Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown credits his close working relationships with Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Prime Minister Mark Carney for helping secure billions of dollars in government funding for major city projects.

Speaking Wednesday (July 29) on NewsTalk 1010 with former Toronto mayor John Tory, who was filling in as host, Brown said maintaining strong ties with both Queen’s Park and Ottawa has been critical to advancing projects that he believes will reshape Brampton for decades.

Tory, who served as Toronto mayor from 2014 to 2023, opened the conversation by joking that he used to be “jealous” of the amount of provincial funding Brampton received under Ford’s government.

“I now realize how I should have been even madder than I was,” Tory suggested, referring to the list of provincial investments Brown includes in his campaign registration materials.

Tory noted that Brown is seeking another term while promising to continue securing support from both the provincial and federal governments for projects such as Brampton’s medical school, the Hazel McCallion Line LRT extension, Riverwalk and a new hospital.

Brown said Brampton has already secured more than $8 billion in government commitments for projects that are either completed, under construction or moving toward construction.

“We’re in the midst of the big Brampton build,” Brown said. “A lot of these projects are either in construction or beginning, or in some cases, like the medical school, complete.”

He said the projects require continued advocacy because major infrastructure initiatives often face delays and complications.

“Whether it’s the new hospital, the LRT tunnel, these are projects that I believe will benefit Brampton for generations,” Brown said. “Frankly, they’re the result of years of advocacy, of making noise, of pushing.”

Later in the interview, Tory suggested Brown’s relationship with Ford could continue to be an important asset for Brampton.

“I made a joking reference earlier on to the fact I was, in fact, jealous of the generosity that you managed to entice from the province,” Tory said, adding that Brown’s relationship with the premier “is going to be an important consideration in keeping Brampton strong.”

Brown agreed, but emphasized that cultivating relationships across party lines has been equally important.

“My strong belief…was that you have to have a strong relationship with all levels of government. It doesn’t matter if it’s red or blue (Liberal or Conservative colours),” Brown said.

He pointed to the federal Liberal government under Prime Minister Mark Carney as an example, noting Ottawa is helping fund Brampton’s LRT expansion and recently announced funding for a new recreation centre.

At the provincial level, Brown acknowledged that his long-standing friendship with Ford has helped advance several high-profile projects.

“I’ve got a strong personal friendship with Premier Ford, and I think that’s resulted in his support for our new cancer centre, our new hospital, our LRT,” Brown said.

“I think it’s important to have the ability to pick up the phone and call the premier or the prime minister at any point to rally them behind projects at a local level.”

Brown said municipalities depend heavily on provincial and federal support to deliver transformative infrastructure.

“There’s a lot that you can’t achieve unless you have support from the provincial and federal governments,” he said. “That’s a relationship that we have cultivated and want to maintain.”

Brown officially filed his nomination papers this week as he seeks another term as Brampton’s mayor in the Oct. 26 municipal election.


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