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OMB okays Brampton development The Ontario Municipal Board chair presiding over the northwest Brampton land dispute has ruled in favour of the Region of Peel. John Aker handed down his verdict recently, giving Brampton and Peel the green light to transform 2,400 hectares of farmland into residential space. The land borders Halton Hills. "The Greenbelt Act and the Places to Grow Act have forever changed planning in the Province of Ontario," said Aker in a statement sent to OMB participants. "Having considered all the evidence, the board finds that (northwest Brampton) represents good planning and should be approved." The land in question is in the far northwest corner of Brampton, bounded by Winston Churchill Boulevard to the west, Mayfield Road to the north, Creditview Road to the east and the Credit River to the south. Initially six parties were opposed to the plan, dubbed Region of Peel Amendment (ROPA) 15, but the majority settled with municipal authorities. Therese Gain Taylor, head of Citizens for Ethical Civic Engagement (CECE), a Bramptonarea environmentalist group, was the only party to contest the implementation of ROPA 15. Gain Taylor argued northwest Brampton is home to prime agricultural land that must be maintained. "This decision is very depressing," Gain Taylor said. The Town of Halton Hills and Halton Region both had participant status at the hearing. The month before the hearing began Halton Hills councillors reluctantly agreed to accept the City of Brampton's Official Plan amendment on the area after that city's planners made changes to accommodate the Town's concerns. The Town was concerned about the timing of a Peel North-South Transportation Corridor that could possibly run through Halton Hills. To appease Halton Hills, the City of Brampton switched the timing from 2011 to 2021, allowing time to complete a previously-agreed upon intermunicipal transportation and Environmental Assessment study, scheduled to begin next year. Development is not expected to begin until at least 2011. Social service workers, Region reach deal A union representing Halton social service workers has reached a tentative agreement with the Region on a new contract for its 70 affected members. The tentative deal was struck at 3 a.m. last Tuesday (Jan. 9) after a long day of negotiations, said CUPE national representative Daniela Scarpelli. At this point, both the Region and CUPE said they couldn't disclose details surrounding the agreement because it hasn't been ratified. A ratification meeting for the members of CUPE Local 3732-- representing Halton social service workers who provide employment referral and income support to social assistance recipients -- is slated for today (Wednesday). Halton acting Director of Human Resource Services John Phelan said regional council will also have to ratify the contract. Council is next scheduled to meet January 24. In November, the Local 3732 members voted 96 per cent in favour of strike action, but never hit the picket line. At that time, the union alleged the workers were stressed and overworked, while the Region declined to comment. Scarpelli said she thinks the social service workers got a "decent" contract, while Phelan called the tentative agreement a "good news story."