A Weekly Column by Jagruti Bhatt, Candidate for Mayor of Brampton
BRAMPTON — Brampton is our home. It is where we raise our families, build our careers, operate our businesses and plan for retirement. But an increasingly important question is being asked around kitchen tables across our city: Is Brampton still affordable for the average family?
Many residents are feeling intense financial pressure. In some households, both spouses are working long hours or holding more than one job, yet mortgage or rent payments, groceries, utilities, transportation, insurance and taxes continue to consume an increasing share of household income.
For many families, the problem is no longer simply how much they earn. It is how much is left after paying the bills.
Depending on the household, housing alone can cost thousands of dollars every month. Add property taxes, auto insurance, groceries, electricity, natural gas, water, internet, transportation and other expenses, and a family can quickly face monthly costs running into several thousand dollars.
These pressures are not all controlled by Brampton City Hall. Interest rates, provincial insurance regulations, inflation and many housing policies fall under federal or provincial jurisdiction. However, municipal government does control important areas including the City portion of property taxes, municipal fees, transit, local planning, licensing and the delivery of many services.
That is where I believe Brampton City Hall must become more focused on affordability.
If elected Mayor of Brampton, I would pursue six priorities aimed at protecting household budgets while making municipal government simpler and more responsive to residents.
First, I would seek major changes to Brampton’s Residential Rental Licensing framework. I would bring a proposal before City Council to replace the existing model with what I call Occupancy C.A.R.E. — a simpler, resident-friendly approach focused on legitimate health, fire and building-safety requirements.
Rental housing must be safe. Overcrowding, dangerous construction and serious fire-code violations cannot be ignored. At the same time, responsible homeowners should not feel that they are being unnecessarily burdened by overlapping rules, paperwork and administrative requirements.
My objective would be a system that respects applicable building, fire, zoning and property standards while reducing unnecessary duplication and making compliance easier to understand.
Second, I would make property-tax restraint a priority.
A mayor cannot simply eliminate municipal costs, and decisions on Brampton’s property-tax levy ultimately require City Council approval. But the mayor can lead a serious review of spending priorities.
I would ask every department to distinguish essential services from expenditures that can be delayed, reduced or eliminated. Before asking taxpayers for more money, City Hall should demonstrate that existing dollars are being spent responsibly.
I would also explore legally available relief and rebate programs for seniors and other qualifying households facing financial hardship.
Third, I would use the mayor’s office to press the Ontario government and provincial regulators for action on auto insurance affordability.
Brampton motorists have long expressed frustration over insurance premiums and the impact that geographic rating can have on what drivers pay. Although auto insurance is regulated provincially rather than municipally, the Mayor of Brampton should be a strong advocate for residents on an issue that has such a significant impact on household budgets.
Fourth, I would undertake a comprehensive review of City licensing and business fees.
Small businesses, personal-service operators and home-based entrepreneurs create jobs and keep money circulating in our community. I would work with Council toward reducing qualifying municipal licensing and administrative fees, with a target of 30 to 50 per cent where financially and legally feasible.
The objective should be straightforward: maintain necessary health, safety and consumer protections without making legitimate entrepreneurship unnecessarily expensive or complicated.
Fifth, I would make affordable and efficient public transit a major priority.
Transportation is one of the largest expenses for many Brampton households. When a family requires a second or third vehicle, the combined cost of financing, fuel, maintenance and insurance can be substantial.
I would work with Council and other levels of government to examine ways of providing greater transit affordability, particularly for seniors, students and residents who depend heavily on public transportation. Better transit is not simply a transportation policy; it can also be an affordability policy.
Sixth, I would push for more affordable housing and stronger community food-support partnerships.
I would support accelerating appropriate affordable-housing projects involving suitable City-owned lands while working with other levels of government and community organizations to expand housing opportunities.
Food affordability also deserves attention. The City cannot control grocery prices, but it can work with community organizations, food banks, co-operatives and other partners to strengthen local food-security initiatives and help vulnerable residents access nutritious food.
My philosophy is simple: your home should be your sanctuary, not a source of unnecessary fear or administrative stress.
Government has a responsibility to enforce legitimate rules that protect public safety and the rights of neighbours. But enforcement should be fair, understandable and respectful. Residents who are following the law should be treated as citizens to be served, not as problems to be managed.
Brampton is growing rapidly, but success cannot be measured only by the number of new buildings, developments or people living here. We must also ask whether families can afford to stay here, whether seniors can remain in the homes they worked decades to build, whether young people can imagine buying their first home, and whether small businesses can afford to grow.
That is the Brampton affordability conversation I want to have.
If elected mayor, I will not pretend that City Hall can solve inflation, set interest rates, regulate insurance companies or control grocery prices. Those responsibilities belong largely to other levels of government.
But I will insist that Brampton municipal government do everything within its authority to keep costs under control, eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy, improve services and advocate forcefully for residents when decisions made elsewhere affect their lives.
Brampton doesn’t need City Hall to make life more complicated. It needs municipal leadership that protects taxpayers, respects homeowners, supports businesses and remembers that behind every tax bill is a family working hard to pay it.
My commitment is to work toward a Brampton that is affordable, safe, welcoming and respectful — a city where residents can once again say with confidence: My home. My Brampton. My sanctuary.
Article by Jagruti Bhatt
Candidate for Mayor of Brampton
Guest Column for GTA Chronicle
Phone: 905-793-3054
Email: info@jagrutibhatt.ca
Website: flowercitybrampton.ca
Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and WhatsApp
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of GTA Chronicle.
Issued and authorized by the Jagruti Bhatt Campaign, Candidate for Mayor of Brampton.
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