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The Regional Municipality of Peel encompasses three municipalities directly to the west of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The regional municipality is made up of the cities of Brampton, Mississauga and the town of Caledon •. Mississauga occupies the southernmost portion of the region, a sprawling city of 700,000 (the sixth largest in Canada) that reaches from Lake Ontario north to Highway 407. In the centre is Brampton, a smaller city of 415,000 (ranked 14th by population). Finally, by far the largest (in area) and the most sparsely populated part of the region is Caledon, which is home to only 55,000 residents. The Region of Peel is the second-largest municipality in Ontario after Toronto. The regional seat is in Brampton. Owing to immigration and its transportation infrastructure (seven highways serve Peel and Toronto Pearson International Airport is mostly within its boundaries), the Region of Peel is a rapidly-growing area with a young population and an increasing profile. The Region was created by the government of Bill Davis in 1974, replacing the County of Peel, and was legislated to provide community services to the large and highly urbanized area. The region is responsible for the services and infrastructure related to water delivery and wastewater treatment, waste collection and disposal, regional roads, public health, long-term care centres, Peel Regional Police, ambulance services, planning, public housing, paratransit, judicial and social services. Other municipal functions are provided by the three local-tier municipalities. These responsibilities have changed over time, as functions have been uploaded and downloaded to and from the provincial and regional levels, as directed by the Province of Ontario. The County of Peel (and indirectly, the Region of Peel) was named after Sir Robert Peel, the nineteenth-century Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Senior administrators Notable government decisions The Regions future Seats on Peel Regional council are not assigned to member municipalities according to population or tax contributions, and this has produced considerable controversy within the region.* Mississauga currently comprises about 62 per cent of the region's population and says it contributes 66 per cent of the taxes, but had been assigned 10 of the 21 council seats (or 48 per cent) distributed among the municipalities, with Brampton receiving six and Caledon five. In June 2005, the provincial government passed legislation• that will revise the composition of the council. Beginning in the 2006 municipal elections, one additional seat will be assigned to Brampton and two additional seats will be assigned to Mississauga, giving Mississauga 12 of the 24 seats assigned to municipalities.• These numbers do not include the regional chair, who is appointed by council members. These changes are the result of a provincially appointed impartial arbitrator who noted: Mississauga council, led by mayor Hazel McCallion, has argued that Peel Region is an unnecessary layer of government which costs Mississauga residents millions of dollars a year to support services in Brampton and Caledon. Mississauga council unanimously passed a motion asking the Province of Ontario to separate Mississauga from Peel Region and become a single-tier municipality, arguing, among other things, the need to keep property tax dollars within the city of Mississauga for the good of the future of the City.• Opponents of Mississauga's position, including Brampton mayor Susan Fennell, have argued that from the 1970s through the 1990s, Mississauga was the chief beneficiary of Peel's infrastructure construction projects — funded by taxpayers in all three municipalities — and it is now Brampton's turn to benefit, as it is growing faster than Mississauga, which is mostly built-out.•• As well, they have argued that common infrastructure, such as waste and water services, would be more efficiently managed at a regional level. Law enforcement Education Other services Other services provided by Peel to the region's municipalities: Peel Regional Paramedic Services Formerly administered by the province, now in the hands of the region. Child Care Day care centres are operated for residents in Peel: Long Term Care Facilities are for seniors and others with long term health needs: Social Housing Peel is the largest landlord in the Region. It has the largest non-profit housing companies in Canada (and outside of Toronto. Public Works Peel manages the regions public works needs including: TransHelp The Region of Peel's unique transportation service for people with disabilities Formerly run for Mississauga Transit and Brampton Transit, Transhelp is now operated solely by region. Highways Seven 400-Series Highways border or pass through Peel Regional Municipality making it one of the best suburban freeway networks in Ontario and Canada. These freeways are among the busiest and most modern of Ontario, mostly constructed since the 1970s, and have contributed significantly to the rapid growth of the Region. One of the welcome signs of Brampton has the slogan "All roads lead to Brampton" and shows six 400-series numbers (401, 403, 407, 409, 410, 427). 400-series freeways Other highways Demographics (Statistics Canada, 2001) Surrounding census divisions | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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