Brampton City Council is throwing its support behind a proposal to bring wet lab facilities and a diabetes innovation hub to the Toronto Metropolitan University School of Medicine.

TMU wants to develop a facility to address the “critical shortage” of wet lab space across the Greater Toronto Area, according to a presentation to council on Wednesday.

Wet labs are specialized laboratory spaces where researchers work with biological or chemical materials, and Discovery science and biomedical research.

And TMU says developing wet labs in Brampton to expand medical research and development in southern Ontario will “translate into tangible outcomes for communities,” like accelerating medical science start-ups and positioning Brampton “as a competitive, investment-ready life sciences centre.”

The proposal also includes developing a Diabetes Innovation Hub, which would create a dedicated platform for diabetes-focused research, and support companies developing diagnostics, monitoring tools, digital-health solutions, and metabolic technologies.

As one of Ontario’s fastest-growing and culturally diverse cities, the William Osler Health System has said Brampton has the highest rate of diabetes across the province.

“TMU has a unique opportunity to position Brampton as a hub of Ontario-made innovation, job creation and commercialization in life sciences, bio tech, medical devices, digital health and clean technologies,” TMU Provost and Vice-President, Academic Roberta Iannacito-Provenzano told a committee of council on Wednesday.

In 2023, council gifted the $48 million Bramalea Civic Centre building and most of the surrounding land to TMU for the school – a move that led to the eviction of the Chinguacousy library branch upset many Brampton residents.

TMU is now asking the city to “explore available land or retrofittable facilities” near the TMU School of Medicine for the proposed project.

A motion from Coun. Harkirat Singh was passed by a committee of council on Wednesday in support of the wet lab proposal to “determine a way forward.”

The motion made no financial commitments, but supports and endorses moving the proposal along.

“We’re at a good point where we have strategies how to move forward, and really look forward to unlocking the economic benefits of a medical school here at the City of Brampton,” Singh said.


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