Why Peel Region's split could be a good thing even if it's not 'a clean break'

As Peel Region heads toward a potentially bitter breakup, residents of Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon are bracing for the possible impact of the move on their daily lives.

On Thursday, Municipal Affairs Minister Steve Clark proposed legislation that would make each of the three municipalities currently in Peel independent by 2025. But while the mayors of Brampton and Mississauga say they welcome the bill, each has different ideas about who will pay for the break up.

Brampton Coun. Martin Medeiros, who represents Ward 3 and 4, said the proposed legislation raises many questions and that the move appeared to be a "hasty decision" by the Doug Ford government.

"A lot of people have anxiety today," Medeiros said.

"A lot of people don't know what their future holds. And we, as decision makers, trying to do what's best for our residents, sit here with this grey cloud over us in terms of how do we move our city forward?"

But not all share that anxiety — some say the move could eliminate much of the red tape the municipalities have historically faced when it comes to businesses and development.

Murtaza Haider, a data science and real estate management professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, said the move may not be a "clean break" but will be a good thing for municipalities.

"If you remove a layer of bureaucracy that was hampering growth in housing or was being overly prescriptive in terms of what could be done for transportation, public transit or what not, removing that additional and unnecessary layer of bureaucracy is a good thing," Haider said. 

Todd Letts, the CEO of the Brampton Board of Trade, agreed.

"In the past, under the two-tier system there were two levels of planning departments. Now, the idea is to have one and that should speed up... doing business in Brampton."

Despite the uncertainty, some residents told CBC News that in many ways, Brampton and Mississauga feel distinct from each other already.

Jesse Jones, a local marketing entrepreneur and media host in Brampton, is among them.

Jones said it's about time Brampton gets a rebrand.

"We're a city of flavours," Jones said. "Whatever is going to allow Brampton to refresh its brand and highlight the many beautiful cultural and diverse elements that exist here, I'm for that."