Ontario shorting $868M per year to Peel for community services in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon, report says
Published May 24, 2024 at 12:23 pm
Non-profit agencies say the province is shortchanging community service funding in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon leading to more costs for taxpayers, according to a new report.
The data comes from a new report that shows Peel Region receives less per capita provincial funding for municipal and social services than the average Ontarian – a gap that the Metamorphosis Network says saw the municipalities reallocate $138 per person from annual property taxes to make up the funds.
From municipal services, school board funding, local health networks and more, the Metamorphosis says Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon have a $868 million shortfall in provincial funding – a gap which costs each resident $578 per year, according to the report.
When looking at per capita funding in jurisdictions with over 500,000 people like Toronto, Ottawa and Hamilton, the report found provincial support in Peel is “persistently low,” finishing in last place. The region also receives approximately $145 less per resident when compared to municipalities with populations of 50,000, according to the report.
CEO of Catholic Family Services Peel-Dufferin Sharon Mayne said the report shines a light on a “longstanding, severe and unsustainable funding gap in Peel Region.”
“Everyone deserves reliable services no matter where they live. This is an issue that starts in Queen’s Park and we urge the provincial government to take immediate action to ensure fair and adequate funding for our region,” Mayne said in a statement.
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Peel resident Melissa Harricharan says she and her family rely on community services and have seen how stretched the region is with long waitlists and limited capacity. She’s calling on Brampton MPPs to bring the report’s findings to Queen’s Park “to make sure that these gaps don’t continue.”
With Mississauga in the middle of a mayoral byelection, the Metamorphosis Network is urging candidates to call for better funding for Peel.
The Metamorphosis Network is a group of over 100 non-profit agencies formed in response to Ontario’s now scrapped plan to break Peel Region and let Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon become stand-alone municipalities.
The province backtracked on those plans in December and directed its Transition Board to instead look for ways to improve efficiencies in the region, including transferring regional services like garbage pickup and wastewater to the individual municipalities.
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