As the City of Brampton works to address unsafe and illegal housing, CBC Toronto has learned that a local councillor co-owns a property with an unregistered basement apartment, contravening municipal bylaws.
Coun. Gurpartap Singh Toor, who sits on both Brampton city council and Peel regional council, denies owning the house on Gardenbrooke Trail, in the northeast of the city. But property records show he has been on the title since 2021, and information obtained through a freedom-of-information request reveals the basement has been rented out illegally that entire time.
Toor’s sister has owned the property since 2012, according to the records, and transferred him a one per cent share in 2021, making him a co-owner. It’s one of at least four properties that Toor owns — property records show he also owns three houses in Caledon, Ont.
The city first inspected the Brampton property and issued a compliance notice in September, along with a $750 fine, noting that unregistered apartments could pose safety risks to occupants.
The inspection followed a complaint filed by Azad Goyat. Goyat is the founder of the Brampton Housing Providers Association, a non-profit representing landlords, founded in response to a pilot project aimed at curbing illegal housing. He also ran for regional council in the same wards as Toor in the last municipal election.
He says neighbours noticed two families were living in the house, but there was no secondary unit registered with the city.
“Coun. Toor is representing the people. He’s the lawmaker at the City Hall. How [can he] dare to … have the illegal dwellings?” said Goyat.
Illegal renting has been top of mind for Brampton council, with the mayor previously calling unregistered rentals “fire traps.” Last year, Brampton had nearly 100 house fires and five deaths, the city told CBC Toronto earlier this month.
Toor has served as regional councillor for wards 9 and 10 since 2022.
Toor denies ownership, contradicting property records
When CBC Toronto spoke to Toor outside council chambers last week, he denied ownership and threatened a legal letter.
“I don’t own this property. Anyone coming after my family, I’m coming after them,” he said.
Responding to follow-up questions via email, Toor said his sister was the owner of the property, and that he had previously been a one per cent owner of it “for a short period of time for personal reasons.” He said he has not received income from the house.
In the email, he accused “City Hall insiders [of] grasping at straws and leaking personal and private information,” in a “malicious” attempt to damage his reputation.
Having a small ownership share does not reduce liability in any way, even if the owner has not been receiving any income from a property, Toronto real estate lawyer Bob Aaron says.
“With respect to bylaw compliance, fire code compliance … each party, each owner — whether it’s 99 [per cent] or one [per cent] — each owner is responsible for 100 per cent bylaw compliance,” Aaron said.
Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown told CBC in an Oct. 24 email that Toor had informed him “he no longer has any ownership interests in that property.” Brown said he expects all councillors to adhere to all city bylaws.
A title search that same day still listed Toor as the co-owner.
Complaint prompts inspection, fine issued
Any property in Brampton with an additional unit must be registered with the city, and must be approved and inspected.
City documents obtained through a freedom-of-information request show the city received a complaint at the end of July about the unit.
According to the records, a bylaw officer visited the property on Sept. 19 and spoke with the basement tenants, who confirmed they had been renting the two-bedroom apartment for four years, and that another family was living in a separate unit upstairs.
The bylaw officer issued a penalty notice that day, along with a fine of $750, and required the owner to submit a permit application within 30 days. The name of the notice’s recipient was redacted.
The officer also took photos of the interiors and exteriors of the house. He noted a basement window had been constructed without a permit, and that a large window appeared to have been converted into a double-door entrance.
A notice sent the following week says that the city’s policies are “intended to make units safe, legal and livable,” and that a building that does not comply could lack required safety features and “may put the occupants and the neighbourhoods at risk of severe damage, injury or death.”
In an email sent Oct. 16, the officer said he would follow up with the owner on Oct. 21, at which point further action could be taken if the violation remained outstanding, including a possible fine of up to $25,000.
On Oct. 22, Kennisha Petgrave with Brampton’s public relations department told CBC in an email “staff have been communicating with the property owners, who have been taking active steps to bring their property into compliance,” adding that the new “benchmark date” to comply is Oct. 29.
Surrey, B.C., Brampton, Ont., among municipalities with highest rates of students in poor housing
Housing a key issue for city
Illegal apartments are a major issue in Brampton that city council has been trying to tackle, with a key focus on international students.
In 2021, Brampton had the highest rate of all cities in Canada of international students living in unsuitable housing, according to a Statistics Canada report from May of this year.
The city has taken steps recently to address the issue, including a pilot program aimed at smaller landlords, requiring annual licence renewal. The program has already led to thousands of inspections and more than 600 penalty notices, the city said last month.
Municipal lawyer John Mascarin said non-compliance with city bylaws not only sets a bad example for constituents, it also risks to erode public trust.
“There is a loss of confidence in the local administration and the whole, the whole of local government.”