Brampton Ward 5

Biography: Gagandeep Singh Atwal is a Canadian immigration consultant and the founder of Atwal Immigration Services Inc. According to his Linkedin, Atwal previously worked in customer service at UPS and Routes Car and Truck rental.

Platform: On his social media, he says his priorities are community safety, reducing auto theft and crime, addressing parking-related concerns, and freezing property taxes.

Biography: Tajinder Singh Bhinder is the owner of JapJas Renovations Inc.

Platform: Bhinder wants to investigate the construction timelines for the Williams parkway, and look into why the city halted its plan to widen the road. He criticized the city’s Residential Rental Licensing pilot program, introduced in 2024 to crack down on illegal rentals by requiring landlords to obtain an annual license and register with the city. He also wants to lower property taxes and supports densification in proportion to schools and transit infrastructure that exists in the area.

Biography: Staceyann Brooks is a real estate agent with iCloud Realty Ltd, and previously ran for city council in the 2022 municipal election for wards 1 and 5. She has served as co-chair and parent member at the Peel District School Board’s Parent Involvement Committee.

Platform:  Brooks’ platform includes affordability, public safety and by-law enforcement, fiscal accountability, city infrastructure, and maintaining public spaces. She says she wants to keep property taxes as low as possible, review the municipal budget to eliminate unnecessary spending, and audit Brampton’s reserve fund spending. On housing, she wants to create denser neighbourhoods proportional to transit and municipal infrastructure. Brooks supports community policing and targeted patrols, as well as youth programs and community initiatives to prevent crime. She wants to expand proactive bylaw enforcement, a pilot program introduced earlier this year that assigns a property standards officer and a parking enforcement officer to a council ward pairing each day. She wants to establish a resident budget advisory panel to involve the community in city council’s spending decisions, and wants to improve transparency regarding construction timelines. She also mentions transit services, and opposes privatizing Brampton’s municipal transit system and infrastructure.

Biography: Amit Dutta is the owner of Ayur Sudha, a holistic wellness centre in Brampton.

Platform: On social media, Dutta mentions using data, community awareness, and coordination with City and police services to prevent crime. His priorities include responsible spending and being responsive to community needs.

Biography: Tracy Pepe is an entrepreneur who founded Smelling Pink, a company that develops scent therapy for long-term care communities. She’s been volunteering at Brampton’s Meals on Wheels for over 20 years, and previously served as a Board Director. She’s also the past chair of Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP) Brampton Chapter.

Platform: Pepe’s priorities include overseeing downtown development and auditing vacant-owned city properties. She wants to “review, redesign, or remove bike lanes that are not working.” She wants to strengthen law enforcement, advocate for vulnerable residents in the downtown area, and restore the Riverwalk.

Biography: Rowena Santos was first elected for Wards 1 and 5 in 2018, and is the first Filipino elected to council in Brampton. Prior to joining city council, she worked at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for over a decade. She was recently appointed as Chair of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ standing committee on community safety and crime prevention for the 2026-27 term.

Santos has faced public scrutiny for being one of the councillors closely involved with the failed Brampton University project; she seconded Mayor Patrick Brown’s motion to terminate six ongoing investigations into contracts with ties to the project.

In 2025, Santos brought forward a motion to have the city solicitor issue a formal letter to Grace United Church and Regeneration Outreach demanding immediate corrective measures related to safety concerns at their shared downtown location, where unhoused and other vulnerable people in the community are served.

Platform: Santos is campaigning on her record in office, including her work to champion Brampton’s second hospital, the TMU medical school, the Riverwalk revitalization project, and others. Her priorities include expanding police presence, improving road safety, strengthening bylaw enforcement, and improving 311 services across the city.

Biography: Tejpal Sidhu is a real estate broker at Sutton Group Realty Experts Inc.

Platform: On his website, Sidhu highlights that his priorities include advocating for stronger traffic enforcement for safer neighborhoods, reducing traffic congestion, and increasing fiscal responsibility. He wants to further sustainable growth and infrastructure, and expand opportunities for seniors and youth.

