Brampton City Council held a hybrid meeting addressing community health initiatives, infrastructure projects, and service improvements. The council approved a pilot program for environmentally sustainable road repair technology, increased penalties for illegal short-term rentals, and ordered a comprehensive citywide daycare review. The city also received an additional $5 million in federal Housing Accelerator funding, bringing the total to $114 million. Community delegations highlighted food insecurity affecting 1 in 4 Peel residents and requested support for running clubs and youth intervention programs.

Topics Discussed

Hot-In-Place Asphalt Recycling Pilot Program The Public Works department presented a pilot project to test hot-in-place recycling technology for road resurfacing on 5 kilometers of roadway. The technology heats, mills, and relays asphalt on-site within 15 minutes, allowing roads to reopen quickly. Staff anticipates 25-30% cost savings compared to conventional methods, though the surface may last approximately 5 years less than traditional approaches. The technology eliminates trucking old asphalt off-site and bringing new asphalt in, significantly reducing environmental impact. Staff explained: "It's really about environmental sustainability...typically during a conventional methodology...you'll mill the asphalt, you'll then truck it off site, you'll truck in new asphalt. So you're really foregoing a lot of that." Councillor Plesi moved to refer the item to the next full council meeting to allow more time for review.

311 Customer Service System Modernization The city is implementing a new 311 system with a dashboard feature allowing residents to track service requests in real-time, similar to package tracking. The system will send text message updates and require frontline staff to provide detailed explanations rather than simple checkbox responses. All operating departments will receive customer service training. However, significant gaps were identified: flooding and stormwater pond maintenance lack reporting categories, and calls from border roads are being misdirected to neighboring municipalities due to cell tower location tracking. The system operates on a three-tier priority system, with calls automatically routed through an IVR system.

Short-Term Rental Bylaw Enforcement Council approved amendments to increase penalties for short-term rental violations. Current fines of $250 are being raised to $500-$750 for violations and up to $1,000 for operating without a license. Staff noted this is "a very limited issue" affecting only 3 bed and breakfast establishments. The changes were benchmarked against regional municipalities including Mississauga, Vaughan, and Hamilton.

Housing Accelerator Funding and Zoning Changes The city received an additional $5 million in Housing Accelerator funding, bringing the total to $114 million. Most commitments around Additional Residential Units and intensification have been completed through the new comprehensive zoning bylaw. The city has already permitted fourplexes "as of right" along support corridors and rapid transit corridors, with a study underway to explore expanding these permissions. The garden suite incentive program was cancelled after funding only 3-4 suites, though CMHC deemed the city's commitments complete.

Citywide Daycare Review Ordered Council approved a motion directing staff to conduct a comprehensive review of how daycares are planned and controlled through site plan approval processes across all land use categories. Staff will return with recommendations on April 8th, which may include amendments to the official plan and zoning bylaws. The motion passed with one opposition from Councillor Tour.

Motions

Passed: - Fire apparatus procurement (Item 9.2.1) - approved via consent - Special event road closures for Farmers Market, Rotary Ribbon Roll, and Winter Lights Festival (Item 8.2.2) - approved via consent - Property purchase agreement for 8550 Airport Road for Intertotal Drive widening project (Item 15.3) - approved via consent - Referral of Flower City Run Club delegation to Community Safety & Well-being team and Nurturing Neighborhood Program - Receipt of information from Restart Charity presentation - Short-term rental bylaw amendments increasing penalties (Item 10.2.1) - Housing Accelerator funding allocation update (Item 12.2.4) - 311 modernization project update with direction to add visual examples to website (Item 12.2.3) - Comprehensive citywide daycare review with recommendations due April 8th - Ratification of agreement for purchase and sale of 8550 Airport Road

Deferred/Referred: - Hot-in-place asphalt recycling pilot program - referred to next full council meeting for additional information - Contract management system enhancement - referred to next meeting with enhanced reporting - Multi-year sponsorship and naming rights agreement - referred to staff for procedural direction

Rejected: - None explicitly mentioned

Attendees

Present: - Mayor Brown - Deputy Mayor Singh (online) - Councillor Power (online) - Councillor Brar (online) - Councillor Santos - Councillor Tour/Toure - Councillor Plesi - Councillor Keenan

Absent: - Councillor Martin Medeiros (absent due to death of his mother; moment of silence held)