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.
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