Why All The Concern & Publicity

Would this subject have come up if the "rumor" had been that people at Yonge & Bloor had been offered a signing bonus? I doubt it. It is silly things like this that give social in-activists fuel for their systemic racism fire.

Brampton mayor denies luring Jane-Finch residents

By ROSALYN SOLOMON, SUN MEDIA

PEEL -- Brampton's mayor and Peel's police chief have teamed up to put a stop to rumours of a grant program to entice Toronto's Jane-Finch residents to relocate to Brampton.

"The reason it's come to the mayor's office was because residents wanted to know why there was no public process on this relocation program," Mayor Susan Fennell says. "Well, there was no public process because it's untrue."

The rumour circulating around the city was that residents living in Toronto's Jane-Finch area were being offered $3,000 to $10,000 if they bought a house in Brampton.

Police Chief Mike Metcalf says he's been hearing about the rumours for about a year.

"We've looked into it and we initially thought it may have been a builder or some government agency or developer but we can't source it to anyone," Metcalf says.

The rumour also involves paying criminals to move to northwest Brampton, something both the mayor and chief say hurts the reputation of Brampton and the Jane-Finch area.

Fennell adds the rumour may have been sparked by the high profile court cases that have taken place in Brampton, like the terrorist ones of last year. People may have gotten an image that Brampton is harbouring criminals.

"Brampton is designated one of the safest cities by the World Health Organization -- Brampton is a safe and clean and green city," Fennell says.

"People come here because they choose all by themselves."