Background
For many years, Paul has dedicated himself to city
building by leading policy discussions and fostering an
understanding of its issues through media, including
television broadcasts, print newspapers, and public town
halls with government leaders. He strongly believes that
informed communities and ongoing consultation result in
better decisions.
Paul is proud of his involvement with community groups
in Brampton. He served as Treasurer of the Board of
Directors of Carabram, Brampton’s Multicultural Festival
and he is a Founding Director of Brampton Focus, a
media organization dedicated to covering issues in
Brampton. In response to residents' concerns on
community safety and the increase in crime, Paul
worked to create Neighbourhood Watch Brampton, a
new safety organization in the city. Paul is also the
founder of Stand Up for Brampton, which is dedicated to
promoting discussion about the city and a positive
culture around Brampton politics. Paul has lived in Brampton for over thirty years, is married and has three children with his wife, a teacher, who also works in Brampton. As a family, they love living in Brampton.
Accomplishments
Taxes
During his first term of Council, Paul fought to keep
taxes low, supporting a city property tax freeze that
lasted four consecutive years, while making record
contributions to the City’s financial reserves.
Housing
Paul has taken a progressive approach to housing
developments in Brampton. He believes that smart
growth and redevelopment are vital to increasing supply
to address the ongoing housing crisis. The keystone of
this plan was abolishing the minimum parking
requirements for new builds to eliminate obstacles to
building in Brampton.
Covid-19 Pandemic
Paul led through the Covid-19 pandemic and co-chaired
the Covid-19 Economic Support Task Force to
coordinate a response to struggling local businesses.
Advocacy
Paul has always been an advocate, serving on the board
of directors for the Association of Municipalities of
Ontario (A.M.O.). At A.M.O, Paul ensured that
Brampton’s priorities were escalated to the provincial
government, securing $600 million of investment. Paul
advocated for Brampton University, as Brampton is the only large municipality in Canada that does not have its own comprehensive university. His advocacy resulted in the approval of the Rogers Cyber Secure Catalyst and the announcement of a new medical school. The City of Brampton is also in negotiations for the relocation of the University of Guelph-Humber to Brampton.
Healthcare
Brampton is Canada’s fastest growing big city and has lagged significantly in healthcare access as measured by beds per capita (less than half of the provincial average). Paul championed the declaration of a healthcare emergency months prior to the global pandemic to bring attention to the need in the City. This effort helped secure the provincial announcement of a second full-scale hospital at the Peel Memorial site in Brampton. He continues to advocate for a third hospital.
Paul’s advocacy for improving healthcare also includes his work to establish a new 12 bed residential hospice- a first for the City, which will serve Brampton’s growing diverse population.
Transportation
Paul is a champion of affordable transit, active transportation, and road safety, with a track record of accomplishments:
Brampton is on track to become the first municipality to have a fully electric bus system,
Approved a free transit for seniors program,
Advocated for traffic calming and stop signs to reduce speeding,
Supported the implementation of Canada’s largest automated speed enforcement camera program, and
Championed the implementation of bike lanes across the city during the pandemic.
Environment
Paul’s advocacy for transit and active transportation has been coupled with litter clean ups with People Against Litter and tree plantings in local parks throughout the term to protect the environment.
Roles
City Roles
Chair-Public Works and Engineering
Vice Chair- Economic Development and Culture section
Vice Chair-Budget
Co-Chair-Brampton Transit Advisory
Member-Citizen Appointments
Member-Governance and Council operations
Member-Brampton Heritage Board
Member-Community Safety Advisory
Member-Canadian Urban Transit Association
Regional Roles
Vice Chair-Strategic Housing and Homelessness
Member-Accessible Transportation Master Plan and Council Advisory Group
Member-Government Relations
Member-Health System Integration
Member-TRCA- Partners in Project Green Executive Management
Member-Friends of PAMA Advisory Board
Member-Peel Goods Movement Task Force
Member-Planning & Growth Management
Association of Municipalities of Ontario