Table of Contents About Brampton 2 Thriving 31 • A Brief History ................................................2 o Downtown Beautification .........................31 • Brampton Historical Timeline .........................3 o Post-Secondary University • The City Crest – Origins and Symbols.............4 Education Strategy ...................................31 • Population, Dwelling Unit and o Brampton Entrepreneur Centre .................32 Employment Forecasts ...................................5 o BDDC Transition ..................................32, 33 • Brampton Statistical Snapshot ...................6, 7 o Heritage Arts Culture and Entertainment (HACE™) ..........................33 Council Governance 8 o Tourism and Film Services .........................34 • Council Composition o PanAm Torch Relay ...................................35 and Term of Office ..........................................8 o 55+ Canada Games ..................................35 • Local and Regional Government Authority ...................................9 Growing 35 • Decision Making o Central Area Master Plan ..........................35 (Corporation and Council) ........................9, 10 o Downtown Special Policy Area .................36 • Procedures – Voting o City Hall Campus ................................36, 37 and Appointments ........................................11 o Züm Expansion .........................................37 • City Council Standing Committees .........11, 12 o Alderlea ....................................................37 • Council Code of Conduct .......................12, 13 o Second Units .......................................37, 38 • Integrity Commissioner ................................13 o Light Rail Transit .......................................38 • Citizen Appointments ...................................13 • City Council Office .................................13, 14 Serving 38 o Service Brampton ...............................38, 39 Corporate Profile 15 o Emergency Preparedness ..........................39 • Office of the Chief o Municipal Budgeting ................................39 Administrative Officer ............................15, 16 o Accessibility ..............................................40 • City of Brampton o Employee Fundraising Campaign .............41 Organization Chart ......................................17 • Senior Management Team ...........................17 Preserving 41 • Department Profiles .....................................18 o Environmental Master Plan ......................41 o Public Services ..........................................18 o Sustainable Development ...................41, 42 o Planning and Infrastructure Services ........21 o Environmental Initiatives ..........................42 o Office of the Chief Operating Officer ........24 Engaging 43 o Corporate Services ....................................26 o Office of Community Engagement ............43 • Unions and Associations ..............................29 o Important Events ................................43, 44 o International Safe City designation ..........45 City-Building for the Future 30 o Youth Friendly City designation ................45 • Vision ...........................................................30 • Corporate Values ..........................................30 Resources 46 • Strategic Plan ...............................................30 • Members of Parliament ................................46 • Major Communication Tools ........................47 Major Initiatives 31 • Glossary of Brampton Terms ............48, 49, 50 1 A BRIEF HISTORY People have been living in this general area for centuries. Archaeological evidence confirms that native peoples established hunting camps and small villages along the Credit and Humber River valleys from around 8000 B.C.E. Chinguacousy Township, together with Albion, Caledon, Toronto and Toronto Gore Townships were contained within the County of Peel. The County was purchased from the Mississauga Band of the Ojibawa First Nation. The first purchase in 1805 encompassed an area that stretched from Lake Ontario to the approximate location of Eglinton Avenue. The second purchase in 1819 contained 648,000 acres that included the remainder of Peel County. The first Township Councils were elected in 1821, but until 1851, Peel was considered to be a part of York County and was governed by the Home District Council that met in Toronto. Between 1851 and 1866 Peel was governed by a council made up of members from the United Counties of York and Peel. The lands in Chinguacousy and Gore Townships were surveyed in 1818. In the early 1820s, John Elliott and William Lawson settled in the village and in 1834, they renamed the village Brampton in honour