Commentaire 24 – commentaires et rétroaction

Sonia Sidhu

Community Concerns Regarding Boundary Changes in Brampton South

1 Overview and Purpose [Executive Summary]

First, please allow me the opportunity to recognize and thank you for the important work Members of the Commission are doing for the fair and sound democratic representation of Ontarians and all Canadians.

I am the Member of Parliament for Brampton South and Brampton is a community I've lived and worked in for almost 14 years, and a place I am proud to call home.

In this submission, I would like to talk about three communities in Brampton South who are being adversely impacted by the proposed boundary changes – these are the communities of (1) Historic Brampton, the communities surrounding (2) Susan Fennel Sportsplex and the New Developments in the Southwest, and (3) Churchville.

Immediately below you will find a high level breakdown of the arguments I put forward, and I provide greater context, structure, and granular details in the next section.

In respect to Historic Brampton:

1. Respect Historical Patterns
   1. Previously proposed boundary changes put forward by the Commission in 2012 suggested splitting apart the Historic Core of Brampton.
   2. However, after residents brought forward their concerns advising against this, the Commission recognized the Historic Core as a community of interest/identity and kept the Historic Core of Brampton together.
   3. I call on this commission to respect this historical pattern established by the previous commission and reaffirm its commitment to protecting this community.
   4. See Page 19 of  Report of the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for the Province of Ontario (2012)
2. Communities of Interest/Identity, Shared Values, and Demographics
   1. The areas of "Peel" and the "Four Corners" in Brampton compromise what makes up Historic Brampton (today Armbro Heights is part of this area)
   2. This area has a distinct culture and shared history that is different from the rest of Brampton
   3. The areas that comprise Historic Brampton share a remarkably similar demographic makeup, one that is distinct from the rest of Brampton in terms of language, age, and cultural background
   4. This area has shared common interest in the future development of Historic Brampton
   5. Historic Brampton has been diametrically opposed to transit infrastructure projects that clash with the values of Historic Brampton, while the surrounding suburbs outside are on the opposite end of the issue – showing clear shared interest, values, and priorities among residents of Historic Brampton that makes it different from the rest of Brampton on multiple issues showing the need for Historic Brampton to be kept together.

In respect to Susan Fennel Sportsplex and New Development Area:

1. Communities of Interest/Identity, Shared infrastructure, places of worship, and community/cultural bonds
   1. The Susan Fennel Sportsplex area is home to a diverse community that has been growing over the last 30 years – an area that has been creating its own identity, culture, and history.
   2. This area is home to many places of worship that have resulted in members of their various congregations to specifically move to the area, while at the same time building up community support systems, services, and networks for the South Asian population that has moved here
   3. Over the last 10-15 years this community has grown to include New Developments in the Southwest, who rely on the community support systems, services, and networks of the Susan Fennel Sportsplex area. Moreover, many people in the Susan Fennel Sportsplex area have specifically moved to the New Developments specifically to stay close.
2. Proposed changes have the potential for harm against already marginalized and underrepresented communities
   1. The community that comprises this area is made up of immigrant populations who already face barriers to equitable representation, and splitting them apart now will only further marginalize them and sow further underrepresentation.
   2. The goal of redistribution is to ensure Canadians have the representation they deserve. The current proposed changes go against this principle and are doing more harm than they are good in Brampton, and this is something we cannot allow that to happen.

In respect to Churchville:

1. Communities of Interest/Identity
   1. Churchville is recognized as a historical community in Brampton, and a community that shares a singular identity.
   2. Currently proposed boundary lines would have this community cut off from essential services that have been built around their community to serve them, right across the railway line.
   3. While the conventional method of using railways as boundary lines may make things easier when drawing lines on a map, these changes have profound impacts on the communities they impact.

I propose Historic Brampton be kept in Brampton Centre and that Susan Fennel Sportsplex/New Developments be kept in Brampton Southeast. This would put Brampton Southeast within the population target range while also minimizing potential rippling effects felt by other ridings.

I put forward the following boundary lines for Brampton Southeast:

The boundary of the new proposed Brampton Southeast riding can be drawn along Embleton Road between Winston Churchill Blvd. and Mississauga Road and further along Queen St. West between Mississauga Road and Chinguacousy Road.

