MedTech Hub, Transit Advanced - Committee of Council - April 15, 2026

Brampton City Council advanced initiatives tied to healthcare innovation, emergency-services funding, and transit infrastructure, including support for a Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) wet-lab project connected to the new TMU School of Medicine. Council also heard a delegation from Brampton firefighters urging the province to adopt a 911 levy to help fund emergency services, and authorized procurement for battery-electric buses. Residents also raised a long-running safety issue involving deteriorating Highway 410 sound barriers, and council approved a request for staff to study a proposal to extend women’s gym memberships by seven days.

Topics Discussed

MedTech Hub and Wet Lab Infrastructure: Council endorsed moving forward with an economic development initiative to establish Brampton as a healthcare innovation hub, including wet lab space tied to TMU’s presence in the city. Speakers pointed to the need for local lab capacity, noting: “There is a critical shortage of wet lab space across the GTA,” and that TMU has “a unique opportunity to position Brampton as a hub for Ontario made innovation, job creation and commercialization in life sciences, biotech, medical devices, digital health, and clean technologies.” Deputy Mayor Singh framed the work as “bringing all stakeholders together, collaborating and finding a way forward for not just medical excellence but also the economic opportunities that emerge from a medical school.” Councillor Santos argued the city needs to better explain how the pieces fit together, saying residents “unfortunately don't know the connecting pieces and parts of this amazing…puzzle.”

Fire Services Provincial Funding and 911 Levy Proposal: Brent Robilard, President of the Brampton Professional Firefighters Association, told council that growth has “placed unprecedented demands on our fire services.” He said the current funding model leaves the service unable to meet both growth needs and provincial training/technology requirements, warning: “Under the current funding model, we simply cannot do both effectively without passing on a major burden to our taxpayers.” The association advocated for a 911 levy on phone bills, with one presenter stating: “In Ontario with over 15 million wireless users, a similar small-scale levy would generate over $214 million annually.” Mayor Patrick Brown backed the concept, saying, “The fact that every province except for two has this tool to make sure we can properly support emergency services, I think is a terrific initiative.” Council referred the issue to government relations staff for advocacy through AMO and other municipal organizations.

Electric Transit Expansion: Council authorized staff to begin procurement for a battery-electric bus contract covering 40-foot (12-metre) and 60-foot (18-metre) buses for conventional and BRT service, for a three-year initial term with two one-year renewal options. The authorization followed the staff direction that “staff subject to fleet requirements and funding be authorized to begin a…procurement for a new battery electric bus contract.” Council also passed a motion requiring transit staff to report back on the status and timelines for Metrolinx projects in Brampton, including the Queen Street BRT and all-day GO service.

Highway 410 Sound Barrier Deterioration (Nature Court / Nadley Court): Residents described ongoing problems with deteriorating sound barriers along Highway 410 and asked council to help resolve responsibility between the City and the Ministry of Transportation Ontario. One resident told council: “We realize it's not on your property. It's not on MTO's property, but it is a serious issue and so we're hoping that someone will take up the challenge instead of passing responsibility back and forth because I've gone around in circles for years.” Rita Harala asked council to attend on site, saying, “Our health and safety should be a priority. I respectively invite Mr. Mayor Brown and the members of council to visit Nature Court and Nadley Court to witness the issue firsthand and better understand the urgency of this situation.” Council referred the matter to staff to contact MTO and discussed mayoral correspondence to the Minister of Transportation.

Women’s Gym Membership Extension Proposal: Councillor Plesi asked staff to explore whether women’s monthly gym memberships could be extended by seven days, arguing some members do not use the full month due to menstrual cycles. Plesi said: “women currently don't use the full month because of their menstrual cycle… and I wanted to see if there's an opportunity where we could move our monthly membership for women to an additional week.” Council approved directing staff to research comparable examples and consult members.

Motions

Passed: - Motion to support and endorse the MedTech Task Force recommendations and move forward with healthcare innovation hub development - Motion to refer 911 levy advocacy to Government Relations staff for inclusion in AMO, LUMCO, and OBCMC advocacy efforts - Motion to direct staff to research women’s gym membership extension and report back - Motion to approve land exchange between City of Brampton and Peel District School Board: 1.922 acres at 1495 Sandalwood Parkway for 2.379 acres at 415 Great Lakes Drive (Item 15.3) - Motion to authorize procurement for battery electric bus contract for 40-foot and 60-foot buses (Item 15.4) - Motion regarding Queen Street BRT and all-day GO service, amended to require transit staff to report on Metrolinx project status and timelines

Referred to Staff / Approved on Consent (as listed on the agenda): - Delegation regarding acquisition of landlocked city property on Copeland Woodlock (Item 6.2) — referred for staff recommendations - Delegation regarding Highway 410 noise wall deterioration — referred to public works to contact MTO - Shopping cart management staff report and Walmart correspondence — approved on consent - Susan Fennell Sportsplex interior facility enhancements procurement — approved on consent - Canada Day 2026 safety restrictions and protocols report — approved on consent - Altitude Accelerator agreement amendment — approved on consent

Attendees

Present: Mayor Patrick Brown, Deputy Mayor Singh, Councillor Santos, Councillor Medeiros, Councillor Plesi, Councillor Keenan, Councillor Fortini.

Note: Chair Versante declared a conflict of interest on Item 15.5 (PMA facility transition verbal update) due to living across from the facility.