How to build a roadway in a few days: Fast tracked Brampton project raising questions

Since pandemic restrictions were lifted, attendance at sporting events across the G.T.A. have skyrocketed as sports fans make up for lost time.

One of the main attractions in the Peel region is the Brampton Sports Club and nearby C.A.A. Centre, which hosts several events.

Most recently, the GT20 Cricket tournament was held here, which wrapped up this weekend. It attracted thousands of fans and in return, lead to traffic jams getting in and out of the sports complex.

In response, the Acting Commissioner of Public Works in Brampton approved an emergency order to build a road quickly.

“On July 25, we showed up to practice and saw machines in our parking lot and we were wondering what was going on,” said Tremaine Griffiths-Thompson, with the Brampton Rugby Club, which has its field and clubhouse nearby.

“One day a path was laid out the next day an entire road was laid out,” said women’s coach Dale Essue.

According to the rugby club, that road is impacting their operations.

“The road was built between our two fields, if players take two steps off that field, they’re in traffic,” Griffiths-Thompson said.

Rugby club members say workers also damaged a piece of training equipment, known as a scrum, worth thousands of dollars.

“We came and saw it was dumped to the side. The wheel came off and nobody can use it,” said Griffiths-Thompson. “It feels like a slap in the face to a club that has been here for decades.”

The Brampton Rugby Club dates back to 1962 making it one of the oldest sports clubs in the region. Falling under the banner of the “Brampton Beavers” they have teams for kids, women and men. Some members who started here have gone on to do big things.

“We’ve had players go onto the world cup, play professionally,” Griffith-Thompson said. “We’re also one of the most diverse clubs in the G.T.A., everyone is welcome here.”

It goes beyond the sport, members say. Inside the clubhouse, on any given day, you can find members playing ping pong or chatting around the clubhouse bar.

“It’s community for me,” said long-time member Marissa Dillon. “For me it’s family and that’s one of the most important things.”

The club, located within the Brampton Sports Park, leases the land for a minimal amount from the City of Brampton — an agreement that was made decades ago and a partnership members say has gone well until now.

“We don’t ask anything from the city, they’ve helped us with some of the stands for spectators but we take care of everything here, we raise our own funds and maintain the fields and the clubhouse,” Griffiths-Thompson said. “For them to just come and build a road violates our lease agreement. They’re supposed to let us know before we’re impacted.”

That’s their biggest complaint — not that a road had to be built, but members weren’t notified beforehand.

“We would’ve worked with them to discuss impact,” he said. “The city said, after the fact, that the road did not destroy our field, no it didn’t — but the proximity is way too close for field play in a contact sport.”

In a statement to CityNews, a city spokesperson said:

“Due to the urgency of the situation, the City only made contact with the Brampton Rugby Club once construction began and has maintained ongoing dialogue to ensure minimum impact on their field usage. The City is committed to working with the Brampton Rugby Club and all site users to ensure they continue to deliver valued programming to the community effectively and safely. We thank them for their patience and understanding.”

The spokesperson said the road was not only needed to help with traffic flow after an influx of attendance to sporting events, but also for emergency situations.

“As the broader site only has one entrance and exit point, the City took immediate steps to establish a temporary roadway to help facilitate safe and efficient traffic flow and for relief in the event of an emergency,” they said.

When CityNews was at the site though, the road was still gated off and did not appear to be opened.

“I don’t know how that’s an emergency, if it’s not even usable right now,” Essue said.

The City did not address the fact that it’s still closed nor say how much the project cost.

“The cost is funded through the City’s existing Road Surfacing Program,” the spokesperon said.

But the City is listening. Mayor Patrick Brown, councillors, and staff from Recreation, PW and the Sport Tourism office will meet the president of the rugby club this week.

“That’s all we wanted. We want to discuss what has happened here,” Griffiths-Thompson said. “Let’s join forces and we’ll come up with a plan that benefits everyone.”

“We want to have a working relationship with them moving forward,” Essue added.

That meeting is scheduled for Tuesday.

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