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Brampton
City (lower-tier)
City of Brampton
The Brampton Dominion building
FlagLogo
Nickname: Flower City (previously Flower Town)
BramptonShow map of Southern OntarioBramptonShow map of Regional Municipality of Peel
Coordinates: 43°41′18″N 79°45′39″W / 43.68833°N 79.76083°W / 43.68833; -79.76083
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
Region	Peel
Incorporation	1853 (village)
	1873 (town)
	1974 (city)
Government
• Mayor	Patrick Brown
• Governing Body	Brampton City Council
• Federal representation	List of MPs Maninder Sidhu (Liberal) Kamal Khera (Liberal) Ruby Sahota (Liberal) Shafqat Ali (Liberal) Sonia Sidhu (Liberal)
• Provincial representation	List of MPPs Amarjot Sandhu (PC) Prabmeet Sarkaria (PC) Hardeep Grewal (PC) Charmaine Williams (PC) Graham McGregor (PC)
Area
• Land	265.89 km (102.66 sq mi)
Elevation	218 m (715 ft)
Population
• Total	656,480 (9th)
• Density	2,469/km (6,390/sq mi)
Demonym	Bramptonian
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Forward sortation area	L6P to L7A
Area code(s)	905, 289, 365, and 742
Website	www.brampton.ca

Brampton is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario, and the regional seat of the Regional Municipality of Peel. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a lower-tier municipality within the Peel Region. The city has a population of 656,480 as of the 2021 Census, making it the ninth most populous municipality in Canada and the third most populous city in the Greater Golden Horseshoe urban area, behind Toronto and Mississauga. The City of Brampton is bordered by Vaughan to the east, Halton Hills to the west, Caledon to the north, Mississauga to the south, and Etobicoke (Toronto) to the southeast.

Named after the town of Brampton in Cumberland, England, Brampton was incorporated as a village in 1853 and as a town in 1873, and became a city in 1974. The modern City of Brampton was formed following an amalgamation of several surrounding townships and communities.

The city was once known as "The Flower Town of Canada", a title referring to its abundance of greenhouses and strong floriculture industry in the 1860s. It maintains the term "Flower City" as its slogan.

In recent times, the city has experienced large population growth. Despite being built as a car-centric city, Brampton has a significant transit system, with a ridership of 49,200,800, or about 226,500 per weekday as of the second quarter of 2024. Notably, the city is majority populated by people of South Asian origin.

History

Before the arrival of British settlers, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation held 648,000 acres (262,000 ha) of land north of the head of the Lake Purchase lands and extending to the unceded territory of the Chippewa of Lakes Huron and Simcoe. European settlers began to arrive in the area in the 1600s. In October 1818, the chief of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation signed Treaty 19, also known as the Ajetance Purchase, surrendering the area to the British Crown.

Prior to the 1830s, most business in Chinguacousy Township took place at Martin Salisbury's tavern. One mile from the corner of Hurontario Street and the 5th Sideroad (now Main and Queen Streets in the centre of Brampton), William Buffy's tavern was the only significant building. At the time, the intersection was referred to as "Buffy's Corners". By 1834, John Elliott laid out the area in lots for sale, calling it "Brampton", which was soon adopted by others.

In 1853, a small agricultural fair was set up by the newly initiated County Agricultural Society of the County of Peel and was held at the corner of Main and Queen streets. Grains, produce, roots, and dairy products were up for sale. Horses and cattle, along with other lesser livestock, were also sold at the market. This agricultural fair eventually became the modern Brampton Fall Fair.

In that same year, Brampton was incorporated as a village. In 1866, the town became the county seat and the location of the Peel County Courthouse which was built in 1865–66; a three-storey County jail was added at the rear in 1867.

Edward Dale, an immigrant from Dorking, England, established a flower nursery in Brampton shortly after his arrival in 1863. Dale's Nursery became the town's largest and most prominent employer, developed a flower grading system, and established a global export market for its products. The company chimney was a town landmark, until Brampton Town Council allowed it to be torn down in 1977. At its height, the company had 140 greenhouses, and was the largest cut flower business in North America, producing 20 million blooms and introducing numerous rose and orchid varietals and species to the market. It also spurred the development of other nurseries in the town. Forty-eight hothouse flower nurseries once did business in the town.

