."

Council also heard remarks tied to community awards and events. Speaking about the Breaking Borders baseball tournament, Mayor Brown said: "For all these kids, this is more than just baseball. Some of them are experiencing Canada for the first time."

4. Chinese Heritage Month and other community initiatives

Council passed a motion recognizing Chinese Heritage Month.

A speaker supporting the motion said, "The establishment of Chinese Heritage Month formally recognizes these contributions and affirms that they're part of Brampton's shared story."

Council also heard presentations connected to Ride for Raja and an art exhibition titled "Black and Brown." Artist Malachi Watson Narcissis said the work reflected "some of the invisible walls that we put up um between ourselves, especially on acultural level."

5. Environmental stewardship and turtle conservation

Council discussed turtle conservation and environmental stewardship measures.

Carly, a supervisor in wetlands environmental projects and environmental development engineering, said, "Turtles are an important species of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and their protection and conservation directly aligns with Brampton plan and our Brampton grow green environmental master plan."

She also said, "Our goal is to better balance recreational use with the protection of sensitive habitats."

Council supported the environmental stewardship motion and related follow-up work on education, signage, and funding options.

Motions

• Amended Agenda Approval — Passed
• Consent Motion (including items 15.4, 15.5, 16.1, 19.1, 19.2, 19.3) — Passed
• Item 15.1: Recognition of Chinese Heritage Month — Passed
• Item 16.2: Charlay Boulevard / cycling infrastructure modifications — Passed
• Item 16.5: Cyclist and pedestrian safety related speed cushions — Passed
• Motion to add speed cushions on Fenton Way and in Wards 9 and 10 — Passed
• Motion requesting staff update on volunteer insurance changes and options to restore previous coverage — Passed
• Motion to investigate mobile billboards and report back on possible bylaw changes — Passed
• Environmental stewardship / turtle conservation motion — Passed
• Bylaws 84-2026 through 88-2026 — Approved

Attendees

• Mayor Patrick Brown
• Deputy Mayor Harkirat Singh
• Councillor Dennis Keenan
• Councillor Michael Palleschi
• Councillor Martin Medeiros
• Councillor Navjit Kaur Brar
• Councillor Rod Power
• Councillor Pat Fortini
• Councillor Gurpartap Singh Toor
• Councillor Rowena Santos
• Councillor Paul Vicente