2 Historic Brampton

2.1 Respecting Historic Patterns and Revisiting 2012 Amendments

The first community I wish to talk about is what I will refer to as Historic Brampton. Before Brampton ever became a city, the areas surrounding Four Corners and Peel Village formed the historic core of Brampton (today this includes Armbro Heights as well).

When this community was proposed to be split apart in the previous 2012 redistribution, the community rallied together and the previous commission recognized the importance of keeping this historical community together and amended the proposed changes at the time to ensure Historic Brampton would be kept together.

Respecting historic patterns is one of the guiding principles of this redistribution, and this is a historic pattern that needs to be reaffirmed.

Below you will find an excerpt from Report of the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for the Province of Ontario (2012) reflecting this.

2.2 Infrastructure Development in the Historic Core

Historic Brampton is set to undergo huge transformation within the next 10 years and much of that work is already underway. This transformation involves all levels of governments and boundary changes will deprive them of representation at any level.

To support this point further, Historic Brampton is set to be home to a new hospital, a new university, and home to a massive riverwalk neighbourhood infrastructure project that aims to revitalize Historic Brampton. Splitting Historic Brampton in two would cause one part of this community to have no say in what goes on in their very neighborhoods where these projects are set to take place.

When a Light Rapid Transit (LRT) project was set to go through Brampton, there was a large divide between "old" and "young" Brampton that caused much debate. An InSauga article demonstrates this divide as following:

"In the aforementioned Globe article, there's mention of the schism between old and young Brampton. Perhaps older generations are clinging to the city's more historical aesthetic and youthful residents are supporting big changes to the city's look and functionality.

According to the article, supporters of the train argue that rejecting it outright could send a message that Brampton's downtown core isn't worth investing in. Those who don't support the LRT argue that there are alternatives, with some people proposing a tunnel that would cost $380 million and would be, at this juncture, unfunded. On the old vs. new split, Custodio agrees that the LRT is good for younger residents."

To provide local context, "Old Brampton" would be Historic Brampton, while "Young Brampton" would be the surrounding Suburbs. As you can see, Historic Brampton and the newer suburban Brampton have different values and priorities.

The areas of Peel Village and Armbro Heights that are being separated from Historic Brampton will be largely overshadowed by a large suburban population with different priorities and will completely lose representation on issues that impact it.

Peel Village and Armbro Heights deserve to be kept with the rest of Historic Brampton as they have the same priorities, interests.

2.3 A History Community of Interest Sharing Demographics

For this section, I kindly request the Commission to view this hyperlinked Census Tract comparison from Statistics Canada that uses data from the 2021 Census to better understand the points being made in this section. In this comparison table you will find Peel Village (Census Tract 5350570.02) being compared to the neighbourhood surrounding Morton Way Public School (Census Tract 5350572.08) which is an area that is immediately outside the Historic Core of Brampton.

For the Commission's reference, you may click on the [i] at the top of the column next to the Census Tract names to view a map of the precise areas being compared. A Census Tract is an area that focuses on the neighbourhood/street level to help quantity smaller areas, and this allows for more precise head-to-head comparisons between areas to better understand the needs of different communities when developing targeted policy.

Brampton is Canada's youngest large city with an average age of just 36.5 – a fact highlighted on the City of Brampton's GeoHub page. The next youngest in a distant second in Ontario is Kingston with an average of 39.

Despite this, Peel Village has an average age of 42.8, which is significantly older than the area around Morton Way Public School with an e average age is 36.3, with Peel Village also having a much higher percentage of their population 65 and over (and 85 and older).

This is because the residents of Historic Brampton are part of a much more mature community that has been in Brampton longer thus skews older. You will find this data in the below excerpt with Peel Village on the left side and the area surrounding Morton Way Public School on the right side.

Brampton also has the highest average number of people per household among Ontario's large cities at 3.6 people per household – with 2.6 people per household being the provincial average.

However, just like how Peel Village (and Historic Brampton) was shown to be an outlier when it comes to age in Brampton, it is also an outlier when it comes to household size.

This is because outside Historic Brampton, much of the population comes from immigrant communities that favour multi-generational and multi-family households.

