M I N U T E S   IRAC-2013-4

The Intergovernmental Relations Advisory Committee (IRAC) met on Thursday, September 5, 2013, at 11:07 a.m. in the Council Chamber, 2nd Floor, Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives (PAMA), 9 Wellington Street East, Brampton.

Members Present:	B. Crombie¨; S. Hames; E. Kolb; E. Moore; R. Paterak; J. Sanderson; R. Starr; A. Thompson; J. Tovey
Members Absent:	C. Fonseca, due to other municipal business; P. Saito, due to other municipal business
Also Present:	D. Szwarc, Chief Administrative Officer; N. Trim, Chief Financial Officer and Commissioner of Corporate Services; J. Smith, Commissioner of Health Services; J. Menard, Commissioner of Human Services; A. Baird, Director, Executive Office; L. Duarte, Director, Strategic Policy, Planning and Partnerships; Human Services; D. Arbuckle, Manager, Public Policy and Government Relations; L. Rubin-Vaughan, Senior Advisor, Government Relations; K. Lockyer, Regional Clerk and Director of Clerk’s; C. Thomson, Committee Clerk; J. Schwartz, Acting Legislative Assistant; S. Valleau, Legislative Assistant

_______________________________
* See text for arrivals
¨See text for departures

Chaired by Councillor A. Thompson

1. DECLARATIONS OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST - Nil

2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA

RECOMMENDATION IRAC-9-2013:

That the agenda for the September 5, 2013 Intergovernmental Relations Advisory Committee meeting, be approved.

3. DELEGATIONS

a) Kyle Seeback, Member of Parliament, Brampton West, Regarding Opportunities for Collaboration on Issues within the Brampton West Riding

Received

A copy of the presentation is available from the Office of the Regional Clerk.

Kyle Seeback, Member of Parliament (MP), Brampton West, introduced Stella Ambler, MP, Mississauga South, and stated that he had invited her to join him for his delegation to the Intergovernmental Relations Advisory Committee.

Kyle Seeback reviewed key highlights of the 2013 Federal Budget which includes approximately $53.5 billion in new and existing funding for provincial, territorial and municipal infrastructure projects. The 2013 Economic Action Plan delivers a new 10-year Building Canada Fund to build roads, bridges, subways, commuter rail, and other public infrastructure in cooperation with provinces, territories and municipalities and includes $21.8 billion in Gas Tax Funds (GTF). The funding responds to key “asks” of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities by providing municipalities with greater flexibility in the range of eligible projects for funding and indexing of the GTF. He noted that since 2006, the Government of Canada has provided more than $135 million through various programs for projects in the City of Brampton, including funding for Chinguacousy Park, the Peel Heritage Complex expansion and revitalization, replacement of old watermains and phases I and II of Brampton’s AcceleRide program.

Kyle Seeback further highlighted planned federal investments in affordable housing which include the investment of more than $2 billion, through the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, to support households living in existing social housing and to improve the quality of life for low-income Canadians who are homeless, or at risk of homelessness, seniors, persons with disabilities, recent immigrants and Aboriginal people.

Kyle Seeback stated that the redevelopment of the Peel Memorial Hospital site is an important issue and indicated his support and involvement in advocating for funding for infrastructure upgrades required for the construction of the new hospital.

Stella Ambler noted that since 2006, $2.26 billion has been reinvested for transportation in the Greater Toronto Area which demonstrates the commitment of the federal government to work in partnership with provinces and municipalities.

Councillor Sanderson suggested that a north/south Light Rail Transit line (LRT) along Hurontario Street from Lakeshore Road in the City of Mississauga to downtown Brampton would not result in a significant reduction in the number of cars on the road compared to an east/west LRT. He noted that the destination of people travelling from Brampton is to employment areas such as the area surrounding the airport and downtown Toronto. Councillor Sanderson stated that all day GO Transit service would provide a greater benefit to Brampton commuters, noting that the newly constructed Mount Pleasant GO station is underused due to the lack of all day service. He noted that Brampton is one of only two municipalities in Ontario that has a GO Transit station within walking distance of its downtown area and requested that consideration be given as to how the federal government could assist with this issue.

Kyle Seeback acknowledged the need for all day GO Transit service to Brampton, noting that any LRT system would need to result in a significant decrease in commuter traffic time in order to make it worth the investment.

Councillor Moore noted that in order to provide all day GO Transit service to Brampton, the Canadian National Railway would need to “twin” its track from the Bramalea GO station to the downtown area and to the Mount Pleasant station, which it is not willing to do. She suggested that the issue of all day GO Transit service to Brampton is a project that all levels of government should have an interest in. Councillor Moore reiterated that the approach of the Intergovernmental Relations Advisory Committee is to share its identified priorities with the upper levels of government and ask how the Region of Peel and area municipal governments could assist in presenting a strong business case through the sharing of studies and reports that ensure elected officials are well prepared to represent local interests.

Kyle Seeback indicated his interest in engaging the government with respect to the LRT and all day GO Transit service for Brampton, and requested that he be provided with copies of any studies or reports related to the two issues.

Councillor Tovey noted that while the north/west LRT would likely not benefit the City of Brampton, it is expected to take 30 buses off the road in the City of Mississauga and save 20 minutes on the average commute time.

Councillor Tovey emphasized the challenge for municipalities in trying to address existing and future infrastructure needs with only property tax revenue, stating that there will come a point when municipalities will not be able to accommodate growth. Councillor Tovey noted that municipalities own 63 per cent of the country’s infrastructure but receive only eight cents of every tax dollar.

Councillor Paterak noted his appreciation for the indexing of the Gas Tax Fund and stated that a new form of revenue for municipalities is required, that is indexed to the economy. Councillor Paterak suggested that the total “tax package” should be examined, including the allocation of tax funds to the various levels of government.

Several Councillors reiterated the need for the federal and provincial governments to partner with municipalities in providing stable, predictable and long-term infrastructure funding to ensure Canadian cities remain strong and viable.

Councillor Crombie departed at 11:55 a.m., due to other municipal business.

4. REPORTS

	a)	2013 Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Annual Conference Update (Oral)
			Discussion led by Allan Thompson, Chair, Intergovernmental Relations Advisory Committee

Deferred to the next Intergovernmental Relations Advisory Committee meeting

a) Federal News
b) Provincial News
c) Local News

Received

A copy of the presentation is available from the Office of the Regional Clerk.

6. COMMUNICATIONS - Nil

7. IN CAMERA MATTERS - Nil

8. OTHER BUSINESS - Nil

9. NEXT MEETING

The next meeting of the Intergovernmental Relations Advisory Committee is scheduled for Thursday, October 3, 2013 at 11:00 a.m., Council Chamber, 5th floor, Regional Administrative Headquarters, Suite A, 10 Peel Centre Drive, Brampton, Ontario.

Please forward regrets to Christine Thomson, Committee Clerk, (905) 791-7800, ext. 4582 or at christine.thomson@peelregion.ca.

Regional Chair Kolb thanked the Members of Parliament for their attendance at the IRAC meeting and expressed his appreciation for the federal funding that contributed to the upgrades and renovations to the Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives.

10. ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at 12:08 p.m.