Conservative Peel MPPs help defeat NDP motion to safely re-open outdoor amenities

PEEL REGION — Brampton NDP MPPs Sara Singh, Kevin Yarde and Gurratan Singh say they will keep advocating for the safe and immediate re-opening of outdoor recreation amenities after Peel Region’s Conservative MPPs voted to keep them closed.

On Monday, Doug Ford’s Conservatives defeated a motion put forward by NDP Deputy Leader Sara Singh calling on the government to let Ontarians use amenities like cricket pitches and basketball courts. Nine of the 63 votes cast against the motion came from Peel Region MPPs Deepak Anand, Rudy Cuzzetto, Sylvia Jones, Natalia Kusendova, Kaleed Rasheed, Sheref Sabawy, Amarjot Sandhu, Prabmeet Singh and Nina Tangri.

“Every aspect of the pandemic has been felt especially deeply in Peel Region, and the anxiety and isolation people are going through is no exception,” said Sara Singh. “Think about all the local families who are cooped up in apartments without backyards. Why can’t a family walk to the end of the block to use a tennis court? Why can’t siblings take a ball to a basketball net and shoot some hoops?”

“The experts say these outdoor recreation activities can be done safely, so it’s just plain cruel to lock up or rope off these amenities to stop families from using them,” added Yarde. “The Ford government hasn’t given Peel the resources it has needed at any point during the pandemic, and now it’s going against the science to take away activities that support our mental and physical health.”

Locally, Peel Medical Officer of Health Dr. Lawrence Loh has expressed support for re-opening outdoor recreation amenities — something Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie and Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown have also been urging the government to do.

“It’s disappointing that Peel Region’s Conservative MPPs have taken a stance that is offside with local families and officials, and offside with science,” said Gurratan Singh. “Brampton New Democrats will keep advocating for access to amenities like cricket pitches and basketball courts for local families, and we hope our colleagues in Peel will join us.”