In January 1867, Peel County separated from the County of York, a union which had existed since 1851. By 1869, Brampton had a population of 1,800. It was incorporated as a town in 1873.

A federal grant had enabled the village to found its first public library in 1887, which included 360 volumes from the Mechanic's Institute (established in 1858). In 1907, the library received a grant from the Carnegie Foundation, set up by United States steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, to build a new, expanded library; it serves several purposes, featuring the Brampton Library. The Carnegie libraries were built on the basis of communities coming up with matching funds and guaranteeing maintenance.

In 1902, Sir William J. Gage (owner of Gage Publishing, a publishing house specializing in school textbooks) purchased a 3.25-acre (1.32 ha) portion of the gardens and lawns of the Alder Lea estate (now called Alderlea) that had been built on Main Street by Kenneth Chisolm in 1867 to 1870. (Chisholm, a merchant and founding father of Brampton, had been the Town reeve, then warden of Peel County, then MPP for Brampton and eventually, Registrar of Peel County.) Gage donated 1.7 acres (0.69 ha) of the property to the town, with a specific condition that it be made into a park. Citizens donated $1,054 and the town used the funds to purchase extra land to ensure a larger park.

A group of regional farmers in Brampton had trouble getting insurance from city-based companies. After several meetings in Clairville Hall, they decided to found the County of Peel Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance Company. In 1955, when the company moved to its third and current location, 103 Queen Street West, it took the new name of Peel Mutual Insurance Company. It reigns as the longest-running company in modern Brampton. Harmsworth Decorating Centre was established in 1890, as Harmsworth and Son, operated out of the family's house on Queen Street West. The current location was purchased on September 1, 1904, after a fire destroyed their original store. Purchased for $1,400, the 24 Main Street South location is the longest-operating retail business in what is now Brampton.

In 1974, the two townships of Chinguacousy and Toronto Gore were incorporated into Brampton. The small pine added to the centre of the shield on the Brampton city flag represents Chinguacousy, honouring the Chippewa chief Shinguacose, "The Small Pine." After this merger, outlying communities such as Bramalea, Heart Lake and Professor's Lake, Snelgrove, Tullamore, and Marysfield, were incorporated into the City, and in some instances further developed.

In 1963, the town established The Flower Festival of Brampton, based on the Rose Festival of Portland, Oregon, in the United States. It began to market itself as the Flower Town of Canada.

In a revival of this theme, on June 24, 2002, the City Council established the "Flower City Strategy", to promote a connection to its flower-growing heritage. The intention was to inspire design projects and community landscaping to beautify the city, adopt a sustainable environmental approach, and to protect its natural and cultural heritage. The Rose Theatre was named in keeping with this vision and is to serve as a cultural institution in the city. In addition, the city participates in the national Communities in Bloom competition as part of that strategy.

The Old Shoe Factory, located on 57 Mill Street North, once housed the Hewetson Shoe Company. It was listed as a historical property under the Ontario Heritage Act in 2008. Today it is occupied by various small businesses. The lobby and hallways retain details from 1907. Walls are decorated with pictures and artifacts of local Brampton history and old shoemaking equipment.

A self-guided historical walking tour of downtown Brampton called "A Walk Through Time" is available at Brampton City Hall and online at no cost.

Development of Bramalea

Planned as an innovative "new town", Bramalea was developed in the 1960s immediately east of the Town of Brampton in Chinguacousy Township. It was Canada's first satellite community developed by one of the country's largest real estate developers, Bramalea Limited. The name "Bramalea" was created by the farmer William Sheard, who combined "BRAM" from Brampton, "MAL" from Malton (then a neighbouring town which is now part of the city of Mississauga), and "LEA", an Old English word meaning meadow or grassland. He sold the land to Brampton Leasing (the former name of the developer) and built one of Bramalea's first houses on Dixie Road.

