Who will manage garbage, roads and other services in shift from Peel Region to Brampton?

A new city-run corporation could start taking over garbage collection, roads and other services usually managed by the Region of Peel, but what the switch will cost taxpayers is still up in the air.

Residents have been left waiting to see the fallout from the province’s walked-back breakup of the Region of Peel, a move that would have left Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon as stand-alone municipalities.

But the province is instead leaving the regional government in place while the cities pick up the tab for their own roads and waste collection, while water and sewage services could be run by a new provincial agency.

The province hasn’t said how much the download of services is expected to cost the municipalities, but the City of Brampton is looking at creating a Municipal Services Corporation (MSC) “to help manage many ongoing and future large-scale projects and improve how services are delivered to residents.”

With the city expecting “significant changes” including the service shake-up, a MSC would help the city “manage the costs and complexities” of taking on new responsibilities from the region, and oversee large projects like the downtown redevelopment and Brampton Transit electrification.

Forming a MSC would also “save money and deliver better services,” the city says.

The city is looking to residents for input on the creation of a MSC through email and an online portal.

“Your feedback is vital in shaping this initiative to support Brampton’s growth and ensure it delivers meaningful benefits for all residents,” the city says.

Feedback is open until Dec. 9.

Ontario’s Minister of Housing Paul Calandra said in October the province was nearly ready to share details of how the service shifts would work but no details have been released.

The original plan to break up the municipalities was a promise Ontario Premier Doug Ford made to former Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion on her deathbed – a vow the premier broke after Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown and others raised concerns the plan could result in a 70 per cent tax increase.

Instead, Calandra “recalibrated” the split to transfer regional services like roads, waste management and water away from the region – a move local politicians say will still lead to higher taxes.

Prior to the board’s updated mandate, Mayor Patrick Brown called the dissolution a “financial train wreck” due to an estimated $1.31 billion cost to the city and a massive tax hike, pointing to shared services like water treatment, waste disposal and emergency services.

A five-person board was appointed in 2023 to guide the three municipalities through the dissolution of Peel, but the board is now down to four after chair John Livey “voluntarily resigned…to pursue other opportunities” some nine months after the board was given new marching orders.

Board member Tracey Cook replaced Livey as chair, and the board has reportedly briefed all three Peel Region mayors on their recommendations.