Patrick Brown has officially announced he is running for his third term as mayor of Brampton, a position he was first elected to in 2018.
The city’s incumbent filed his candidacy papers at Brampton City Hall Tuesday. He joins seven other candidates in the mayoral race: Jagruti Bhatt, Avi Dhaliwal, Vidya Sagar Gautam, Gursimranjit Singh, Tirth Vinodkumar Patel, Gaurav Walia and Sandeep Somal.
Brown told reporters Tuesday that he will continue to focus on public safety, and is running again to “keep the momentum we have for the transformational projects we’re having in our city right now” such as the upcoming construction of Brampton’s second hospital and the extension of the Hazel McCallion light-rail transit line into the city.
“I’m excited by the progress we’re making, but there’s still work that needs to be embarked upon,” he said.
Brown has had a decades-long career as a politician at all three levels of government in Ontario.
Brown was formerly leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative party, but resigned in 2018 after allegations of sexual misconduct dating back to his time as a federal Member of Parliament (Brown denied the claims and maintained his innocence).
He was replaced as PC Leader by current Premier Doug Ford and subsequently ran for his current position as Brampton’s mayor.
Just prior to his second successful mayoral campaign in 2022, Brown made a failed bid for the leadership of the federal Conservative Party. He was disqualified over allegations related to an apparent breach of the financing rules in the Canada Elections Act.
The municipal election will take place on Oct. 26. The deadline for candidates to register is Aug. 21.