The community was developed according to its detailed master plan, which included provisions for a parkland trail system and a "downtown" to include essential services and a shopping centre. The downtown's centrepiece was the Civic Centre, built in 1972 to include the city hall and library. Directly across Team Canada Drive, a shopping centre, Bramalea City Centre was built. These developments were connected by a long tunnel, planned to provide protection from winter weather. The tunnel has long since been closed due to safety issues.

Region of Peel

In 1974, the Ontario provincial government decided to update Peel County's structure. It amalgamated several towns and villages into the new City of Mississauga. In addition, it created the present City of Brampton from the town and the greater portion of the Townships of Chinguacousy and Toronto Gore, and the northern extremity of Mississauga south of Steeles Avenue, including Bramalea and the other communities such as Churchville, Claireville, Ebenezer, Victoria, Springbrook, Coleraine, and Huttonville. While only Huttonville and Churchville still exist as identifiable communities, other names like Claireville are re-emerging as names of new developments.

The province converted Peel County into the Regional Municipality of Peel. Brampton retained its role as the administrative centre of Peel Region, which it already had as county seat. The regional council chamber, the Peel Regional Police force, the public health department, and the region's only major museum, the Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives, are all located in Brampton.

This change had its critics among those with a strong sense of local identities. Bramptonians feared urban sprawl would dissolve their town's personality. Bramalea residents took pride in the built-from-scratch and organised structure that had come with their new satellite city and did not want to give it up. Others in Bramalea accept they are part of Brampton, and they make up a "tri-city" area: the original Brampton, Heart Lake, Bramalea.

In 1972, Chinguacousy built a new civic centre in Bramalea. Two years later, when Brampton and Chinguacousy merged, the new city's council was moved from its modest downtown Brampton locale to the Bramalea building. The library systems of Brampton and Chinguacousy were merged, resulting in a system of four locations.

Some have questioned the future of Peel Region as encompassing all of Brampton, Mississauga, and Caledon. The Mississauga council, led by Mayor Hazel McCallion, voted to become a single-tier municipality and asked the provincial government to be separated from Peel Region. They argued the city has outgrown the need for a regional layer of government, and that Mississauga is being held back by supporting Brampton and Caledon with its municipal taxes.

Development as a city

In the early 1980s, Cineplex Odeon closed the Capitol Theatre in Brampton. The City bought the facility in 1981 under the leadership of councillor Diane Sutter. It adapted the former vaudeville venue and movie house as a performing arts theatre, to be used also as a live music venue. It was renamed the Heritage Theatre. Renovations and maintenance were expensive. In 1983, Toronto consultants Woods Gordon reported to the City that, rather than continue "pouring money" into the Heritage, they should construct a new 750-seat facility with up-to-date features. This recommendation was adopted, and the city designated the 2005–06 season as the Heritage Theatre's "grand finale" season. The city funded construction of the new Rose Theatre, which opened in September 2006.

Carabram was founded in 1982, the result of volunteers from different ethnic communities wanting to organize a festival celebrating diversity and cross-cultural friendship. The name was loosely related to Toronto's Caravan Festival of Cultures. Carabram's first event featured Italian, Scots, Ukrainian, and West Indian pavilions. By 2003, the fair had 18 pavilions attracting 45,000 visitors.

Brampton has grown to become one of the most diverse cities in Canada. In 1996, the city was 13% South Asian and 8.2% black. By 2016, the South Asian community grew significantly to represent 44.3% of the city's population, while the black population grew to 14%. Responding to a growing multi-cultural population, the Peel Board of Education introduced evening English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at high schools. Originally taught by volunteers, the classes eventually were scheduled as daytime courses taught by paid instructors. In the 1980s, the public and Catholic board expanded its language programs, offering night classes in 23 languages. These were introduced due to requests by parents, who wanted their children to learn their ancestral languages and heritage.

