Patrick Brown to win second term as Brampton mayor, CBC News projects

Patrick Brown has won a second term as Brampton mayor in a landslide, CBC News projects, but he still faces the challenge of bringing together a divided city council. 

With more than 70 per cent of the votes counted, Brown has more than 30,000 votes, representing more than 60 per cent of the ballots cast. The next closest contestant is Nikki Kaur, with more than 10,000 votes and almost 25 per cent of ballots cast.

Brown joins Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie in the win column. Crombie crushed her opponents with more than 75,000 votes and will be serving a third term, CBC News projects.

After launching his campaign, Brown promised voters he’d commit to fending off city property tax increases, attracting new businesses and creating new jobs, and appealing to Peel Region for more police officers to deal with crime.

He said he’d return to city hall with a “larger mandate,” with plans to increase recreation and green space and to fight for Brampton’s fair share of provincial and federal investments.

Brown first became mayor in 2018. He has touted a range of achievements since then, including free transit for seniors and funding for an expanded Brampton hospital. He garnered numerous endorsements, including from local community groups, unions, professional associations and even former politicians. 

But his time as Brampton’s mayor hasn’t come without controversy.

He launched his re-election bid in mid-July, weeks after he was disqualified from the federal Conservative Party leadership contest. Party officials alleged he used money orders to purchase memberships and allowed non-compliant membership sales, which Brown has denied.

He’s most recently been on one side of a split at city hall. Before the election, Brown’s council opponents alleged there was a lack of transparency surrounding financial discrepancies in his push to bring a university to Brampton.

About 40 per cent of the city’s population is South Asian. Ahead of the election, concerns emerged around Diwali falling on the municipal election day and putting some voters at a disadvantage.