News

Brampton commits to investment strategy for a university

​Brampton, ON – Today at Committee of Council, Brampton Councillors committed to an investment strategy for a new university facility and a centre for education, innovation and collaboration in downtown Brampton.

Council endorsed, in principle, investing up to $50M over 10 years into a post-secondary facility, and up to $100M into joint-use community space to support a university, business innovation and collaboration, community interaction, and cultural growth.

“Today, Brampton City Council has demonstrated leadership and a commitment to the future of Brampton,” said Mayor Linda Jeffrey. “Securing a university, and all the associated economic and social benefits, has been a priority for the City and I’m very pleased we’ve taken this bold step to support a positive outcome for our residents, our businesses, our youth, and our future. I want to personally thank the members of the Blue Ribbon Panel and all our city staff for getting the university conversation to where it is today.”

The commitment sets levels for the City’s funding, and specific decisions around timing, type of funding, and sources of funding will be made at a later time. Ryerson University and Sheridan College will be submitting its final proposal to the Province in early Fall, and the Province is expected to announce details later in the year. Once these plans are clear, staff will prepare a detailed report highlighting specific recommendations for Council, as well as explicit performance measures and targets.

A joint-use centre for education, innovation and collaboration could include a new central library, and entrepreneurial and cultural space in close proximity to a university facility in Downtown Brampton.  This would be a creative space with unique attributes and advanced technology – embodying Brampton Library’s vision of ‘inspiring connections,’ reinventing the city’s cultural image across the country, supporting collaborative learning, and creating new business opportunities.

The City commissioned urbanMetrics Inc. to develop a report on the economic and social benefits of a new university facility and a centre for education, innovation and collaboration, which is expected to be complete late in October. urbanMetrics also delivered a similar study in 2015 that highlighted significant benefits for Brampton. The new report will build on those findings with more specific details based on plans and visions to date.

Staff will also begin working with the City’s partners on a Memorandum of Understanding, outlining details of the partnership and establishing a process for measuring the impact of the municipal investment.

All partners are fully engaged in planning new postsecondary facilities focused on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics – skills important to current and future employers, and often grouped together under the acronym STEAM.

Quick facts:
• An economic impact study of a 5,000 student post-secondary facility in Brampton estimated construction would add more than 1,800 jobs, and ongoing operations would add more than 1,500 jobs
• Graduates of Ontario universities earn $37,397 more per year than Canadian high school graduates
• Initial analysis by urbanMetrics Inc. suggests that a centre for education, innovation and collaboration in Brampton will result in visitor spending of $18.3 million a year
• Every dollar invested in a library in Canada generates a return of anywhere from $3 to $7

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Brampton is thinking bigger. We are a future ready organization with a sharp focus. We know our community’s growth, youth and diversity set us apart. We sit at the centre of Canada’s innovation super corridor, encouraging investment and growing our global success. We are building vibrant urban centres that ignite opportunity and instill pride in the people who live and work here. We are moving Brampton forward to be a connected city that is innovative, inclusive and bold. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Learn more at www.brampton.ca.

MEDIA CONTACT
Natalie Stogdill
Media Coordinator
City of Brampton
905.874.3654 |  natalie.stogdill@brampton.ca

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Award-winning Artists to Take Over Brampton for New and Improved Jazz Festival

(Brampton, ON – August 29, 2017) After 5 years, Brampton’s Jazz festival returns bigger and better than ever on September 9th. World of Jazz will take place across various venues in downtown Brampton, hosting dozens of artists and bands showcasing the diversity, tradition and culture of jazz music to thousands of attendees. Among those slated to perform are Grammy award winning and Juno nominated artists.
The festival is being run by new organizers B-Jazzed, a Brampton-based non-profit that is excited to take on the challenge of bringing a jazz festival back to Brampton — and one to brag about. “B-Jazzed was started to fill a void that exists in Peel. With the absence of the Brampton Arts Council, no one is championing musical arts let alone the timeless heritage of Jazz in all its forms today,” says Joe Asensio, one of the group’s co-founders.

Joe, along with his partner, Brampton jazz musician and composer Carmen Spada, are convinced that Canada’s 9th largest city should have an event that showcases its home bred talent. Over 60% of the ensembles at World of Jazz will be led by musicians either originally from the city or currently living here.

Spada, who is also the Festival’s Artistic Director and performer, believes “that there is a strong and vibrant jazz community in this city, and hopes that B-Jazzed can be the source to create opportunities for these musicians.”

