Brampton, Ontario

Brampton, Ontario is a city in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of the Peel Regional Municipality. As of June 2005, Brampton's population stood at approximately 415,000, and it is estimated that by the year 2031, the city population will have almost doubled to 680,000 people. As one of Canada's fastest growing cities, the municipality has found it difficult to cope with its unprecendented growth, in terms of the provision of adequate infrastructure. It celebrated its sesquicentennial anniversary in 2003, marking 150 years since its incorporation as a village in 1853, taking its name from the rural village near Chesterfield in England.

History of Brampton

See also: List of mayors of Brampton, Ontario, Brampton Fall Fair, Brampton Library.

Related Topics:
List of mayors of Brampton, Ontario - Brampton Fall Fair - Brampton Library

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In the early 1830s, farmers from the 212 farms of Chinguacousy Township came to Martin Salisbury's Tavern in bi-annual fairs. In 1853, a small agricultural fair was set up by the then-new County Agricultural Society of the County of Peel, and was held at the corner of Main and Queen streets. Grains, produce, roots, and dairy products were up for sale, a precursor of today's Brampton Farmers' Market. Horses and cattle, along with other lesser livestock was sold at market. This agricultural fair eventually became the modern Brampton Fall Fair.

Related Topics:
County Agricultural Society of the County of Peel - Brampton Fall Fair

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A federal grant allowed the village to create its first public library in 1887, which included 360 volumes from the pre-existing Mechanic's Institute (est 1858).

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A group of regional farmers in the Brampton had trouble getting insurance from city-based companies. After several meetings in Clairville Hall, it was decided that they should found the County of Peel Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance Company. In 1955, the company moved to its third and current location, 103 Queen Street West, and renamed itself Peel Mutual Insurance Company. It reigns as the longest running company in modern Brampton. Harmsworth Decorating Centre was established in 1890, as Harmsworth and Son, operated out of the family's house on Queen Street West. The store purchased its current location on September 1, 1904, after a fire destroyed their original store. Purchased for $1400, the 24 Main Street South location is the longest operating retail business in what is now Brampton.

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In 1907, the library successfully received a grant from steel magnate Andrew Carnegie to build a new multi-person building, featuring a library. See Brampton Library.

Related Topics:
Andrew Carnegie - Brampton Library

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As a town of 8000 in the year 1922, the Capitol Theatre was built in downtown Brampton. Its schedule consisted of primarily of vaudeville and silent movies.

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The Brampton Mall was built in 1960 on Main Street, near Peel Village, marking the community's first mall.

Related Topics:
Brampton Mall - Peel Village

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Neighbouring Bramalea created

Created as a innovative "new town", Bramalea was developed as a separate community, approximately 40 kilometres northwest of Toronto.

Related Topics:
New town - Toronto

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Located in the former Chinguacousy Township, it was Canada's first satellite community developed by one of the country's largest real estate developers, Bramalea Limited, formerly known as Brampton Leasing. The community had an extensive Master Plan, which included provisions for a parkland trail system and a "downtown," which would include essential services and a shopping centre. The downtown area's centrepiece was the Civic Centre, which included the city hall and library. Directly across Team Canada Drive from the Civic Centre, Bramalea Limited built a shopping centre named Bramalea City Centre. The two centrepieces were connected by a long underground tunnel, which has long since been closed due to safety issues. Other features included a police station, fire hall, bus terminal, and a collection of seniors' retirement homes.

Related Topics:
Chinguacousy Township - Shopping centre - Bramalea City Centre

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Each phase of the new city was built with progressing first letters of street names. Development started with the "A" section, with street names like Argyle, Avondale, and Aloma. Developer then created a "B" section, "C" section, and so forth. Children on the boundaries of these divisions would regularly compete in street hockey games, pitting, for example, the "D" section versus the "E" section.

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The community was also initially developed with a large number of recreational facilities, including tennis courts, playgrounds, hockey/lacrosse rinks, swimming pools, and indoor hockey rinks. An extensive parkland trail and sidewalk system that connects the entire city, amplifying what Brampton already had in a smaller scale. It is said that one can get anywhere in the city without having to use a road. All of these facilities have since become under the jurisdiction of Brampton Parks and Recreation.

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The Region of Peel founded

The Ontario Government decided to update the County of Peel's structure in 1974, one of many areas affected by Bill 138. Along with amalgamating a series of villages into the City of Mississauga, Bramalea, the Township of Chinguacousy and Gore, and some smaller villages became part of new City of Brampton. To further restructure the municipal government and services, the Province coverted the County into the Regional Municipality of Peel, now referred to as simply the Region of Peel. Brampton retained its Peel County Seat, retaining its role as the administrative centre of Peel Region. Most of the Region's department offices (including the Regional Council Chamber), the Peel Regional Police force, the public health department, and the region's only major museum, the Peel Heritage Complex, are all currently housed in Brampton.

Related Topics:
1974 - Bill 138 - Regional Municipality of Peel - County Seat - Peel Regional Police - Peel Heritage Complex

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This move was not met with open arms. Bramptonians feared urban sprawl would "dissolve their town's personality", and Bramalea residents took pride in the built "from scratch" and organized structure that came with a "new city". Both Brampton's size and Bramalea's infrastructure have since been degraded in many minds, but perhaps would have suffered the same fate if apart. Many residents of the former community of Bramalea, many even new to the community since 1974, do not classify themselves as Brampton residents. This even causes havoc with Ontario government records, as their tourism website still list Bramalea as a separate entity.

