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CTV News
4 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Trump's steel import tariffs will ‘kill jobs' in Canada, U.S.: Brampton mayor
Watch Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown says Trump's plans to double steel and aluminum tariffs will inflict 'real economic pain' in Canada.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
Street racing charges in Peel Region up 154% in 2 years, police say
Peel police have seen a 154 per cent spike in charges related to street racing from 2022 to 2024, according to a news release Tuesday. In the last two weeks alone, police have seized 32 vehicles and laid more than 400 charges, including 26 related to street racing, the release said. "Street racing puts innocent lives at risk. We're tired of hearing about tragedies of lives taken too soon because of a reckless act," Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said at a news conference on Tuesday. Police launched their annual enforcement campaign on Tuesday to address street racing, stunt driving and illegal car rallies across the Greater Toronto Area. The campaign, called Project Erase, is a joint initiative including police services in Toronto, Hamilton, York and Halton regions, as well as the Ontario Provincial Police. Illegal car rallies involve organized groups of drivers who engage in actions such as excessive noise, speeding and stunt driving, as well as blocking or impeding motor vehicle or pedestrian traffic, said York police Insp. Kelly Chester. "These stunts are often performed in front of large groups of onlookers who stand far too close to the dangerous activities taking place, just to try and capture the next viral video for social media," Chester said. "They are placing themselves in harm's way and are risking serious injury or worse." Calls for service in York Region related to street racing went down 10 per cent from 2023 to 2024, Chester said. Vaughan became one of the first cities in Ontario to ban unauthorized car rallies in April 2024, according to a city news release at the time. Mississauga and Brampton have since enacted similar bylaws, Peel police Deputy Chief Marc Andrews said. He said he is confident the cities will "see the same dramatic decrease in calls for service." People in Brampton can be fined up to $10,000 for attending or participating in an illegal car rally, Coun. Rowena Santos said. These fines were increased in October. WATCH | Vaughan targeted illegal car rallies with new bylaws in April 2024: She said there are a number of hotspots in Brampton for stunt driving, including Trinity Common Mall and community centre parking lots. Most recently, Santos said she received a complaint from a resident who caught a motorcyclist driving doughnuts inside a pickleball court. Meanwhile, Toronto police laid 1,134 charges related to stunt driving in 2024, Acting Supt. Matt Moyer said. In the province overall, there were around 100 fatal crashes where speed was the main casual factor, OPP Insp. Peter Shouldice said. Moyer encouraged community members to report dangerous driving and illegal street racing to police at Tuesday's news conference. "We need the public to be side by side with us and partners in this," he said. Andrews also appealed to young drivers to speak up against stunt driving and to be "the voice of reason" among their peers. "Dangerous driving may feel thrilling in the moment, but the consequences can last a lifetime," he said.
CBC
13-05-2025
- CBC
Street racing charges in Peel Region up 154% in 2 years, police say
Social Sharing Peel police have seen a 154 per cent spike in charges related to street racing from 2022 to 2024, according to a news release Tuesday. In the last two weeks alone, police have seized 32 vehicles and laid more than 400 charges, including 26 related to street racing, the release said. "Street racing puts innocent lives at risk. We're tired of hearing about tragedies of lives taken too soon because of a reckless act," Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said at a news conference on Tuesday. Police launched their annual enforcement campaign on Tuesday to address street racing, stunt driving and illegal car rallies across the Greater Toronto Area. The campaign, called Project Erase, is a joint initiative including police services in Toronto, Hamilton, York and Halton regions, as well as the Ontario Provincial Police. Illegal car rallies involve organized groups of drivers who engage in actions such as excessive noise, speeding and stunt driving, as well as blocking or impeding motor vehicle or pedestrian traffic, said York police Insp. Kelly Chester. "These