Biography: Little information is available online about Ramolo Tantalo. According to his Linkedin, he is currently the owner of Thermal Core GeoEnergy Ltd. and co-owner of Tanolo Tech Integration Inc.

Platform: Tantalo’s platform focuses on public safety, responsible spending, infrastructure, and economic development. On his campaign website, Tantalo has pledged to donate his full first year’s council salary, with portions going towards his priorities: Increasing resources for Brampton fire services, providing more resources for children at Brampton Civic Hospital, expediting construction and funding for Brampton’s second hospital, and planning for a third.

Biography: Little information is available online about Khimani Williams. According to the City of Brampton, Khimani Williams was a team member at the Welcoming Streets pilot program in 2021 that supported the Brampton downtown community in creating a safer space.

Platform:  Williams mentions increasing police presence in Brampton, fighting youth homelessness, supporting local businesses, and government transparency on his campaign Facebook page.

Biography: Steven Lee previously ran for city council in the 2022 municipal election for Wards 1 and 5. He serves part-time as a citizen member of the city’s Active Transportation Advisory Committee. According to his Linkedin, Lee is currently a proposal coordinator at Qualus.

Platform: On his campaign website, Lee outlines his support for more types of housing such as “duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes,” to address Brampton’s housing shortage and foster the “Missing Middle Housing” that Brampton needs. His platform also focuses on investing in transit to expand services across the city, improve road designs to mitigate safety issues, and updating zoning bylaws to better support local economic development.

Biography: Idris Orughu previously ran for regional council in the 2022 municipal election for Wards 1 and 5. He’s delegated at Brampton city hall multiple times over the past four years. Most recently in January 2026, he appeared before city council to speak about the 2026 proposed budget, and urged council to find cost-saving methods for projects to align with the residents’ requirements. In 2023, he questioned councils authority over developments that involve intensification, and in 2022 he was one of 10 residents who delegated on the application to amend the official planning and zoning bylaws.

Platform: Orughu’s platform focuses on fiscal responsibility, transparency, infrastructure, public safety, and responsible growth. On his campaign website, he proposes to launch an independent financial audit on major projects, set limits on executive salaries, and publish public spending so more residents can monitor where money goes. He says there needs to be a higher priority given to fixing existing infrastructure before new development begins, including repairing roads, parks, and public spaces, and redirecting funding to finish delayed or incomplete projects.

Biography: Paul Vicente was first elected as regional councillor for Wards 1 and 5 in 2018. Prior to that, he ran during the municipal election in 2014 and came second. According to the City of Brampton, he served as Treasurer of the Board of Directors for Brampton’s Multicultural Festival ‘Carabram,’ and is a Founding Director of Brampton Focus, a media organization dedicated to covering issues in Brampton. He also served as city budget chair. Paul also worked to create Neighbourhood Watch Brampton, a safety organization in the city. He is on the Board of Directors for the Association of Municipalities of Ontario,

Platform: Vicente’s platform focuses on healthcare first, including building Brampton’s second hospital without delay, planning for a third hospital, creating more long-term care facilities, and working to establish Brampton’s first hospice. He also wants to expand transportation services across the city, including through working with Metrolinx on finishing the LRT and Highway 7 rapid bus transit. He also wants to continue bylaw enforcement by raising fines for repeated violations. He wants data-driven enforcement of traffic laws. He also mentions advancing public libraries, traffic management, and building affordable homes to address homelessness in the city.

Biography: According to her LinkedIn, Pooja Walia used to work in HR before making a career shift in 2023 to become a full-time Personal Support Worker (PSW). She currently works as a PSW at Mountainview Residence, and has been a part-time dance instructor at DanceShala for over 11 years. In 2026, she was a recipient of the Brampton citizen awards under the “Inspiration award” category.

Platform: On her website, she says she’s committed to supporting seniors, expanding opportunities for women, and focusing on civic issues such as health care, crime, and affordable living.