I am not really sure what the discussion is about or what people are trying to measure....when I see things like house prices and personal wealth come into a discussion I wonder if we are using the wrong proxies for what a successful city is.
If that is the measure, then I am sure Brampton is the wrong city for you. Yes we do have some more expensive neighbourhoods but even our wealthier neighbourhoods when compared to those in Mississauga/Oakville can be bought at discount.
I have lived in Brampton since I was a kid...and still do. It is my home of choice and I do make enough money to live in any of the suburbs ...shucks (patsselfonback) I could probably stretch to living in a decent neighbourhood in the city if I chose.....but I do give a lot of thought to what holds Brampton back.
In the end I am often drawn to the same conclusion......it is an unfotunate accident that its major growth spurt came too late. There used to be a time when the Province either had the money or borrowed the money to support communities in their growth. They built roads, they built transit, they built hospitals and they built universities.
Brampton's growth came along when that was all being railed in. We are in between censuses just now (and that matters in a city with Brampton's growth rate/patterns) but most figure we are getting very close to 600k residents (especially when you factor in our "uncounted" population which is not as high as some racially charged comments in our local paper would have you believe but is still a factor).
How many 600k "sattellite" communities to major centres don't have full/regular/reliable commuter rail service? How many cities of that size anywhere in Canada have only 600 hospital beds and 1 emergency ward? How many cities in Canada of that size have 1 freeway connecting it to the rest of the region they are in? How many cities in canada with a population of 600k do not have a university?
These are all provincial responsibilities....the same province that has imposed even more aggressive growth targets on the city of Brampton but has not indicated a time or a way to increase the level of provincially funded services?
Those growth targets will require, as a necessity, an increase in density (that is a good thing)....and, yes, our sometimes comical city council can be blamed somewhat for the lack of density but the biggest hold backs to increasing density in our "core" are the resolution to the flood plain issue which blocks projects (resolution needed by the conservation authority which, you got it, gets its authority from the province) and the lack of full day-two way - 7 day commuter rail service......the province has not indicated any time frame for solving those issues but is a regular reminder to Brampton that it is not meeting its density targets.
Like I said, I don't tend to judge cities on the basis of the personal wealth of their residents.....but in our new funding world it does matter. A new hospital costs a lot of money.....in the old days, that money came from the province.....now ~ 30% of it comes from the local community. So they raise money, they have lotteries or they take it from the tax roll.....that, ultimately, leads to further inequeties.......
....Oakville is getting a new hospital....the local community is contributing $530 million the province is kicking in $1B......they will end up with a bed to population ratio of about 1 bed for every 425 people. Provincial contribution is around $5 per person of population.
....Brampton got its new hospital (Brampton Civic) in 2007 at the cost of closing its old hospital (broken provincial promise of "2nd hospital) which site is one day going to be redeveloped into a new healthcare facility. Brampton Civic cost $550 (financed through a PPP with community contribution) and the new Peel Memorial Facility is estimated at around $420 million. So the total cost will be roughly equal to the provincial contribution to the hospital in Oakville...yet the people of Brampton will be left with a bed to population ratio (new facility has no beds, no emergency ward and closes every night for 8 hours) of 1 bed for every 1,000 people.
Everyone will have their own opinion about needs/wants and I am, in no way, suggesting the good people of Oakville do not need good healthcare facilities. But because there is wealth in that community, they are able to raise 1/2 billion locally....which attracts $1B of provincial money and the end result is a seemingly inequitable allocation of provincial funds which results in a seemingly inequitable availability of provincial services.
When people use the old axiom "location, location, location" when talking about how to pick a real estate location, they are really just using it as a short form for "be close to amenities, services and attractions". When you have 600k people living/working/playing with one hand tied behind their back with regards to provincially provided/supported services....then it really is no surprise that home values/prices elsewhere are more.
Brampton is not the awful place that many paint it to be....we have the basic necessities of urban/semi-urban life. We have neighbourhoods, we have recreational facilities, we have a park system, we have an above average suburban transit system, we have restaurants and some things to do at night (although I do worry that most of those are aimed at people my age and not people in their 20s/30s)....it is not at all unpleasant. What we are lacking is some pretty big ticket infrastructure items which, sadly, don't seem like they are coming soon.
Back on topic......the three main candidates for Mayor all have their issues....two have the "expense" matter to deal with and the one who does not has at least one voter wondering "what did you deliver to our city during your 11 years at Queen's Park....because something from there would have been helpful".