On piano, vocals and accordion, Spada will appear on the Main Stage, backed by the 16-piece Toronto Jazz Orchestra. The night’s headliner, Larnell Lewis, is also a Brampton native, one of Canada’s hottest young drummers and a recipient of the Emerging Jazz Artist Award from the Toronto Arts Foundation. The lineup also includes, but is not limited to, New York’s Gregorio Uribe, Autorickshaw, the Cates-Fomin Project and Saint “O”. All musicians will bring their own flair and will highlight a number different fusions of jazz throughout the one day festival.

The festival will host student performances and post festival jam sessions at Wendel Clark’s giving musicians, of various skill levels a chance to showcase their talents and be included in a wonderful day of free music.

The festival will also provide the unique opportunity to experience a musical petting zoo hosted
by Long & McQuade where visitors can touch, play and learn new instruments.Key to the festival’s inaugural presentation has been the support from the City of Brampton’s Community Grant Program, the Downtown Brampton BIA, many local downtown sponsors – PAMA, Cantina Fellini Wine Bar, Vesuvio’s Ristorante, The Wee Smoke Shop – and corporate sponsors such as The Printing House and Assured Mortgage Services. Brampton Focus, The Bramptonist, and The Brampton Guardian have also been key media supporters.

An important part of the festival will be giving back to the community. B-Jazzed has partnered with Knights Table to run a Food Drive the day of the festival. It’s an organization that Joe Asensio’s Real Estate Brokerage and title sponsor, JN Asensio Realty Inc., has supported in the past. Everyone planning on attending is encouraged to enjoy a day of free entertainment while donating a non-perishable food item.

For more information contact:
Cindy Cibantos Joe Asensio
Event Day Coordinator Executive Director
B-Jazzed B-Jazzed
905-488-4926 647-688-3700
info@b-jazzed.ca joe@b-jazzed.ca
www.worldofjazz.ca
@worldofjazzfest

About B-Jazzed
B-Jazzed is a not-for-profit group presenting the World of Jazz Festival in Downtown Brampton.
B-Jazzed is committed to curating performances and fulfilling the “ed” portion of the name by
conducting clinics and masterclasses to music students. The group looks to be a contributor to
the growth and development of the City of Brampton and to be a source of support to its
emerging arts community.

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NOTICE OF STUDY COMPLETION Downtown Streetscaping Improvements

Downtown Streetscaping Improvements

Main Street (Wellington Street to Nelson Street East) and Queen Street (Mill Street South to Chapel Street) Municipal Class Environmental Assessment Study

The Study
As part of downtown revitalization efforts, the City of Brampton has completed a Class Environmental Assessment
(EA) for streetscaping the downtown to create an aesthetically beautiful environment. The main objectives were to
study alternatives that will capitalize on the walkability, pedestrian capacity and active transportation in the
downtown, and to animate these streets to become a place making destination. A number of alternatives for
streetscaping have been examined including their impacts to the social, cultural, and natural environments.

The Process
The study has been undertaken as a Schedule “C” process in coordination with the Region of Peel’s Downtown
Brampton Capital Project Phase 1, and in accordance with the planning and design process as outlined in the
Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (Class EA) document (October 2000, as amended in 2007, 2011 and
2015), which is approved under the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act. A key component of the study was
consultation with stakeholders (public and regulatory agencies) at two Public Information Centres (PIC’s). A notice
of Study Commencement inviting initial input was published on November 24, 2017, and PIC’s were held on
February 23 and April 27, 2017.

Following the April 27, 2017 PIC, the preferred alternative was reviewed taking into account comments received
from the public and regulatory agencies and modified as required. The recommended alternative includes:

  • Widening sidewalks by reconfiguring Main Street and Queen Street to one lane in each direction and
    removing on-street parking within the limits of the study; and
  • Implementing segregated cycle lanes in each direction.

The Environmental Study Report
An Environmental Study Report (ESR) has been prepared to document the planning and decision making
processes that were followed. By this notice, the ESR is being placed on the public record for a 30-day review
period (starting August 31, 2017 and ending September 30, 2017) in accordance with the requirements of the
Municipal Class EA. The ESR is available for review at the following locations:

The City of Brampton
Clerk’s Department
2 Wellington Street West
Brampton, ON, L6Y 4R2
Mon.-Fri.: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The Region of Peel
Clerk’s Department
10 Peel Centre Drive, 5th Floor
Brampton, ON, L6T 4B9
Mon.-Fri.: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Brampton Library
Four Corners Branch
65 Queen Street East
Brampton, ON, L6W 3L6
Mon.-Thu.: 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Fri.: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Sat.: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Sun.: 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The ESR is also available at www.brampton.ca/downtownstreetscape under the “Updates” tab.

For more information, please click the following link: Notice of Study Completion_2017-08-31.