Brampton Mayoral Candidates

Biography: Patrick Brown has been the mayor of Brampton since 2018. Prior to that, he led the Ontario Progressive Conservative party between 2015 and 2018. Brown resigned from that position when two women accused him of sexual misconduct, including making sexual advances toward a teenaged staffer after his friend provided her with free alcohol. Brown denied the charges. He subsequently sued CTV, the news outlet that reported the allegations, and the network later said some of its reporting was inaccurate, without specifying which pieces of information (one correction appears to be related to one of the accuser’s ages). Brown initially tried to reclaim his job in the leadership race triggered by his own resignation, but ultimately dropped out. He ran for leader of the federal Conservative party in 2022 but was disqualified when the party said he’d broken financing rules, a charge Brown denied.

As mayor, Brown has secured funding from Premier Doug Ford’s Ontario government to extend the Hazel McCallion light rail transit project to downtown Brampton, expand the city’s current urgent care centre, and build a new hospital. On a call with NEWSTALK 1010, Brown  said that he had frozen municipal taxes for as long as he could, and only raised them by 1 percent this year to start construction on that second hospital. Brown also signed an agreement with a private on-demand transit service called Argo, which transit advocates have argued was a first step toward privatizing Brampton transit. Throughout the trade tensions between the U.S. and Canada, Brown has appeared on U.S. television to argue in favour of an integrated North American auto industry, and more recently for Lake Ontario to keep its name. He has pushed for automaker Stellantis to return to Brampton after the company idled a plant that employed 3,000 people.

After a staff report found the city had mismanaged $629,000 for the cancelled Brampton University project, Brown terminated an investigation into wrongful spending of public dollars. Much of the work that was paid for in that project was never completed, and a company led by one of Brown’s close friends received three times more money than had been approved by council.

Brown has spent dramatically more money on non-salary expenses for his office than previous mayors. In 2024, Brown’s office spent more than $461,000 on those expenses, compared to just over $26,000 under one former mayor. Independent news outlet The Pointer sent questions to Brown’s office about the expenses; the mayor’s office subsequently altered the records of its expenses to remove descriptions of some items, such as framed hockey jerseys that cost the public $3,600.

Platform: On his website, Brown focuses on the legacy of his tenure as mayor, touting $9.4 billion worth of investment in the city across different levels of government. He cites projects including health care centres, community spaces, transit expansion, and downtown Brampton revitalization. He has told news outlets that public safety will be at the top of his agenda and he will continue to fight crime, keep taxes low, create jobs and oversee the construction of Brampton’s second hospital if re-elected.

Biography: Jagruti Bhatt is a realtor and says she is a business owner. She cites experience in community service, including a pandemic-era food drive called COVID Food Vahini, which delivered at least 350 meals in Scarborough according to Bhatt’s Facebook profile.

Platform: Bhatt says Brampton residents are increasingly concerned with auto thefts, break-ins and speeding offences, which she will address with more police presence without raising taxes.

Bhatt is critical of Brampton’s $10.9 million agreement with Argo for a privatized, on-demand shuttle bus system, while public transit was cut in the city.

On housing, she says she’ll speed up development approvals and encourage legal secondary suites. She would repeal the Residential Rental Licensing Pilot Program, which requires homeowners to get a license before renting out rental units, and which Bhatt calls “costly and unnecessary.” Bhatt stresses in her platform that tenants should follow their lease agreements, and that responsible landlords should not be overburdened “by one-sided policies.”

If elected, she says she’ll advocate for more recreation programs for seniors and work opportunities for youth.

Biography: Gurdeep Singh Dhothar is a real estate broker. Further information about this candidate was not available at the time of publication.

Platform: This candidate does not have a platform available at the time of publication.

Biography: Vidya Sagar Gautam says he is a manufacturing and operations management professional on his LinkedIn profile, as well as a member of the Canadian Hindu Chamber of Commerce. He’s run unsuccessfully for mayor, Peel regional chair, and regional councillor in the past.

Platform: Gautam says on Instagram that he is concerned by auto thefts and supports the hiring of more police officers and changes to bail regulation by other levels of government. He supports the Ontario government’s new highway, Highway 413, and the extension of Highway 410, which he says will reduce gridlock. He wants to duplicate the UP Express from Pearson airport to downtown Brampton.

Biography: Prabh Gill says he is an arbitrator with experience in civil, business and commercial disputes. He is a certified divorce and separation coach.

Platform: Gill’s priorities include fiscal responsibility, safer neighbourhoods, job creation and economic opportunity. He wants to increase the commercial tax base to reduce residential property taxes. He wants to make Brampton a leader in technology and AI. He also wants to improve lighting to make streets safer, address congestion on Highway 410, and assign all residents’ concerns to specific staffers “instead of passing residents from department to department.”

Biography: Wesley Jackson is a licensed lawyer. He says he grew up in social housing in Heart Lake and now practices out of his own law firm. He previously ran for mayor of Brampton in 2018.

Platform: Jackson lists his campaign priorities as reliable public services, safe and affordable neighbourhoods, and infrastructure built for growth. He proposes a “Brampton Industrial Modernization Program” focused on helping local companies get grants from other levels of government related to automation, AI and energy efficiency. On Queen Street, he envisions a “new downtown” with redeveloped strip malls and parking lots. He wants to hire an independent city auditor and create a whistleblower hotline for city staff. He is critical of the current government for taking too long to build the city’s second hospital.

Biography: Little information is available online about Najma Khurram. According to LinkedIn, someone by that name has worked as a process assistant at Amazon since February 2017.

Platform: This candidate does not have a platform available at the time of publication.

Biography: Little information is available online about Nathaniel Peart. He appears to work in media, with small appearances in commercials.

Platform: This candidate does not have a platform available at the time of publication.

Biography: No information could be found online about this candidate at the time of publishing.

Platform: This candidate does not have a platform available at the time of publication.

Biography: Sandeep Somal is the executive director and founder of Project Skate Hockey Club, a program that provides services like financial support and training programs to marginalized youth who want to play hockey. Somal’s LinkedIn says that he previously worked as a human resources professional and administrator in health care settings.

Platform: Somal’s campaign website says he will focus on affordability, specifically reducing “pressure on property taxes.” He also says he will create better access to affordable youth recreation and sports programs, and fast-track business and housing development permits and approvals.

When it comes to city safety, Somal says he will “strengthen by-law enforcement when needed,” and improve parks, roads, and public space maintenance.

If elected, Somal says he would create a Brampton Healthcare Roundtable to focus on continuing care services after patients are discharged from the hospital, and better healthcare to reduce the demand placed on ER services.

Biography: Little information about Paul Tarriwal is available online. Tarriwal’s campaign website says he has a background in residential and commercial real estate.

Platform: Tarriwal’s campaign website says he will prioritize more police task force resources, particularly relating to Brampton’s extortion crisis, as well as reliable transit, and fast-tracking permits for business development. He also says he will publish a report on Brampton’s Riverwalk and downtown flood protection plans to provide transparency on the cost.

Biography: Little information about Gaurav Walia is available online. Elections Canada shows that a Gaurav Walia ran as a candidate with the far-right People’s Party of Canada during the 2019 federal election for the riding of Brampton East. He placed fifth out of seven candidates. The Local could not confirm if this is the same person seeking election.

Platform: This candidate does not have a platform available online at the time of publication.