In the late 1980s, Mayor Ken Whillans gained approval and funding for the construction of a new city hall in Brampton's downtown. The facility was designed by local architects and built on the site of a former bus terminal. Whillians did not get to see the opening of the new hall in June 1991 because of his death in August 1990. Its completion brought the municipal government back to downtown Brampton. The facility expanded in 2014 with the addition of a nine-storey tower at 41 George Street and is connected to the original building by a glass walkway called Heritage Way.

In 1991, development of another new town, Springdale, began. In 1999, development started to appear as far north as the city's border with Caledon along Mayfield Road. The Region designated this border as the line of demarcation for urban development until 2021, although development already began spilling north of Mayfield in the late 2010s. Part of the boundary between Brampton and Vaughan is also nearly completely urbanized.

Changes continue to reflect the growth of the city. In 1992 the City purchased the Brampton Fairgrounds, to be used for other development. The Agricultural Society relocated in 1997 outside the boundaries of the city to Heart Lake and Old School roads.

Brampton's 2003 Sesquicentennial celebrations boosted community spirit, reviving the tradition of a summer parade (with 100 floats), and creating other initiatives. To commemorate the town's history, the city under Mayor Fennell reintroduced floral projects to the community. These have included more plantings around town, the revival in 2005 of the city Parade, and participation in the Canada Communities in Bloom project.

Cityscape

Geography

Brampton has a total land area of 265 square kilometres (102 sq mi). The City of Brampton is bordered by Highway 50 (Vaughan) to the east, Winston Churchill Boulevard (Halton Hills) to the west, Mayfield Road (Caledon) to the north (except for a small neighbourhood, Snelgrove, which is part of Brampton despite extending somewhat north of Mayfield Road), the hydro corridor (Mississauga) to the south as far east as Torbram Road, where the border between the two cities follows the CN Halton Subdivision, and Etobicoke (Toronto) to the southeast from the intersection of Steeles Ave E and Albion Road, to where Indian Line meets the West Humber Trail at the Trail's western starting point situated just south of the Claireville Reservoir.

Climate

Brampton features a continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa) which is typical of the rest of the Greater Toronto Area.

Data from Toronto Pearson International Airport, located 10.55 km (6.56 mi) east.

Data is from Georgetown, located 10.93 km (6.79 mi) south southwest.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Brampton had a population of 656,480 living in 182,472 of its 189,086 total private dwellings, a change of 10.6% from its 2016 population of 593,638. With a land area of 265.89 km (102.66 sq mi), it had a population density of 2,469.0/km (6,394.7/sq mi) in 2021. At its growth rate of 10.6% since the 2016 census, Brampton was the fastest-growing of Canada's largest 25 municipalities.

Ethnicity

In the 2021 Canadian census, people of South Asian origin were the largest ethnocultural group in Brampton - accounting for 52.4% of the population. Other groups included those of European (18.9%), Black (13.1%), Filipino (3.2%), Latin American (2.1%), Southeast Asian (1.4%), Chinese (1.1%), West Asian (1.1%), and Arab (1%) ancestry. The city is very ethnically diverse with approximately 60% of Brampton's residents being foreign-born.

Religion in Brampton (2021)

Religion

In 2021, the most reported religion among the population was Christianity (35.7%), with Catholicism (17.3%) making up the largest denomination. This was followed by Sikhism (25.1%), Hinduism (18.1%), Islam (9.1%), and Buddhism (1.1%). 10.3% of the population did not identify with a particular religion. Brampton has Canada's largest Sikh population and third largest Sikh proportion (behind Surrey and Abbotsford); the city also has Canada's second-largest Hindu population (behind Toronto) and largest Hindu proportion. The Toronto Ontario Temple for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) is located in Brampton.

