Residents and some Peel Region staff are expressing concerns over proposed changes at a local art gallery and museum, saying there should have been more public consultation.
A motion approved approved at Peel Regional Council last month proposes control of the Peel Art Gallery Museum and Archives (PAMA) be transferred to the City of Brampton, with a plan to enhance programming and modernize the funding model.
The site, which was originally the Peel County courthouse and jail, was built in 1867. But for more than 55 years it’s housed thousands of pieces of art and artifacts representing the history of the region.
“People donate these things as a way to provide history and continuity of our culture,” said Chuck Scott, who was PAMA’s board chair for around 30 years.
“It would be a real breach of trust to let them go or change their status.”
The motion was tabled by Brampton Coun. Rowena Santos in September.
“The point of this motion is to ensure that the Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives (PAMA), which has always been located in Brampton, can thrive as part of a broader, collaborative effort to strengthen the arts and culture ecosystem across the region and more specifically within the city’s growing downtown cultural hub,” Santos said in a statement.
She said the process will ensure the collection is protected. However, Scott worries that the city is underestimating the complexities of taking on the role.
“Running a gallery is a complex thing,” he said. “There’s a lot of rules outside of just being an arm of a municipal government. I worry they don’t have the technical skills to do it.”
There should be more experts involved in the process, Mississauga resident Mark Hopkins said during a council meeting.
“I would like to see them open it up to a broader stakeholder engagement,” he said.
“There’s so many unknowns being explored, so they’re making a decision based on not knowing the full implications, and particularly the cost and heritage implications.”
Peel Region says working group will address concerns
According to Peel Region’s CEO, Nando Iannicca, an intermunicipal working group will “address matters related to the assignment of assets, employee transition, and operational and financial responsibilities and bring it to council for approval early 2026.”
He said: “There are no immediate changes to the services and programs offered by the gallery.”
In a report to council, regional staff highlighted several concerns including Brampton’s ability to maintain current funding levels for the museum, worries about the collection being split and the logistics around that, as well as a loss of education and programming.
PAMA is located across the street from Brampton City Hall. (Paul Borkwood/CBC)
Brampton Coun. Martin Medeiros said he supports some of these concerns.
“As long as there’s a region, there’s really no sort of cultural heritage institution or representation that reflects the Region of Peel,” he said.
“This documentation would be lost if it wasn’t Peel running it.”
That sentiment is shared by Scott.
“We need this as an institution, because in the 50 years I’ve lived in Brampton our community has changed, and it will change again in the next 50 years and we need to keep that cultural heritage for people in the future.”
Peel Region says the ownership transfer would take effect in 2027, pending individual approvals from all three municipal councils within the region.