of their English home - Brampton, Cumberland, England. John Elliott started selling lots from his 100 acre lot at the south-east intersection of Queen and Main Streets in the late 1820s. By 1834, he had a store, a wagon maker and several shoe makers established on his farm and started to advertise in the Canadian Correspondent newspaper for more settlers to live in the small village that he had named. The passing of the Municipal Corporations Act in 1849 opened the door for the incorporation of many small villages across Ontario. Brampton received its charter and officially became a village on January 1, 1853. In 1866, Brampton was elected to be the County Seat of Peel County. By the 1860s, the village was developing with the arrival of a rail line and its new position as the seat of Peel County. A county courthouse, jail and other public buildings were constructed on a prominent hill overlooking the Etobicoke Creek. Kenneth Chisholm built Alderlea, a massive estate in the heart of the village. Other large homes were built near the courthouse. In 1860, Edward Dale established a flower nursery in Brampton, becoming a pioneer in the town’s newest industry – floriculture. Extensive greenhouses bordered the downtown, and most of these flowers were grown for export markets around the world. Brampton quickly became known as the “Flowertown of Canada”. In 1873, Brampton achieved the status of a Town. The 20th century brought new industries to the town, many of which clustered along the railway line, including the Williams Shoe factory, the Copeland-Chatterson Company and the Hewetson Shoe factory. Brampton’s citizens endured two World Wars and the Great Depression during the first half of the 20th century. These major world events did take their toll. Some factories closed and the flower industry began a slow but steady decline. Following the Second World War, Brampton slowly transformed. In the late 1940s and 1950s, the automobile began to change the landscape, as did rapid urban growth in Toronto. Industrial projects such as the Avro Arrow (built in nearby Malton) provided employment for many Bramptonians. New subdivisions began to develop. In the 1960s, Bramalea was created and touted as “Canada’s first satellite city”. In 1974, the Region of Peel was created, and the City of Brampton was formed from the amalgamation of the southern half of Chinguacousy Township, Toronto Gore Township, the Town of Brampton and a small area of Mississauga (former Toronto Township). Large-scale and leading- edge industries began locating in Brampton. In the 1980s and 1990s, large subdivisions developed on lands formerly used for farming. The culturally diverse and vibrant city of today was emerging. Brampton is now among the largest urban centres in Canada with a population of over 523,000 people. The roots of Brampton’s success can be traced to its heritage when, almost 200 years ago, a group of industrious people established a small hamlet at the crossroads of Queen and Main Streets. 2 BRAMPTON HISTORICAL TIMELINE 1819 Chinguacousy Township surveyed by a team led by Richard Bristol 1820 First settlers arrive in the area 1834 John Elliott first applies the name Brampton to the area 1850 Composite village plan is laid out – Brampton’s first plan of subdivision 1853 Brampton becomes a village with a population of 1,000 1856 First railway in Brampton opens (Grand Trunk Railway) 1866 Brampton is selected as the seat of Peel County 1873 Brampton becomes a town 1874 First town election - John Haggert elected first Mayor of Brampton 1879 Credit Valley Railway line opens 1885 J.P. Hutton establishes first hydroelectric generating plant in the area, powered by the dam at Huttonville 1903 Gage Park becomes Brampton’s first municipal park 1911 Continuous hydroelectric production begins in Brampton 1929 Great Depression begins with stock market crash 1936 Lorne Scots Militia Regiment forms with the amalgamation of the Lorne Rifles and the Peel Dufferin Regiment 1939 Outbreak of World War II 1940 Formation of Civil Guard in Peel 1946 First of several annexations takes place to accommodate a growing population 1948 The worst flood in the recorded history of Brampton 1950s Bramalea, Canada’s first satellite community, forms 1950 Etobicoke River diversion begins in June, and completed in July 1952 1954 Hurricane Hazel hits Brampton on October 15 1974 City of Brampton created - formed from the amalgamation of the southern half of Chinguacousy Township, Toronto Gore Township, the Town of Brampton and a small area of Mississauga (former Toronto Township); Region of Peel established 1999 Brampton celebrates its Silver Anniversary as a new city 2003 Brampton celebrates its Sesquicentennial; City of Brampton purchases “Alderlea” from Royal Canadian Legion