Religious groups in the City of Brampton (1991−2021)

Religious group	2021		2011		2001		1991
	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
Christian	232,220	35.72%	263,385	50.52%	219,880	67.78%	185,780	79.58%
Sikh	163,260	25.11%	97,790	18.76%	34,510	10.64%	8,630	3.7%
Hindu	117,395	18.06%	63,390	12.16%	17,640	5.44%	6,415	2.75%
Muslim	59,445	9.14%	36,960	7.09%	11,470	3.54%	4,660	2%
Buddhist	7,105	1.09%	6,715	1.29%	3,340	1.03%	1,290	0.55%
Jewish	535	0.08%	830	0.16%	610	0.19%	805	0.34%
Other religion	2,940	0.45%	1,340	0.26%	930	0.29%	440	0.19%
Irreligious	67,265	10.35%	50,885	9.76%	36,010	11.1%	25,435	10.89%
Total responses	650,165	99.04%	521,315	99.5%	324,390	99.68%	233,460	99.58%

Language

The 2021 census found that English was the mother tongue of 42.9% of the population. The next most common mother tongues were Punjabi (21.7%), Gujarati (3.4%), Urdu (3.4%), Hindi (3%), and Tamil (2.2%). The most commonly known languages were English (95.1%), Punjabi (29.1%), Hindi (17.5%), Urdu (6%), Gujarati (4.7%), and French (4.6%).

Economy

Companies with headquarters in Brampton include MDA Space Missions, which will be building the CanadaArm 3. Loblaw Companies Ltd., Chrysler Canada Brampton Assembly Plant, Gamma-Dynacare Medical Laboratories, Mandarin Restaurant, Brita, and Clorox.

Other major companies operating in Brampton include CN Rail Brampton Intermodal Terminal, Best Buy, Amazon which has four production facilities in the city, Ford, Nestlé, Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), Frito Lay Canada, and Coca-Cola.

Additional companies in Brampton include Canon, Canadian Tire which has three distribution facilities, Canadian Blood Services, Boston Scientific, Air Canada, Sleep Country Canada head office, Rogers Communications, Magna International.

Alstom has an assembly plant in Brampton to fulfil their contract with Metrolinx to build Alstom Citadis Spirit LRV cars for the TTC Finch West (ordered in 2017 with delivery beginning 2021 to be completed by 2023), Hurontario and Eglinton LRT lines. The Hurontario LRT maintenance facility is currently being built in Brampton.

William Osler Health System operates two health facilities in the city (Peel Memorial and Brampton Civic Hospital).

It is also the location of the Canadian Forces Army Reserve unit The Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment).

Lululemon & Pet Valu have their main GTA distribution centres in the city. Wolseley Plumbing built a distribution Center and showroom in Brampton in 2024.

An automobile manufacturing facility was opened by American Motors (AMC) in 1960 as the Brampton Assembly Plant. In 1986, AMC developed a new, state-of-the-art operation at Bramalea. After AMC was acquired by Chrysler in 1987, AMC's Canadian division and its plants were absorbed; the older facility in Brampton closed in 1992. The newest factory was renamed Brampton Assembly; it is one of the city's largest employers, with almost 4,000 workers when running at capacity.

Education

The Algoma University at Brampton School of Business & Economics offers courses at Market Square Business Centre, 24 Queen Street East. The closest universities to Brampton (offering a wider range of programs) include York University in north Toronto and University of Toronto Mississauga.

Along with that, Sheridan College, Davis campus is another major public higher education institution serving Brampton which also has campuses in Oakville and Mississauga. In 2017, Davis added the Skilled Trades Centre, for training in skilled trades and apprenticeship programs, previously offered in Oakville.

A plan by Ryerson University, in partnership with Sheridan College was to establish a new campus in Brampton with a goal of opening in 2022 with $90 million in funding offered by the provincial government in April 2018. On 23 October 2018 however, the new Provincial government (elected in June) withdrew the funding for plans such as this, effectively cancelling the project. In 2022, the university, now renamed as Toronto Metropolitan, announced plans to open a medical school in Brampton. Brampton City Council gifted the university the Bramalea Civic Centre and most of the land it resides for this purpose.

