Brampton’s University of Guelph-Humber campus could come with 5% tax hike

Moving the University of Guelph-Humber’s campus to Brampton could bring millions in income and thousands of students to the city, but it could also come with a tax hike.

Councillors heard an update from members of University of Guelph-Humber (UofGH) on Wednesday about possible plans to relocate its campus from Etobicoke to Brampton.

The university says the school could bring more than 5,000 students to Brampton through its commuter campus as well as adding $94 million to the city’s GDP annually and generate another $64 million in labour income every year.

But councillors also said that UofGH could also come with a 4 to 5 per cent tax hike to Brampton residents.

When speaking on how to help bankroll the project, Regional Coun. Martin Medeiros said one option was a “5 to 7 per cent tax increase.”

City Coun. Harkirat Singh interjected to correct Medeiros, saying the potential hike is in fact “a 4 to 5 per cent increase,” and that there are “other options” to be explored.

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In June of last year, city council unanimously supported a motion to work with the university to bring the campus to Brampton’s Centre for Innovation (CFI).

The city budget shows the centre is a $172 million project, with $20 million earmarked in 2022 to prepare for construction in 2024 on top of an existing $32 million in funds.

Medeiros said a tax increase could help bankroll “a certain amount for the innovation centre” going forward as the current budget “offset it for a couple of years.”

This iteration of City Council has often lauded itself on not increasing property taxes, despite approving a post-budget 1 per cent tax levy for the Peel Memorial Hospital last month.

That increase came just three months after approving a budget which it widely broadcast as “a fourth consecutive year” of a 0 per cent property tax increase.

UofGH says it gets more applicants from Brampton than from any other city in Ontario, and with housing already at a premium in Brampton, Medeiros said there are questions around the school’s accommodation needs and how those requirements would impact city planning in neighbouring communities.

City staff and both of the post-secondary institutions have been tasked with identifying required supports and business terms for any potential relocation.

University of Guelph-Humber offers combined degree-diploma programs, where students earn a Humber diploma and a bachelor’s degree from Guelph over the course of four years.