I would like to emphasize that this comparison can be done using any Census Tract inside Historic Brampton and any other Census Tract outside of it, and I am confident you will find that the same conclusions and findings are reached with each comparison done.

Historic Brampton is a unique area in Brampton, this is especially of its demographic profile which is completely unique from the rest of Brampton. The areas of Peel Village and Armbro Heights share extremely similar demographics to the rest of Historic Brampton, while being very different from the rest of Brampton.

Hyperlinked here is a table comparing "the Four Corners" of Brampton (Aggregate Dissemination Area 35210060) – the absolute centre of Historic Brampton's core at the intersection of Main St and Queen St E – with Peel Village (Census Tract 5350570.02) and Armbro Heights (Census Tract 5350572.01). You may click on the [i] at the top of the columns to view precise maps of the area

3 Susan Fennel Sportsplex and New Development Area

3.1 Area Profile – A Shared Identity, Culture, and History

The second community I wish to highlight resides in the area surrounding Susan Fennel Community Center, a community that has been growing in Brampton for the last 30 years. An area that has been creating their own identity, their own culture, and their own history.

Over the last 10-15 years this community has grown to include what I will refer to as the New Developments in the Southwest as they were built.

These two areas share the same transit infrastructure, they share the same religious buildings, the same shopping centers, the same community centre and recreational areas, and the same social infrastructure.

Religious institutions have played a major role in developing the culture and history of this area. This area is home to a large South Asian population, and many of them have moved specifically here to be close to their places of worship and cultural centres/spaces they could not find elsewhere.

One in particular is Gurdwara Nanaksar, one of the oldest Sikh temples in Canada, and built at a time when Canada did not have many.

As stated on Gurdwara Nanaksar's website, "after the Gurdwara [was] built, a lot of Sangat [congregation] belonging to this institution moved close to the Gurdwara". Their website further states that "A lot of improvements have been done to the building for enhancing its usefulness for Ragiis living here and for the Sangat attached to Gurdwara".

That is to say, after Gurdwara Nanaksar was built it attracted members of the Sikh community to move close by, which led to more shops, services, and community groups to be formed as the population grew. When Sikhs in the area move to the New Developments, a major contributing factor for many of them is to specifically stay close to the Susan Fennel Sportsplex area for high concentration of cultural and religious services that surround it.

Many other places of worship and cultural centres for Muslims, Hindu, and Sikhs share the same story in this area. Outside of Gurdwara Nanaksar this includes Taha Musalla (Masjid Ibrahim), Maa Chintpurni Mandir, and Ha-Meem Musalla are all in the area to serve the large South Asian community that resides here.

To the South Asian community, this area is an iconic one with its own history not recorded in mainstream annals, which makes creating new boundary lines hard to get right for those unfamiliar with the area and its culture.

It is my personal belief that keeping these established cultural and faith-based communities within Brampton Southeast will be important for many, and this is something I have heard from many of my neighbours and residents in the area.

3.2 Avoiding the Potential for Harm and Protecting New Communities

We know one of the guiding principles of redistribution is to respect historical communities and communities of interest when possible.

The Susan Fennell Sportsplex area and New Developments have been working to establish the foundations of their community over the last 30 years. The proposed boundary lines would nullify a lot of that work done, and this has the potential for serious consequences.

The community that comprises this area is made up heavily of immigrant populations who already face barriers to equitable representation, and splitting them apart now will only further marginalize them and sow further underrepresentation.

I fear that once the residents in the New Developments are split they will feel they do not have a say in their own community which will lead to decreased voter turnout and a disengagement from the democratic process.

The goal of redistribution is to ensure Canadians have the representation they deserve, the current proposed changes are – unintentionally – going against this principle and are doing more harm than good in this area, and this is something we cannot allow that to happen.

For the South Asian community, this area is an iconic one with significant cultural significance and an important history.

By failing to acknowledge this area as a community of interest/identity, an unfair playing field is created that favours older pre-established communities. One where only older communities can rally as one, while newer emerging communities in the Canadian landscape continuously get split apart and unable to get the same level of representation they deserve.