Brampton also has many private post-secondary institutions offering vocational training including Springfield College Brampton, CDI College, TriOS College, Academy of Learning, Evergreen College, Medix College, CIMT College, Torbram College, Bitts International Career College, Canadian College of Business, Science & Technology, Hanson College, Queenswood College B, H & T, Flair College of Management and Technology, Sunview College, and College Of Health Studies.

Two main school boards operate in Brampton: the Peel District School Board, which operates secular anglophone public schools, and Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, which operates Catholic anglophone public schools. Under the Peel District School Board, the secondary schools are Bramalea, Brampton Centennial, Central Peel, Chinguacousy, Fletcher's Meadow, Harold M. Brathwaite, Heart Lake, Louise Arbour, Mayfield, North Park, Judith Nyman, Sandalwood Heights, Turner Fenton, David Suzuki, Castlebrooke Secondary School, and Jean Augustine, one of the newest. A total of 85 elementary and middle schools feed these high schools in the city.

Under the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, the secondary schools are Cardinal Leger, Holy Name of Mary, Notre Dame, St. Augustine, St. Edmund Campion, St. Roch, St. Marguerite d'Youville, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Cardinal Ambrozic. A total of 44 Catholic elementary and middle schools feed these high schools in the city.

The Conseil scolaire Viamonde operates secular Francophone schools serving the area. The Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir operates Catholic Francophone schools serving the area.

Culture

Several cultural entities in the city operate under the umbrella of the Brampton Arts Council. Located in the city is the Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives (PAMA, formerly the Peel Heritage Complex), which is run by the Region of Peel.

The Rose Theatre (originally the Brampton Performing Arts Centre), opened in September 2006. The city had expected the facility to generate $2.7 million in economic activity the first year, growing to $19.8 million by the fifth year. The Rose Theatre far surpassed projections, attracting more than 137,000 patrons in its inaugural year, which exceeded its five-year goal. The arrival of so many new patrons downtown has stimulated the development of numerous new businesses nearby. A new Fountain Stage was unveiled in June 2008 at the nearby Garden Square.

Brampton has six library locations to serve its half-million residents.

Festivals in the city include the annual Festival of Literary Diversity, a literary festival devoted to writers from underrepresented groups such as people of colour and LGBTQ writers.

The Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives (PAMA) in Brampton includes a museum, art gallery, and archives. Since opening in 1968, the art gallery section (previously known as the Art Gallery of Peel) has exhibited local, national, and international artists, both contemporary and historical from their permanent collection.

The City of Brampton's long-standing heritage conservation program was recognised with the 2011 Lieutenant Governor's Ontario Heritage Award for Community Leadership. In 2010, the city received an 'honourable mention' under the same provincial awards program.

Sites of interest

• Gage Park
• CAA Centre
• Camp Naivelt
• Chinguacousy Park-Greenhouse and gardens
• Mount Chinguacousy
• Claireville Conservation Area
• Heart Lake Conservation Area
• Brampton Historical Society
• Historic Bovaird House
• Korean War Memorial Wall (Canada)
• Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives
• Professor's Lake
• Rose Theatre
• Lester B. Pearson Theatre
• Wet'n'Wild Toronto

Major shopping areas include Bramalea City Centre, Shoppers World, and "big box centre" Trinity Commons. The downtown area has some retail; the Centennial Mall and the Brampton Mall are also of note.

Media

Brampton was one of the first areas where Rogers Cable offered its service. The city started a community access channel in the 1970s, which still operates. While some programs on the channel are produced in its Brampton studios, most are based in its Mississauga location. Christian specialty channel Vertical TV is based in Brampton.

The Brampton Guardian is the community's only newspaper, starting as the Bramalea Guardian in 1964. The city's first newspaper, The Daily Times, stopped circulation in the early 1980s. For a little over a year, The Brampton Bulletin attempted to challenge the Guardian, but it was dismantled after a series of editor changes.

Brampton is the official city of license for two radio stations, CHLO and CFNY. Both stations address their programming toward the entire Greater Toronto Area rather than exclusively to Brampton. CFNY was located upstairs at 83 Kennedy Road until moving to Toronto in 1996.

Sports and recreation