stunts are often performed in front of large groups of onlookers who stand far too close to the dangerous activities taking place, just to try and capture the next viral video for social media," Chester said. "They are placing themselves in harm's way and are risking serious injury or worse." Brampton joined Vaughan in tightening bylaws last year Calls for service in York Region related to street racing went down 10 per cent from 2023 to 2024, Chester said. Vaughan became one of the first cities in Ontario to ban unauthorized car rallies in April 2024, according to a city news release at the time. Mississauga and Brampton have since enacted similar bylaws, Peel police Deputy Chief Marc Andrews said. He said he is confident the cities will "see the same dramatic decrease in calls for service." People in Brampton can be fined up to $10,000 for attending or participating in an illegal car rally, Coun. Rowena Santos said. These fines were increased in October. WATCH | Vaughan targeted illegal car rallies with new bylaws in April 2024: 'Your free ride is over': Vaughan cracking down on illegal car rallies 1 year ago Duration 2:59 She said there are a number of hotspots in Brampton for stunt driving, including Trinity Common Mall and community centre parking lots. Most recently, Santos said she received a complaint from a resident who caught a motorcyclist driving doughnuts inside a pickleball court. Meanwhile, Toronto police laid 1,134 charges related to stunt driving in 2024, Acting Supt. Matt Moyer said. In the province overall, there were around 100 fatal crashes where speed was the main casual factor, OPP Insp. Peter Shouldice said. Police appeal to youth, community members Moyer encouraged community members to report dangerous driving and illegal street racing to police at Tuesday's news conference. "We need the public to be side by side with us and partners in this," he said. Andrews also appealed to young drivers to speak up against stunt driving and to be "the voice of reason" among their peers. "Dangerous driving may feel thrilling in the moment, but the consequences can last a lifetime," he said.
CBC
11-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Tamil Genocide Memorial unveiled in Brampton after years-long wait
After a three-year delay, the Tamil Genocide Memorial, meant to honor lives lost in the Sri Lankan civil war, was unveiled in Brampton Saturday night to the sound of applause, cheers and cannons of confetti. Hundreds flooded Brampton's Chinguacousy Park for the unveiling ceremony, looking forward to the moment the large red veil would be torn away from the monument they've waited years to see in fruition. Mayor Patrick Brown promised to build the monument back in 2021 after a memorial in Sri Lanka was torn down, sparking outrage among the Tamil diaspora around the world. That includes Brampton, home to roughly 12,000 Tamil people. "Many of the civilians that escaped came to Canada as part of our national story," said Brown after the unveiling. "If you're not Indigenous, everyone has come from somewhere else, and we celebrate the difficult Tamil journey and we remember the atrocities that the community went through." Tamil people faced violent persecution in Sri Lanka since its independence from the British Empire in 1948. According to the United Nations, an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 Tamil people were killed in violent riots and hundreds of thousands more were displaced. "Almost everyone here has some loved one lost in the war," said Sri Ranjan, chairperson of the National Council of Canadian Tamils. "This place serves as a place to gather and to remember the victims." Project faced several delays Local Tamil groups helped raise funds for the memorial, with Brampton city council approving its final design in February last year. The aim was to finish the memorial by May 2022, a goalpost that kept getting pushed back because of a delay in the project's leadership, a funding shortfall and a design change. The initial design was supposed to be a plant-like structure, which beat 100,000 alternatives in a competition. But that design faced opposition and was scrapped in favour of the 4.8-metre tall stainless steel structure featuring an outline of the historic homeland of Tamil people in Sri Lanka. The monument faced objections in the past from the Sri Lankan High Commission and a delegation from Sri Lankan Canadian Association, who denied that a genocide took place and instead wanted the monument to commemorate "all lives lost" in the war. The National Council of Canadian Tamils will have ownership of the monument and will be responsible for maintaining it.
