Window closing to give feedback on new water service transfer in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon

Time is running out for residents to give feedback on Ontario’s plan to shift water service responsibility from the region to Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon.

Ontario’s Bill 60, also called the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, could give the province authority over planning rules, bike and transit lanes, and introduce new “as-of-right” zoning that could reduce municipalities’ control over the height, density, and design of developments.

But the bill also makes changes to the Municipal Act, which would create a new public corporation to transfer water and wastewater services from Peel Region to the three lower-tier municipalities.

If passed, the bill would create a framework for the three municipalities to take over water and wastewater services by the start of 2029.

The new services would be incorporated under the Ontario Business Corporations Act, and “would be jointly owned by Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon,” the province says.

Residents can give their feedback on the proposed plan online until Nov. 22.

The bill would lay the groundwork for a new Water and Wastewater Public Corporations Act, which could give the province oversight powers over rate plans, set requirements for a board of directors, and empower the corporation to impose and collect fees and charges.

The province hasn’t said how much the service transfer is expected to cost, and says the proposal “is part of a multi-year pathway,” adding that the total costs “would need to be considered cumulatively at the time of local implementation.”

RELATED: Higher taxes and no control over house height possible under Bill 60 rules, Brampton councillors say

Transferring water services is the result of the province’s watered-down plans to break up Peel Region and leave Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon. The Hazel McCallion Act was introduced in 2023 to break up Peel, but that plan was scrapped in favour of downloading regionally-managed services like water and garbage pick up to the municipalities.

New municipality-run waste pick-up programs were initially set to start in January, but those plans have been pushed back more than a year in Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon.

The transfer arrangement will see the three municipalities assume responsibility for curbside and multi-residential waste collection, while the region will keep control of Community Recycling Centres, and the transfer, processing, and waste disposal services.

Under the Peel Transition Implementation Act, the three municipalities are also slated to take over responsibilities for regional roads in July of 2026.