From the CEO, Jaipaul Massey-Singh:
Two weeks ago I was standing in the rain on the platform at the Brampton Innovation District GO platform, waiting to catch an 11:48 AM train into Toronto for a meeting on the day of the big storm that hit our region. The station was packed as is usual, even for a non rush-hour train, and passengers were trying their best to stay dry despite the increasing rainfall. 11:48 and no train, but an announcement it would be 5 minutes delayed…then 10 minutes delayed…then 17 minutes delayed…and ultimately at 12:15 we were advised that no train was coming and that subsequent trains had been cancelled as well due to tracks being washed out.
Inconvenient to be sure, but I was able to walk back to the BBOT office and join my meeting remotely. However that’s was not an option for many of the thousands who utilize the Kitchener line daily to travel to and from Brampton for work and school – as much as we talk about macroeconomic influences and access to skilled individuals, weather is increasingly becoming a factor in our economy.
Regardless of where one stands on the causes and projected impacts of climate change, the increasing unpredictability, frequency and intensity of weather-related events is undeniable, with what were once considered 100 year storms now events that occur within a decade. How is Brampton poised to respond to such events? Can we keep people and goods moving?
The City’s Downtown Brampton Flood Mitigation Project is an initiative to better prepare our downtown to respond and recover in the event of major rainfall and storms by implementing a number of measures including widening and deepening existing floodways as well as new stormwater management facilities. Commonly known as Riverwalk, the project will also include realignment of roadways, new trails and bike lanes, the improvement of bridges, and the implementation of other features to enhance ecological and natural features to make the area more pedestrian friendly and usable similar to successful urban waterfront projects in other cities
To date, development of our downtown has been limited due to the Special Policy Area (SPA) designation from the provincial government that restricts what is allowable within a floodplain. This designation is intended to balance the need for urban development with the necessity of protecting life and property from flood risks and was established because of downtown Brampton’s proximity to the Etobicoke Creek. As a result however, major infrastructure projects cannot be undertaken, which in turn has limited economic opportunity, residential intensification, transit expansion, and other priorities that our city needs to support its growth.
The overall impact of the project therefore is to not simply eliminate flood risk but also to unlock the potential of the downtown by removing the SPA designation, with projections from the city indicating the impact would be:
- A 7.7:1 return on investment
- An increase of 23,800 new jobs
- $1.4B of GDP impact
- 12,000 fulltime years of employment
- 9M square feet of new residential and non-residential development
The overall cost of the project is projected at $107M, which includes design and construction. The Riverwalk is currently funded for up to $38.8 M of costs by the Government of Canada under the Disaster Mitigation Adaptation Fund, with the remainder of the project costs funded by the City. The City continues to advocate for and explore other sources of funding to reduce the City portion of the Riverwalk’s cost, specifically for the province to match the federal contribution amount.
The project is currently in the detailed design stage, with key milestones for development of the plan and commencement of work on schedule for this fall and next spring respectively. Given the nature of the finding from the federal government timelines for development are clear with a 2028 completion committed to. The Brampton Board of Trade has had the opportunity to engage with city staff and council members on the Riverwalk project and strongly endorses this project, believing it to be an appropriate use of resources and recognizing the transformative effect it will have in our downtown by facilitating more housing, better integrated transit, as well as major infrastructure projects such as the Centre for Innovation that have been held back due to the SPA.
Further, we support the City’s efforts to secure funding from the province in support of this project for the following reasons:
- Although the City is prepared to fully fund the balance of the Riverwalk not covered by federal funding, the almost $70M required will put a burden on our ratepayers; either in the form of a tax increase to support the costs associated with the project or in the form of other services or infrastructure the city cannot afford to deliver.
- As detailed in the recent Metamorphosis Report and discussed at our State of the Region luncheon Peel region has been historically underfunded by the province to the tune of $858M. Although not all those dollars are allocated to Brampton or for infrastructure projects, it’s a stark example of how local residents have needed to make up for funding gaps at the expense of being able to invest those dollars to address other community needs.
- The removal of the SPA does not only benefit Brampton directly, but also Ontario broadly by allowing us to meet provincially set housing targets and enhance the livability of one of the fastest growing cities in Ontario
The Brampton Riverwalk Project is a reminder that weather and natural disasters are increasingly relevant to our economic development outlook. The province has adopted ambitious housing goals and there are massive transportation infrastructure projects coming through the pipeline, but these projects rely on the resilience of our infrastructure. Though it may not be as exciting as housing or transit, disaster mitigation and adaptation needs to be prioritized as we prepare to put shovels in the ground for these major projects. Cities, and ultimately ratepayers, cannot be left to foot the bill for future proofing our communities lest we risk compromising our economic health. We urge the province and feds to continue to proactively support municipalities in preparing for extreme weather events.
