Jobs, Business and the Future Economy

Work Should Be Closer to Home

Brampton has a talented workforce, but too many residents commute elsewhere. The City’s 2025 Housing Needs Assessment, using 2021 Census data, found that about 49 per cent of workers travelled at least 30 minutes to work and 86 per cent travelled by car, truck or van. This costs family time, adds traffic and takes daily spending outside Brampton.

A Mayor’s Jobs and Investment Office

Employment generation and retention will be a leading priority. A Mayor’s Jobs and Investment Office will attract, retain and expand employers creating good Brampton jobs.

The office will work across planning, building, transportation and economic development so businesses do not have to repeat the same issue to several departments. It will also connect projects to provincial and federal investment, training and infrastructure programs.

Its public report will show:

  • Employers retained and expansions secured
  • New positions announced and positions actually filled
  • Investment brought into the city
  • Approval times for job-creating projects
  • Brampton residents connected to interviews, training and employment
  • The growth in commercial and industrial assessment

Success will be measured by jobs and investment, not meetings.

Keep the Employers We Already Have

Established employers can struggle with land, utilities, permits, transportation, labour shortages or expansion. A retention program will give major employers and growing businesses one City contact to coordinate issues before they become reasons to leave.

Keeping one established employer and helping it add 100 jobs can be more valuable than chasing a headline that never produces a local payroll.

The program will include regular employer meetings, early warning when a company is considering relocation, support for expansion sites and a public summary of jobs retained. Confidential business information will remain protected, but residents should know whether City action is producing employment.

Give Brampton Residents a Fair First Chance

A blanket ban on non-residents could conflict with employment rules, collective agreements, merit-based hiring and specialized recruitment. My lawful resident-opportunity plan includes:

  • Local recruitment sessions throughout the city
  • Paid apprenticeships, internships and co-op placements
  • Guaranteed interviews for qualified residents in selected entry-level and hard-to-fill roles where legally permitted
  • Partnerships with schools, colleges, unions and employers
  • Local-benefit requirements in major City contracts where permitted
  • Public reporting on how many City and contractor opportunities reach Brampton residents

Hiring must remain merit-based, while Brampton residents receive a fair chance to compete for opportunities their city helps create.

Brampton Works

I will launch Brampton Works, one easy place connecting residents to:

  •     Local job openings
  •     Apprenticeships and skilled-trade pathways
  •     Youth and newcomer employment programs
  •     City and contractor opportunities
  •     Training for growing industries
  •     Career fairs and employer interviews
  •     Small-business and entrepreneurship support

This will connect residents who cannot find local openings with employers who need people.

Faster Decisions for Job-Creating Projects

Businesses should receive clear requirements, one contact and a service timeline. A priority pathway for major job-creating or job-protecting projects will coordinate reviews without weakening safety, planning or environmental standards.

Help Small Businesses Grow

For small businesses, my plan will:

  •     Explain permits and requirements in plain language
  •     Publish a small-business service standard
  •     Expand local procurement opportunities
  •     Help businesses reach new markets and government contracts
  •     Support succession planning so established businesses remain in Brampton
  •     Improve cleanliness, lighting, safety and parking enforcement in commercial areas

Small Business Relief Plan

One month of City property-tax relief every year for four years

After meeting more than 500 small business owners, I heard the same concern again and again: operating costs are too high, and many local businesses are struggling to survive.

Small businesses create jobs, serve our neighbourhoods and keep Brampton’s economy moving. They deserve meaningful support.

As Mayor, I will introduce a Small Business Relief Plan for qualifying businesses operating in Brampton strip plazas.

A business may qualify if it:

  •     Has annual gross sales below $750,000
  •     Has fewer than five employees on payroll
  •     Operates from a strip-plaza location in Brampton
  •     Meets the program’s verification and eligibility requirements

Qualifying businesses would receive annual relief equal to one-twelfth of the City-controlled portion of the property tax for four consecutive years.

The relief would apply only to the portion controlled by the City of Brampton. It would not apply to the portions collected for the Region of Peel or education.

Protection for Tenants

Many small businesses rent their premises and do not receive the property-tax bill directly. If a qualifying business is a tenant, the landlord must pass the full value of the relief to that business as a rent credit within 12 months.

Landlords would be required to provide proof that the entire benefit was credited to the eligible tenant. Any amount improperly withheld would be subject to repayment, and the property owner could be disqualified from the program.

The program will be properly costed, legally reviewed and brought forward for City Council approval.

Helping Local Businesses Survive and Grow

This plan is intended to:

  •     Reduce pressure from rising operating costs
  •     Help businesses protect local jobs
  •     Give neighbourhood businesses room to recover and grow
  •     Keep plazas active and reduce commercial vacancies
  •     Strengthen Brampton’s local economy

Small businesses should not be left to struggle alone. When local businesses succeed, Brampton succeeds.

Build on Brampton’s Real Strengths

Brampton already has strong foundations in advanced manufacturing, food and beverage processing, logistics, health and life sciences, cybersecurity, aerospace, defence and mobility.

We should pursue research, engineering, design, technology, head-office and skilled-production jobs, not only low-advancement work.

Make Brampton an AI and Advanced-Industry Hub

Brampton already has useful building blocks: the BHive Innovation and Training Hub, Sheridan College’s Centre for Applied AI, the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst, advanced manufacturers and a large, diverse workforce. In June 2026, the City announced $2.7 million in federal support for a business AI-adoption program through BHive.

The City will identify employment land for an AI and advanced-industries district, considering transit and highway access, power, fibre, servicing, training partners, nearby communities and job quality.

The goal is investment-ready land with clear rules and infrastructure—not subsidies for speculation.

Applied AI, Not Empty Branding

Our focus should be technology that strengthens industries already rooted in Brampton:

  •     Smart and advanced manufacturing
  •     Logistics and supply-chain management
  •     Health technology and medical devices
  •     Cybersecurity
  •     Food processing and quality control
  •     Mobility and transportation
  •     Construction technology
  •     Better municipal service

Data centres alone do not guarantee many permanent jobs. Proposals must be judged by employment, investment, training, infrastructure impact and long-term value.

Help Local Businesses Use New Technology

The City can connect small and medium-sized businesses with researchers, students, qualified vendors and training to test tools, protect data, measure results and train employees.

Train Local People for the New Jobs

I will seek partnerships for paid internships, cybersecurity training, employer-designed short programs, mid-career retraining, advanced-manufacturing technology and opportunities for newcomers whose international experience is underused.

Technology should help create a future in Brampton, not make local workers feel disposable.

Job quality matters as much as job count. The City should favour investment that creates stable employment, training, advancement and local supplier opportunities. Reports will distinguish temporary announcements from permanent positions actually created.