Ford Moves to Split Peel Region—Mississauga’s Mayor Is Happy, Brampton’s Is Worried

Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks inside the legislature, in Toronto on Sept. 4, 2022. The Canadian Press/Christopher Katsarov

Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie has long wanted what she calls “Mexit”—a separation of her city from Brampton and Caledon—as she says Mississauga has long paid the lion’s share for Peel Region services. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Monday he supports Mexit, and the province is expected to announce on Thursday legislation to make it happen.

“I’m delighted that the premier has publicly stated that he’s on the way to separating Peel,” Crombie said at a joint press conference with Ford at a Mississauga firefighter training facility on May 15.

“It gives me great, great pleasure. I know he’s fulfilling a promise to [late] former mayor Hazel McCallion and myself,” she said. “This makes great sense that we go our separate ways. It’s more cost effective.”

“I’ve always been for an independent Mississauga,” Ford said. “You can’t have a city the size of Mississauga—close to 800,000 people and it’s continuing to grow—being tied into other jurisdictions.”

Mississauga at one time funded 70 percent of the region while having only 50 percent of the vote, Crombie told CP24 on May 17. With Brampton’s growth, Mississauga is now funding 60 percent, she said, but also transferring $84 million annually to Brampton for roads, policing, and more.

How to Divide Services

She advocates for a user-pays system for Peel Regional Police, which she says should remain intact. She said Mississauga has been paying more because of its greater population even though Brampton needs more policing.

Similarly, she said the shared water services could be run by an outside board and function on a user-pays system.

It would be “very neat and tidy to execute,” she said.

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown, on the other hand, said he’s worried Brampton will be left in the lurch. “I’m not against the divorce,” he said in an interview on TVO’s The Agenda on May 17. “But do your homework,” he said, quoting McCallion. “Tell me how the critical infrastructure will work out. I have not seen a plan.”

He said he has gotten assurances from the province that it will help Brampton, but he remains wary.  He said in a tweet, “No dissolution without compensation for critical regional infrastructure our hard working #Brampton residents paid for outside of our City.”

“We have never been in favour of separation,” said Caledon Mayor Annette Groves on The Agenda. “Divorces are very expensive.”

She said she has, however, had positive discussions with Ford about this. He knows, for example, that the city will need provincial help building affordable housing. “Leaving that meeting, I was very confident we have a partner in the province of Ontario.”