Minutes

Brampton Community Safety Advisory Committee

The Corporation of the City of Brampton

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Council Chambers - 4th Floor, City Hall - Webex Electronic Meeting
Members Present:
  • City Councillor C. Williams (Chair)
  • Gurpreet Bains (Vice-Chair)
  • Regional Councillor P. Vicente
  • Regional Councillor M. Palleschi
  • Regional Councillor P. Fortini
  • Marley Budreau (Alternate) Region of Peel, Public Health
  • Jason Boiley (Alternate), Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board
  • Sandra Solonik, Region of Peel, Human Services
  • Superintendent Navdeep Chhinzer, Peel Regional Police
  • Shahbaz Altaf
  • David Colp
  • Suzy Godefroy (Alternate) Downtown BIA
  • Andrew deGroot
  • Alana Del Greco
  • Danielle Dowdy
  • Jushan Galhan
  • Marcia Glasgow
  • Mbengi Julie Lutete
  • Ivan Marco Macri
  • Vickramjeet Aujla
  • William Vollmar
Members Absent:
  • Lucy Papaloni, Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board
  • Mark Haarmann, Peel Region District School Board
  • Rick Evans, Chair, Downtown Brampton BIA Safety Committee
  • Marla Krakower, Central West LHIN
  • Peter Shah
Staff Present:
  • Marion Nader, Commissioner, Community Services
  • Bill Boyes, Fire Chief, Fire and Emergency Services
  • Andrew VonHolt, Deputy Fire Chief, Fire and Emergency Services
  • Razmin Said, Manager, Community Safety and Well Being, Fire and Emergency Services
  • Jason Keddy, Manager, Security Services, Public Works and Engineering
  • Peter Fay, City Clerk
  • Tammi Jackson, Legislative Coordinator

Note: In consideration of the current COVID-19 public health orders prohibiting large public gatherings of people and requirements for physical distancing between persons, in-person attendance at this Committee of Council meeting was limited and physical distancing was maintained in Council Chambers at all times during the meeting.

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. and adjourned at 9:00 p.m.

As this meeting of the Brampton Community Safety Advisory Committee was conducted with electronic participation by Members of the Committee, the meeting started with the City Clerk calling the roll for attendance at the meeting, as follows:

Members present during roll call: Councillor Williams; Councillor Vicente; Councillor Fortini; Councillor Palleschi; Gurpreet Bains; William Vollmar; Jushan Galhan; Vickramjeet Aujla; Ivan Marco Macri; Sandra Solonik, Region of Peel Human Services; Suzy Godefroy, on behalf of Rick Evans, Chair, Downtown Brampton BIA Safety Committee; Jason Boiley, on behalf of Lucy Papaloni, Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board; Marley Budreau, on behalf of Monica Hau, Region of Peel, Public Health;  Superintendent Navdeep Chhinzer, Peel Regional Police; Alana DelGreco; Brian Laundry, Region of Peel Public Health; Shabaz Altaf; Andrew DeGroot; Mbengi Julie Lutete; David Colp; Danielle Dowdy; Marcia Glasgow.

Members absent during roll call: ; Lucy Papaloni, Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board; Representative for Peel District School Board; Rick Evans, Chair, Downtown Brampton BIA Safety Committee; Marla Krakower, Central West LHIN; Peter Shah.

The following motion was considered. 

  • BCS001-2021

    That the agenda for the Brampton Community Safety Advisory Committee Meeting of February 18, 2021, be approved, as published and circulated.

    Carried

The minutes were considered by Committee of Council on January 20, 2021, and were approved by Council on January 27, 2021.  The minutes were provided for Committee’s information.

This delegation was referred to this meeting pursuant to Recommendation CW164-2020. 

Mr. Sodhi was not present at this meeting, therefore, Committee acknowledged the subject presentation provided within the agenda package. 

The Youth Safety and Education Sub-committee and Priority Neighborhoods Sub-committee provide a brief update regarding projected goals and strategies each will work towards. 

The Guns and Gang Violence Sub-committee and Intimate Partner Violence Sub-committee did not provide an update at this time. 

The following motion was considered:

  • BCS002-2021

    That the Sub-Committee Updates re: Brampton Community Safety Advisory Committee Worksheets to the Brampton Community Safety Advisory Committee Meeting of February 18, 2021, be received.

    Carried

Danielle Dowdy, Committee Member, provided a brief overview of the subject matter and requested feedback on the possibility of holding a virtual tele-town hall regarding Gungs and Gang Violence that would provide resources and tools for parents or individuals facing such issues. 

Marcia Glasgow, Committee Member, advised the platform would provide a safe space for families and or youth seeking resources and tools needed to cope with their particular situation. 

