It’s Time to Talk About Community Owned Real Estate in Brampton

Brampton is changing fast. New condo towers will radically reshape Brampton’s skyline. But beneath this growth lies a familiar urban story: gentrification and the risk of pushing out the very people who make the city vibrant. 

As one of Canada’s most diverse, working-class cities, Brampton stands at a crossroads. I often think about the situation in many communities where needed services and businesses risk leaving communities as a result of exorbitant rent or evictions. 

As exciting as all this new development is, we should ask ourselves if we should allow speculative real estate to drive development. We could take a different approach, one that keeps our communities affordable and thriving. 

At the Brampton Board of Trade’s Moving the Needle on the Housing Crisis event in March, Leslie Woo shared sobering statistics from Civic Action’s report on workforce housing: 

• Home prices in the GTA rose 133% between 2001 and 2014, while incomes grew only 36%. 
• GTA rental vacancy rates are at historic lows, often just 1%. 
• 42% of young professionals are considering leaving the region due to housing costs. 
• Investor purchases made up 30% of home sales in 2023. 

These trends aren’t sustainable, and without intervention, Brampton risks losing the people who keep it running: teachers, tradespeople, health workers, and small business owners. 

Another panelist at this event was Dominique Russell, Co-Director of Kensington Market Land Trust. She shared the ways in which the KMLCT has retained the vibrancy of the community. And the Community Land Trust (CLT) model is the subject of what I wish to write about this week. 

A Community Land Trust is a non-profit corporation that acquires and holds land for community benefit, permanently removing it from the speculative market. 

Here’s how it works: 

• The CLT owns the land. 
• Individuals, families, or organizations lease the buildings on that land for the long term—decades, not years. 
• Governance is democratic, often with a board that includes residents, community members, and public representatives. 

This model was born out of the grassroots civil rights movement in the U.S., rooted in the belief that community wealth should stay with the community. 

And it’s not just about housing. CLTs can also protect commercial spaces, community gardens, co-ops, and cultural hubs from being lost to rising land values. The Brampton Arts Organization, as they await their new home in the New Arts Centre, raise questions about their interim space. Many businesses and nonprofit groups delegated at council in June to express similar concerns, with a number of them sharing their desire for protected, affordable spaces. CLTs can address those concerns. 

Launching a CLT might sound complex, but the process can be broken into a few key stages: 

1. Build Your Core Team 
   •  Gather a committed group of residents, organizers, and partners who share the vision of keeping land in community hands. 
2. Define the Mission & Needs 
   • Engage the community to identify housing pressures, gaps, and priorities. This ensures the CLT reflects local realities. 
3. Create a Governance Structure 
   • Incorporate as a non-profit, draft by-laws, and set up a democratic membership model that includes residents, community members, and public representatives. 
4. Secure Funding & Resources 
   • Seek grants, municipal partnerships, and community investment to cover start-up and acquisition costs. 
5. Acquire & Protect Land 
   • Target properties that can be preserved as affordable housing, community space, or small business locations—removing them from the speculative market permanently. 
6. Steward for the Long Term 
   • Manage properties sustainably, reinvesting value back into the community, and expanding the CLT’s reach over time. 

CLTs require significant capital investment and there are organizations like Tapestry Capital that facilitate community bonds and socially-oriented investment vehicles. One way government decision makers can incentivize investments in CLTs is to allow community-based investments to be RRSP and TFSA eligible (or otherwise offering tax credits).  

We don’t have to accept a future where Brampton’s growth comes at the cost of displacement and inequality, or one where the only places to shop or big box retailers. Community Land Trusts offer a model that has worked in Parkdale, Kensington Market, Hamilton, and cities across North America. 

With the right political will, community leadership, and partnerships, Brampton could establish a CLT that ensures land is used for community need, not investor profit.