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In 1972, Bramalea Corporation created their Civic Centre facility. Along with corporations, this facility was to move the town library to. Two years after it was built, and Brampton and Bramalea merged, the new City's council chambers and other facilities were created in the building, moving from the town of Brampton's modest Downtown locale. The library systems of Brampton and Bramalea became one, creating a system of four locations.

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Development of Brampton as a City

In the 1980s, the Capitol Theatre, then owned by Odeon, closed its doors in the Downtown. The City bought the facility in 1981, under the spearhead of then-councillor Diane Sutter, turning the former movie house and vaudevillian stage into a theatre for the musical and performing arts. In 1983, Toronto consultants Woods Gordon reported back to the City that a new 750-seat facility should be built, instead of "pouring money" into the Heritage.

Related Topics:
Capitol Theatre - Odeon - Diane Sutter - Woods Gordon

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The early 1990s brought a new city hall to Brampton's downtown. The facility was designed by local architects and constructed by Inzola Contstruction.

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The Brampton Fair Grounds were sold in 1992 to the City of Brampton, leading the Agricultural Society to move up to Heart Lake Road and Old School Road in 1997.

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The Health Services Restructuring Commission (HSRC) decided in 1997 that Georgetown and District Memorial Hospital, Etobicoke General Hospital and Peel Memorial Hospital amalgamate into the William Osler Health Centre, becoming what now is the province's 6th largest hospital corporation.

Related Topics:
Health Services Restructuring Commission - Georgetown and District Memorial Hospital - Etobicoke General Hospital - Peel Memorial Hospital - William Osler Health Centre

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Future of Peel in question

In the early years of the 21st century, the young Region's future has been called under question. Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion expressed feelings that her city was being dragged down by Brampton, as the seating in the Peel council does not reflect the population imbalance between the cities. McCallion stated that she felt too much of municipal taxes were going to fund Brampton, instead of staying in Mississauga. Brampton countered, as for the past few decades, it was the leader in population and thus leading contributor to regional funds.

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Current events

The Brampton Performing Arts Centre is also being developed in the downtown, as "a cultural and tourist destination that will attract significant new business to surrounding restaurants, shops and services". The City says that the facilities are expected to generate $2.7 million in economic activity the first year and grow to $19.8 million by the fifth year. This is predicted to attract more than 55,000 visitors annually who will spend about $275,000 on before and after-show entertainment, creating close to 300 permanent jobs. Despite the great promises, this project is the source of much cynicism among the community. Many have questioned the need for a larger facility, as the current Heritage Theatre rarely reaches capacity, and a great deal of residents don't meet the prime theatre going audience profile.

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The Performing Arts Centre was built over a parking lot built by Inzola Construction, originally meant for a small indoor shopping mall and movie theatre. The same year as this originally building was set to begin construction, newly built theatres at Orion Gate and Trinty Common "big box" malls trumped the need.

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A new hospital is being built in North Brampton, to supplement the William Osler Health Centre, Brampton Memorial Hospital Campus (formerly Peel Memorial Hospital).

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Brampton's 2003 Sesquicentennial celebrations were a booster to community spirit, restarting the tradition of a summer parade (with 100 floats), and creating other initiatives. To commemorate the Flowertown history, the City under Mayor Fennell reintroduced floral projects to the community, including more plantings around town, the restart of the Flowercity Parade in 2005, and participation for the last few years in the Canada Communities in Bloom project.

Related Topics:
2005 - Communities in Bloom

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Multiculturalism embraced

With a growing multicultural population, the Peel Board of Education introduced evening English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at high schools. Original taught by volunteers, the classes eventually became daytime courses taught by paid instructors. In the 1980s, the public and Catholic board expanded its languages programs, offering night classes in 23 languages. These were introduced by the urging of parents who wanted their children to learn of the ancestral heritage and language.

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Carabram was founded in 1982, after volunteers from different ethnic communities wanted to organize a festival celebrating diversity and cross-cultural friendship. With a name based on Toronto like-event, Caravan Festival of Cultures, Carabram's first event included Italian, Scottish, Ukrainian, and West Indian pavilions. By 2003, forty-five-thousand visitors visited 18 pavilions. Canada itself had an anchor pavilion in the late-1980s, early-1990s, but ceased when it failed to get sponsorship.

Related Topics:
Carabram - Caravan Festival of Cultures

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Countries, continents, states and geographic or cultural regions that have been represented at Carabram through the years include Africa, Arab (dubbed "Arabian"), Canada, Caribbean*, China, Croatia*, Chile, England, Germany*, Greece, Hawaiian*, Hispanic, Holland*, India*, Ireland*, Israel, Italy, Macedonia*, Mexico, Philippines*, Poland*, Portugal, Romania, and Ukraine*. Those pavilions marked with astericks were part of the 2005 festivities.

Related Topics:
Africa - Arab - Canada - Caribbean - China - Croatia - Chile - England - Germany - Greece - Hawaiian - Hispanic - Holland - India - Ireland - Israel - Italy - Macedonia - Mexico - Philippines - Poland - Portugal - Romania - Ukraine

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