Committee discussion on the matter included: 

  • Question in relation to whether the sub-committee reached out to Peel Regional Police to inquire about the specifics of this particular form of violence. 
  • Clarification that research has been undertaken regarding the necessary data on the subject. However, the focus is primarily on families and providing resources, support and tools required with possible town-halls and workshops. 
  • Suggestion to have the sub-committee work with staff to review the scope and feasibility prior to moving forward with next steps. 
  • Consensus amongst members that staff work with the sub-committee and report back with an update at the March 25, 2021 meeting. 

Peter Fay, City Clerk, advised Committee that the current composition of the Committee was 23 members making quorum 12 however, on September 17, 2020 Committee passed a motion requesting Council to consider reducing quorum to 10 to reduce potential difficulties achieving quorum in the future. That motion was considered at Committee of Council on October 7, 2020 and was approved by way of resolution C385-2020 at the October 14, 2020 Council meeting. 

Mr. Fay clarified the expectation of members attendance and outlined the stipulations within the procedural by-law outlining that should any member of the Committee fail to attend three consecutive regular meetings the individual can be removed from the Committee as an appointed member and Council will be requested to appoint a new member. Mr. Fay advised that at this time the Clerk's Office is not aware of any members missing three consecutive meetings. Mr. Fay advised that the Citizen Appointments Committee will be scheduling a meeting to address citizen member shortage for all City of Brampton Advisory Committees. Currently this Committee has three vacancies available as three members have resigned from the Committee (Committee acknowledged the resignations on - November 19, 2020). Tammi Jackson, Legislative Coordinator will send correspondence to all members to canvass for continued interest with the Committee. 

Ivan Marco Macri, Committee Member, expressed concerns regarding the attendance expectations and introduced the following motion:

That it is the opinion of the BCSAC that a special rule be implemented to adjust the attendance requirements for this Committee such that:

(a) Any 3 member absences (consecutive or not), or
(b) Any 3 member absences over 4 consecutive meetings, or
(c) Any Member absences exceeding at least 50 per cent of the remaining scheduled meetings,

over the remaining term of Council become the basis for removal from the committee.

Committee discussion on the matter included the following: 

  • Staff expressed concerns regarding the motion being an onerous ask of the Committee and outlined that the Clerk's Office track's attendance and contacts any individual who has missed two consecutive meetings to inquire about the circumstances and remind the member of the attendance rules. 
  • Questions regarding how attendance and quorum is managed while in a pandemic.
  • Concerns expressed that the lack of active participation may not be due to not being interested in participating on the Committee but rather caused by stress, pressures and time constraints due to the pandemic. 
  • Staff advised that no COVID-19 alternate procedures plan has been put in place pertaining to the procedural by-law rules. 
  • Staff clarified that there is a lack of communication from Committee members when the Clerk's Office sends correspondence. Correspondence pertaining to Quorum Alerts have become standard as only a small number of members are responding. Staff also advised that the lack of quorum has been an ongoing issue since the beginning of the term and that no definite answer can be given as to why the Committee is having difficulty achieving quorum.

A motion was introduced by Councillor Palleschi to defer the above noted motion until after the COVID-19 pandemic has passed. 

  • BCS003-2021

    A recorded vote was requested and the deferral motion carried as follows:

    That the following motion be deferred until after the COVID-19 pandemic has passed; and, 

    That it is the opinion of the BCSAC that a special rule be implemented to adjust the attendance requirements for this Committee such that:

    (a) Any 3 member absences (consecutive or not), or
    (b) Any 3 member absences over 4 consecutive meetings, or
    (c) Any Member absences exceeding at least 50 percent of the remaining scheduled meetings,

    over the remaining term of Council become the basis for removal from the committee.

     

    Yea (12): Councillor Williams; Councillor Palleschi; Jason Boiley;  Suzy Godefroy; Marley Budreau; Sgt. Navdeep Chhinzer; Shabaz Altaf; David Colp; Alana DelGreco; Danielle Dowdy; Marcia Glasgow; Mbengi Julie Lutete. 

    Nay (9): William Vollmer; Jushan Galhan; Vikramjeet Aujla; Ivan Marco Macri; Andrew deGroot; Gurpreet Bains; Sandra Solonik; Councillor Fortini; Councillor Vicente.

    Absent (3): Marla Krakower; Peter Shah; Representative for Peel District School Board

    Carried (12-9-3)

     

     

    Carried

Razmin Said, Manager, Community Safety and Well-Being, Fire and Emergency Services provided and overview of the subject matter and answered questions of clarification from Committee. 

The following motion was considered. 

  • BCS004-2021

    That the presentation from Razmin Said Advisor, Community Safety, Fire and Emergency Services, to the Brampton Community Safety Advisory Committee meeting of February 18, 2021, re: Update on the Overall Year, Analysis of the Worksheet Feedback and Next Steps be received.

    Carried

Razmin Said, Manager, Community Safety and Well-Being, Fire and Emergency Services provided a brief overview of the subject matter and advised that she only received interest from one member of the sub-committee.