Global News
02-05-2025
- Business
- Global News
Ontario city spent $8K-plus on chauffeur service during trip to London, England
An Ontario city is facing questions after spending thousands on chauffeur services during the latest in a series of overseas trips for its mayor and councillors, which have taken them to places ranging from Dublin and Pakistan to the United States. New documents obtained by Global News have revealed the City of Brampton spent tens of thousands of dollars on foreign direct investment trips last year. The city organized a trip to Japan and the Philippines in January 2024, while a separate mission to London, England, was held a few months later in May. Global News obtained receipts for expenses charged during the two trips using freedom of information laws, although the city did not confirm the total budget or cost for either investment mission. In both Japan and England, Brampton spent thousands of dollars on drivers for its visiting delegation. Story continues below advertisement In England, the city spent £4,578 — around $8,400 — on chauffeur service during the four-day trip to London and parts of the Midlands. For Japan, Brampton paid ¥679,250 to a company for 'transportation logistics.' That converts to roughly $6,520. Brampton's director of economic development said the chauffeur service was 'recommended by the British Consulate General-Toronto's office for safety reasons and for timely delivery of participants.' A consulate spokesperson, however, said they were 'not aware of having provided specific recommendations for transport ' in London, England. As well as the contracts for drivers in both countries, officials attending the trip also filed expense receipts for local taxis, Ubers and airport limo service. Brampton said its missions to England, Japan and the Philippines were designed to boost the local economy. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The city said it had met with several British businesses associated with Brampton in London — like Chaiiwala, IR2 Packaging and Horstman; the Japanese trip included 'a visit to Canon's headquarters in Japan' because the camera maker's Canadian headquarters is located in Brampton. 'Working with stakeholders, the office seeks new and sustainable opportunities for growing International Business ties for the City of Brampton,' the City of Brampton's economic development head said in a statement about the London trip. 'This investment mission was planned to meet face-to-face with companies in the U.K to discuss opportunities for business expansion and collaboration, market diversification is a key priority of the Economic Development Office.' Story continues below advertisement A similar statement praising the Japan and Philippines trip was also provided. Mayor Patrick Brown's office confirmed he had gone on the London trip with some municipal staff but said the mayor had paid for his own airfare, hotel and personal expenses. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation, which advocates for more restrained public spending, said the trips shouldn't have been paid for at all with property taxes, even if Brown had covered his own expenses. 'The whole trip really seems like an inappropriate use of public money,' Gage Haubrich, a representative for the group, said. 'I think it's very unlikely that the Mayor of Brampton is making a significant impact in bringing companies to Ontario. It looks like they're just using this as an excuse to go on some sort of vacation, with a couple of meetings sprinkled in.' The trips are the latest in a series of foreign missions undertaken by the City of Brampton. As Global News has previously reported, councillors and staff spent more than $60,000 on a trip to Dublin in 2023 and almost $93,000 on a contract to execute a trip to Pakistan. In another instance, a councillor travelled twice to Dubai in a single year, once to meet with a company that had already agreed a deal with a university in Brampton. Other trips included California and Detroit, in the United States. Story continues below advertisement The slew of foreign trips for staff and councillors in Brampton comes as the province puts intense pressure on school board trustees for their own travel. Last week, Education Minister Paul Calandra appointed a supervisor at the Thames Valley District School Board and put the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board on notice. The former had been caught up in a controversy about an almost $40,000 trip to the Blue Jays stadium hotel, while the latter went on a trip to Italy, which cost $45,000 in travel expenses and another $100,000 for the purchase of art. Calandra said the Italy trip, where trustees went to buy art, in particular, was a misuse of public funds. 'I'm a member of provincial parliament, you send me to Ottawa to assess artwork, I can tell you I won't have a clue,' he said. 'That's not what trustees are supposed to do — parents' reaction to this was, as it should be, as we all felt, this is not what we spend money for.' Haubrich, from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said he viewed the trips taken by Brampton officials in a similar light — suggesting councillors and city staff aren't effective international advocates. 'I think if you talk to government official in any major country, they'd have no idea what Brampton is, let alone be able to put it on a map,' he said. Story continues below advertisement 'When you can do it as the (Ontario) trade minister, that's kind of your whole job, there's whole parts in there between those two groups to maybe get something done. It's a fool's errand to think that the city is going to have a huge impact on this.' The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing's office did not respond to questions from Global News asking if the Ford government approved of Brampton's foreign direct investment strategy.
