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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s Park and Ottawa has been critical to advancing projects that he believes will reshape Brampton for decades.<\/p>\n
Tory, who served as Toronto mayor from 2014 to 2023, opened the conversation by joking that he used to be \u201cjealous\u201d of the amount of provincial funding Brampton received under Ford\u2019s government.<\/p>\n
\u201cI now realize how I should have been even madder than I was,\u201d Tory suggested, referring to the list of provincial investments Brown includes in his campaign registration materials.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s medical school, the Hazel McCallion Line LRT extension, Riverwalk and a new hospital.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re in the midst of the big Brampton build,\u201d Brown said. \u201cA lot of these projects are either in construction or beginning, or in some cases, like the medical school, complete.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the projects require continued advocacy because major infrastructure initiatives often face delays and complications.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether it\u2019s the new hospital, the LRT tunnel, these are projects that I believe will benefit Brampton for generations,\u201d Brown said. \u201cFrankly, they\u2019re the result of years of advocacy, of making noise, of pushing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Later in the interview, Tory suggested Brown\u2019s relationship with Ford could continue to be an important asset for Brampton.<\/p>\n
\u201cI 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,\u201d Tory said, adding that Brown\u2019s relationship with the premier \u201cis going to be an important consideration in keeping Brampton strong.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brown agreed, but emphasized that cultivating relationships across party lines has been equally important.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy strong belief\u2026was that you have to have a strong relationship with all levels of government. It doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s red or blue (Liberal or Conservative colours),\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n
He pointed to the federal Liberal government under Prime Minister Mark Carney as an example, noting Ottawa is helping fund Brampton\u2019s LRT expansion and recently announced funding for a new recreation centre.<\/p>\n
At the provincial level, Brown acknowledged that his long-standing friendship with Ford has helped advance several high-profile projects.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got a strong personal friendship with Premier Ford, and I think that\u2019s resulted in his support for our new cancer centre, our new hospital, our LRT,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brown said municipalities depend heavily on provincial and federal support to deliver transformative infrastructure.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot that you can\u2019t achieve unless you have support from the provincial and federal governments,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s a relationship that we have cultivated and want to maintain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brown officially filed his nomination papers this week as he seeks another term as Brampton\u2019s mayor in the Oct. 26 municipal election.<\/p>\n