Brampton Councillor Gurpartap Singh Toor in Deadlock with City Over Property Fines: Report

A neglected property tied to Brampton city councillor Gurpartap Singh Toor has amassed $12,500 in fines due to numerous penalty notices over several months. City officials warned that the site was turning into a rat haven and a homeless encampment, according to records obtained by CTV News.

Emails reveal that Toor, who represents Brampton’s wards 9 and 10, ignored repeated warnings from a property standards officer about the boarded-up home on Queen Street, a short distance from Brampton’s city hall, which was deemed a safety hazard.

“Gurpartap, what is it going to take to get you to bring your property into compliance? Do you not have respect for the city and its bylaws?” the officer asked in a January email to Toor.

Toor’s response was dismissive: “How about you stop harassing me at work? Let’s start there.”

Photos taken by the officer showed multiple access points through broken windows and doors, garbage littered across the property, barrels containing “an unknown liquid” in the driveway, and mattresses—evidence that the building was occupied. Records show Toor bought the property for $1.06 million in 2017.

Mark Santarossa, a neighbor and salon owner, expressed his frustration: “There was an entire network or organization of people squatting back there, doing all kinds of shadiness,” he said. “My clients were scared to get into their cars because they would see people selling stuff, doing stuff, it was quite scary for your average client coming from out of town to see that.”

In September 2021, before any fines were issued, the property standards officer highlighted problems including broken windows, garbage, a broken fence, and “rodents and small animals coming and going from the building under the deck and the shed.”

Toor assured prompt action in response, but subsequent visits by the officer showed that the issues persisted. Starting in late 2023, Toor received 29 tickets over about eight months, totaling $12,500, for failing to secure a vacant property, remove refuse, and comply with orders.

“Your refusal to maintain your property is creating a potentially very dangerous safety risk by not being secure or maintained,” the officer reiterated in January 2024.

Some fines went to collections by mid-April, and the city commissioned nearly $2,000 of work to be added to the owner’s tax bill. Corporate filings show the property is owned by a numbered company, with Toor as one of its directors.

A visit by CTV News last week showed some improvements, including cut grass and repairs to the boarded-up windows and doors, but issues remained, such as barrels still present and a large hole in one wall. A redevelopment sign for an 11-storey building had fallen over.

Reached by email, Toor said his development application is currently paused. “This structure at this property is not habitable and the only option is to demolish the structure for redevelopment,” he stated.

Toor clarified that the property was purchased before his council appointment and that the redevelopment application was paused to avoid a conflict of interest. He claimed no outstanding fines on the property and affirmed his commitment to addressing the concerns.

“To be very clear, I am not above the law just as any other Brampton resident isn’t either. I have not and will not use any political intervention in matters outside my duties as a member of council,” he asserted.

The City of Brampton confirmed that there were no outstanding fines as of last week. Records show that Toor paid some fines shortly before responding to CTV News.

Another neighbor, Jason Vallancourt, sympathized with Toor’s predicament, acknowledging the area’s significant homeless population. “I think what the city should do is let some kind of supervision be there and allow these people to stay and get some sleep,” he suggested.

Santarossa emphasized the need for decisive action: “If you’re going to develop it, develop it,” he urged. “But if you’re not, you know, you shouldn’t be allowed to leave something like this.”