This point is further supported Professor John Courtney, who in a report commission by Elections Canada titled "Community of Interest in Electoral Boundary Readjustments" who makes the following points when it comes to judging the importance of communities of interest:

1. "If community of interest were not taken into account, and if electoral districts were constructed solely on the basis of equal populations, the results could be both absurd in their territorial design and unfair to individuals, groups, and communities whose "interests" might be divided among two or more district"
2. "Large numbers of people identify with geographically defined communities of some sort. The communities might result from personal or family attachments to a local church, synagogue or mosque… Based as it is on the principle that neighbourhoods are valuable to maintaining a civic society, the concept of community of interest captures a citizen's identification with a "place" where individuals who live in the same vicinity share a similar interest"
3. "Community of interest can enhance citizen involvement in politics. It has been demonstrated that voter turnout increases when boundary readjustments leave voters in ridings with which they share a strong community of interest. Turnout is negatively affected when boundaries are drawn in such a way as to place voters in ridings where they have less in common."

As you can see, you will find the story of Susan Fennel and the New Developments aligns heavily with Professor Courtney's points, and demonstrates the importance of keeping this area together and the consequences of splitting it apart.

4 Churchville

4.1 Another Historic Community of Interest/Identity Threatened

The final community that I wish to speak about is the Churchville community.

Churchville is recognized as a heritage community under the Ontario Heritage Act and is Brampton's only recognized conservation district. The City of Brampton states that "it is increasingly important that the distinct heritage character of Churchville continue to be preserved and enhanced" as Brampton grows.

Currently proposed boundary lines would have this community be cut off from essential services that have been built to service this historic area, including grocery stores, shops, businesses, pharmacies, medical offices, and several schools that families send their children to. Most notably, Roberta Bondar Public School is right across the railway line, effectively putting the services that residents of Churchville use right across the proposed boundary line.

During the 2022 Floods in Brampton, hundreds of homes in the Churchville area were evacuated as a precaution, and Churchville residents came together to help each other out when their neighbours needed help the most.

Flooding wasn't enough to separate this community, and a railway line shouldn't either. This is a historic community and I hope the commission recognizes this and keeps this community together with the businesses, shops, and schools that service it.

5 Proposed Boundary Lines and Population Balance

I propose Historic Brampton be kept in Brampton Centre and that Susan Fennel Sportsplex/New Developments be kept in Brampton Southeast. This would put Brampton Southeast within the population target range while also minimizing potential rippling effects felt by other ridings.

Thus, I put forward the following boundary lines for Brampton Southeast:

The boundary of the new proposed Brampton Southeast riding can be drawn along Embleton Road between Winston Churchill Blvd. and Mississauga Road and further along Queen St. West between Mississauga Road and Chinguacousy Road.

5.1 Population Balance

I recognize the importance of having equal representation for all Canadians from coast to coast, and with the changes proposed in this submission Brampton South(east) will be within the target range of 116,590.

I also understand that these changes have the potential to have cascading effects on every riding in Brampton. While this may be the case, I would like to bring your attention to the fact that there is precedent for this being done in the previous 2012 redistribution.

In 2012 when concerns were brought forward about keeping the historic core of Brampton together, the Commission concluded that it was ultimately in the greater interest to keep Historic Brampton together even if it "required changes to the boundaries of other Brampton electoral districts to balance population" (See Page 19 of Report of the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for the Province of Ontario (2012)).

5.2 Historic Brampton

Keeping Historic Brampton is of the utmost importance and right now this historic community of identity/interest is split between Brampton Southwest and Brampton Center under proposed changes.

The best way to accomplish that, while ensuring population balance and rippling effects from further boundary adjustments are kept minimal, is to keep the entirety of Historic Brampton in Brampton Centre.

Current proposed changes only put Peel Village and Armbro Heights in Brampton Southeast, while the majority of Historic Brampton is in Brampton Centre. Historic Brampton makes up a big chunk of Brampton Centre as a whole and it makes more sense to merge the areas of Peel Village and Armbro Heights into Brampton Centre.

5.3 Susan Fennel Sportsplex/New Developments

The areas of Susan Fennel Sportsplex and the New Developments should be kept together and both be part of Brampton Southeast. Combined with the reallocation of Historic Brampton to be part of Brampton Centre, this will keep Brampton Southeast within the target population range, while also minimizing the rippling effects potential boundary changes could result in.

5.4 Map of New Proposed Boundaries