Peter Fay, City Clerk, provided clarification that anyone from the Committee can participate on a subcommittee. 

Committee discussion on the matter included the following:

  • Suggestion to merge the Road Safety Sub-committee with the Priority Neighborhood Sub-committee.
  • Clarification that the motion passed was to establish a separate sub-committee. There was much debate at the last meeting before passing the motion regarding the establishment of a separate sub-committee. 
  • Staff expressed concerns that the members may be feeling there is no longer a need for the sub-committee.
  • Staff provided clarification of the motion that was passed to establish a sub-committee with the addition to three additional members mentioned in the motion. 
  • Members can be involved with more then one sub-committee. 
  • The following members will participate in the Road Safety Sub-committee: Ivan Marco Macri, William Vollmar, Andrew DeGroot, David Colp  

Andrew DeGroot, Committee Member, expressed concerns regarding Road Safety within Brampton and put the following motion on the floor. 

Whereas the traffic lights on many major roads are timed such that drivers are rewarded for speeding to make the next green light, and,

Whereas timed traffic lights on major roads in Toronto and other cities have proven to reduce overall speed, traffic accidents, and death, and,

Whereas it has been confirmed that technology exists to time the traffic lights to ensure smooth flow traffic and that the pricing of this technology is less than in previous years, and,

Whereas traffic flows more efficiently when right and left turn lanes exist by decreasing throughway flow obstructions, and,

Whereas pedestrian safety increases as people are queued in a turn lane instead of the throughway, and,

Whereas fewer bus routes obstructions occur where turn lanes exist because buses can use the turn lanes at major intersections for their stops, and,

Whereas road safety is a concern for all Brampton residents, and,

Whereas the Williams Parkway expansion has been cancelled,

Therefore it is the opinion of the Brampton Community Safety Advisory Committee that staff be directed to explore timing the traffic lights on Williams Parkway, as a pilot project, and eventually city-wide, such that a driver heading eastbound or westbound continues to get green lights and that traffic flows smoothly, provided everyone is travelling at the posted speed limit, and,

It is the opinion of the Brampton Community Safety Advisory Committee that staff be directed to explore right and left hand turn lanes, advanced greens, and timed advancement pedestrian cross over signals (e.g. the count down don’t walk hand), at all intersections on Williams Parkway, as a pilot project, and eventually city-wide.

Councillor Palleschi expressed concern with the motion moving forward without staff present to provide feedback and expertise on the matter. Councillor Palleschi requested that the staff be notified that the recommendation will be on the next Committee of Council agenda for consideration so staff may provide feedback and further recommendations regarding the matter. 

Mr. Fay advised that generally staff are present for such matters and that the motion was not anticipated at the meeting. Staff are usually advised and attend the meeting to provide feedback for Committee to consider. Mr. Fay advised that appropriate staff would be advised of the motion and that Council will be considering it at Committee of Council on March 10, 2021 by way of the minutes. 

The following motion was considered. 

  • BCS005-2021

    Whereas the traffic lights on many major roads are timed such that drivers are rewarded for speeding to make the next green light, and,

    Whereas timed traffic lights on major roads in Toronto and other cities have proven to reduce overall speed, traffic accidents, and death, and,

    Whereas it has been confirmed that technology exists to time the traffic lights to ensure smooth flow traffic and that the pricing of this technology is less than in previous years, and,

    Whereas traffic flows more efficiently when right and left turn lanes exist by decreasing throughway flow obstructions, and,

    Whereas pedestrian safety increases as people are queued in a turn lane instead of the throughway, and,

    Whereas fewer bus routes obstructions occur where turn lanes exist because buses can use the turn lanes at major intersections for their stops, and,

    Whereas road safety is a concern for all Brampton residents, and,

    Whereas the Williams Parkway expansion has been cancelled,

    Therefore it is the opinion of the Brampton Community Safety Advisory Committee that staff be directed to explore timing the traffic lights on Williams Parkway, as a pilot project, and eventually city-wide, such that a driver heading eastbound or westbound continues to get green lights and that traffic flows smoothly, provided everyone is travelling at the posted speed limit, and,

    It is the opinion of the Brampton Community Safety Advisory Committee that staff be directed to explore right and left hand turn lanes, advanced greens, and timed advancement pedestrian cross over signals (e.g. the count down don’t walk hand), at all intersections on Williams Parkway, as a pilot project, and eventually city-wide.

    Carried

Peter Fay, City Clerk, responded to a questions regarding what process should be followed for delegations and public participation. 

The public was given the opportunity to submit questions via e-mail to the City Clerk’s Office regarding any decisions made at this meeting.

P. Fay, City Clerk, confirmed that no questions were submitted regarding decisions made at this meeting.

The following motion was considered. 

  • BCS006-2021

    That the Brampton Community Safety Advisory Committee do now adjourn to meet again on Thursday, March 25, 2021, at 7:00 p.m., or at the call of the Chair. 

    Carried