‘People are struggling’: Brampton’s 2026 budget freezes city taxes, keeps hospital levy in place

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown discusses the city council’s approval of the 2026 budget and what the reaction has been by residents.

After weeks of budget debate, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown says resident pushback over affordability forced city hall to “sharpen pencils” and find savings in the 2026 budget.

“We had coffee chats, town halls... people are really struggling with affordability, and the feedback was sharpen your pencils further, find savings, find efficiencies,” Brown told CP24 on Saturday during in an interview

The budget keeps Brampton’s municipal tax rate among one of the lowest in the GTA while maintaining a dedicated 1 per cent levy to fund the city’s required contribution toward a second hospital. Speaking with CP24 just one day after the vote, Brown framed the budget as a response to economic pressure facing households, even as the city expands spending on public safety, health care, and infrastructure.

“Originally, 30 days ago, when the budget process started, we introduced a 1.5 per cent increase, which really reflected the collective agreements,” Brown noted.

With the 0 per cent freeze on the city’s portion of property taxes, alongside the 1 per cent hospital levy. The city says that amounts to an increase of about $73 on the average Brampton residential home.

‘We needed that hospital yesterday’

The hospital levy remains central to the city’s financial plan, with Brampton required to contribute $125 million toward the William Osler Health System’s second hospital at Peel Memorial.

“If there’s ever a city that needed a second hospital, it’s ours, and under the provincial funding formula, we have to pay for 10 per cent of the cost and for all the equipment inside. That’s why we’re so busy fundraising,” Brown said.

He said full construction is still months away.

“Full construction won’t occur until the summer. It’s going to take about four to five years for the construction to be complete, although I’m pushing province and Infrastructure Ontario to be as quick as possible, because we needed that hospital yesterday,” he said.

The city also plans to maintain record reserve levels to support long-term financial sustainability.

Public safety and policing pressures

Public safety investments remain a major focus in the budget this year, including new staffing for parking enforcement, road safety, rental housing compliance and seasonal bylaw enforcement, along with 24 new firefighters and expanded licence plate recognition technology.

Brown emphasized that policing costs, however, sit largely outside the city’s direct control.

“On the policing front, that’s done through our regional budget, and the regional increase was largely just for policing. You know, we’re engaging an additional 200 officers this year,” Brown said.

He also pointed to expanded resources addressing domestic violence.

“We’ve made major investments in our intimate partner violence unit. You know, five years ago, we didn’t have an intimate partner violence unit... and now we have 70 officers that work in that unit,” he said.

Recreation, growth and cost pressures

The budget continues funding for parks, recreation, arts, culture and economic development, including investments in the Brampton Innovation District, AI training for small businesses, and cultural programming.

Brown said those investments are tied to long-term health outcomes.

“I would highlight is our investments in recreation. I believe that building new recreation is preventative health care 101, if you lead healthy, active lives, you know, hopefully it reduces the reliance on the hospital system,” he said.

For now, Brown said the city’s priority was easing the financial pressure felt by many of its residents.

“People are struggling, whether it’s inflation, whether it’s tariffs, high interest rates, it’s a tough time for families and businesses,” he said. “We put forward a series of amendments in our budget to get the city portion down to zero... and you know, that’s not easy.”