Home  Features South Asians spur Brampton boom
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South Asians spur Brampton boom |
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By Ethan Caleb » A drive through some areas of Brampton, northwest of Toronto, might
have you wondering if you had somehow lost your way and found yourself
in the northern Indian state of Punjab.
One of Canada's fastest growing cities, Brampton's stupendous growth has in large part been fuelled by the influx of new immigrants, a large percentage of them Indians of Punjabi/Sikh origin.
No less than 20% of the city's 415,000 population (June 2005 estimate) is of Asian origin - more than half of those Sikh. In fact, Springdale, one of Brampton's large new suburban communities, has already earned the nickname Singhdale.
Brampton's growth has been a relatively recent phenomenon. The spur can be traced back to the 1980s, when the city released large tracts of land to residential developers. Springdale, for example, was only developed in 1995 and is already the centre of tremendous growth.
From 1996 to 2005, the South Asian population grew from 34,000 to 85,000. That number will keep rising with Statistics Canada projecting the city's population will soar to about 680,000 by 2031.
The ethnic makeup of Brampton's population is reflected in its political leaders - most of the members of parliament and provincial representatives elected from the city are Sikh.
Brampton's location, bordering the country's economic engine Toronto, is without question an important factor in the city's growth. Equally important is the fact that house prices in other neighbouring suburbs like Mississauga and Vaughan are much higher than in Brampton, making property a more attractive proposition there.
Brampton is considered to be one of the safest cities in Canada by city officials. However as might be expected with a rapidly growing city, there are some concerns about gangs, drugs, and violent crime.
Transportation: Brampton is optimally placed in the Greater Toronto Area, with access to most of the area's major roads; at one point in the 90s billboards advertised that "all roads lead to Brampton".
It is served by major transportation routes: Highway 401 from Toronto is a short distance south in Mississauga, and is reached by Highway 410. Highway 407 is the present unofficial boundary between Mississauga and Brampton (the true boundary is mainly the hydro lands to the south and the railway line in the south east), just south of Steeles Avenue, another thoroughfare from Toronto.
The former Highway 7 (now Regional Road 107) is another east-west corridor, and Highway 427 is to the east.
Both Canadian National Railways and the Orangeville-Brampton Railway short line (formerly part of the Canadian Pacific Railway line) run through the city.
The CN Track from Toronto's Union Station, is the Georgetown GO Transit Rail Corridor providing commuter rail and bus services to and from Toronto with stops at Bramalea, Downtown Brampton, and Mount Pleasant. VIA Rail connects through Brampton as part of the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor.
The city is served by Brampton Airport for general aviation, and is near Toronto Pearson International Airport for commercial flights. Local transit is provided by Brampton Transit, with connections to other systems such as Mississauga Transit, York Region Transit, and Toronto Transit Commission.
Education: Besides private post-secondary facilities, Brampton's only place of higher education is Sheridan College. Also with a campus in Oakville, Sheridan's "Davis Campus" primarily focuses on education for the business world and for trades.
High schools in Brampton include Bramalea, Brampton Centennial, Cardinal Leger, Central Peel, Chinguacousy, Fletcher's Meadow, Harold M. Brathwaite, Heart Lake, North Park, North Peel, Notre Dame, St. Augustine, St. Edmund Campion, St. Marguerite d'Youville, St. Thomas Aquinas and Turner Fenton (Canada's only campus-based high school).
Brampton is also home to some known private schools. The first is Brampton Christian Schools operating just outside of Brampton, in Caledon. Tall Pines School puts a strong emphasis on the Montessori program. There is also Rowntree Montessori, which despite the name, follows a more traditional teaching style.
With a growing multicultural population, the Peel Board of Education introduced evening English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at high schools. Originally taught by volunteers, the classes eventually became daytime courses taught by paid instructors. In the 1980s, the public and Catholic board expanded its languages programs, offering night classes in 23 languages. These were introduced by the urging of parents who wanted their children to learn their ancestral heritage and language.
Attractions: Like Mississauga to the south, Brampton cannot compare with Toronto when it comes to visitor attractions.
However it is not completely bereft of things to see and do. Wild Water Kingdom (Canada's largest water-only theme park), Bovaird House (originally owned by early Brampton settlers), the Heart Lake Conservation Area and the giant Shoppers World are all well worth a visit.
The Brampton Performing Arts Centre is also being developed in the downtown, as "a cultural and tourist destination that will attract significant new business to surrounding restaurants, shops and services". The City says that the facilities are expected to generate $2.7 million in economic activity the first year and grow to $19.8 million by the fifth year. This is predicted to attract more than 55,000 visitors annually who will spend about $275,000 on before and after-show entertainment, creating close to 300 permanent jobs.
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