Wow - Linda Jeffrey to run for Mayor of Brampton! Text of article pasted below for those who do not have access to the Globe & Mail ... Wynne loses Municipal Affairs Minister to Brampton mayoral race Adrian Morrow and Adam Radwanski Published Sunday, Mar. 23 2014, 2:32 PM EDT Ontario Municipal Affairs Minister Linda Jeffrey is set to leave cabinet to run for mayor of Brampton, The Globe and Mail has learned. Ms. Jeffrey could announce her resignation as soon as Sunday to launch her bid for the top job in the suburban city north-west of Toronto, Liberal insiders said. An MPP since 2003, Ms. Jeffrey previously served on Brampton city council. More Related to this Story • With election possibility looming, Wynne goes on the offensive at Liberal meeting • Adam Radwanski Liberals’ new message signals lowered expectations • Ontario Tories and NDP ‘reckless’ on economy, Wynne tells Liberal faithful Demonstrators protested outside the Ontario Liberal convention Saturday, slamming the governments handling of social assistance funding. Protesters are calling for Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne to boost welfare rates. CP Video Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne says shes taken aback by automaker Chrysler no longer seeking $700 million in government funds to upgrade two plants. Wynne says there are concerns about the companys investments beyond 2016. CP Video Her entry would significantly shake up the mayor’s race in one of Canada’s fastest-growing municipalities. It would also leave Premier Kathleen Wynne without an incumbent in a crucial riding ahead of a possible spring election. Incumbent Brampton Mayor Sue Fennell has been embroiled in an expenses scandal for the last year, after freedom-of-information requests by the Brampton Guardian revealed she had charged taxpayers $186,154.60 since 2010 to pay for flight upgrades. The Brampton mayor also has a limousine service and a car allowance. Ms. Fennell is already facing a challenge from Councillor John Sanderson, who is promising to cut the mayor’s salary and end several perks. Ms. Jeffrey would immediately be seen as a front-runner in the race, given Ms. Fennell’s troubles and Ms. Jeffrey’s long history in the city and campaign organization. Brampton is a major electoral battleground, one of the suburban ridings in the so-called 905 belt around Toronto that typically decide elections. Ms. Jeffrey’s seat, Brampton-Springdale, is held by the Conservatives federally, and the provincial Tories fought hard for it in the last election. Whether the riding is next contested in a general election or a by-election, it will be a tough race between the Grits and the Tories. Ms. Jeffrey’s departure is part of a larger turnover within caucus. She will be the seventh Liberal MPP to leave since 2011. At least four more incumbents, including two ministers, are not seeking re-election. A veteran politician with a calm demeanour, Ms. Jeffrey gained a high profile in recent months as the government’s point-person on the scandals surrounding Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. Ms. Jeffrey took a careful position, that the province would only intervene if Toronto city council asked it to. Her stance was calculated to strike a middle ground between those demanding Queen’s Park step in to stop the madness at Toronto city hall and the desire of the provincial Liberals not to make Mr. Ford into a martyr by being seen to have meddled in city affairs. She also led the government’s response to the ice storm late last year, ultimately pledging $190 million in provincial funds to help municipalities pay to repair damage and clean up debris. Her funding announcement drew plaudits from municipal leaders. The married mother of three grown children, Ms. Jeffrey was first elected to council in 1991, then to Queen’s Park 12 years later. She was promoted to cabinet in 2010, becoming Natural Resources Minister. After the 2011 election, she was shuffled to the Labour portfolio and also took responsibility for Seniors. Ms. Jeffrey was appointed to Municipal Affairs and Housing in 2013 when Ms. Wynne succeeded Mr. McGuinty. Ms. Jeffrey also sits on the treasury board. A city of half a million north of Pearson International Airport, Brampton has grown from a small village to a booming suburb in the space of a generation. It is also a major magnet for New Canadians, with a large South Asian population and ever-expanding subdivisions of large brick homes on quiet cul-de-sacs dotting its edges.
Posted on: Sun, 23 Mar 2014 22:24:58 +0000
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