For years, residents have raised serious concerns about safety, service impacts, and accountability related to publicly funded agencies operating in Peel. In response, Regional Councillor Rowena Santos has continued her long-standing work to strengthen oversight and ensure that community partners, non-profit agencies, and contracted service providers deliver services responsibly, transparently, and with respect for the neighbourhoods they serve.
Regional Council has advanced a significant motion that strengthens accountability for all organizations receiving Regional or flow-through funding, providing Councillors with clearer authority and better tools to address ongoing community concerns. The motion directs staff to enhance performance management frameworks and establish clear reporting protocols, ensuring Council receives timely, actionable information on risks, compliance issues, and corrective actions. This reinforces Council’s fiduciary responsibility and makes clear that public funding must be accompanied by measurable standards and transparent oversight.
For Councillor Rowena Santos, this motion represents a critical step forward. It equips her with new mechanisms to demand accountability where persistent safety, operational, or neighbourhood impacts have gone unaddressed. The enhanced frameworks will allow Council to better assess whether funded agencies are meeting their obligations, managing client behaviour appropriately, and mitigating negative effects on surrounding communities. Importantly, it ensures that concerns raised by residents and confirmed through enforcement or staff reports can now be addressed in a more structured, consistent, and enforceable way.
Councillor Santos has long maintained that compassion and accountability must go hand in hand. While many non-profit organizations across Peel deliver essential services responsibly, the motion makes clear that this standard must apply to everyone. With these strengthened tools now in place, future funding decisions can be tied directly to performance, responsible site management, and community impact. This Region-wide approach signals a clear expectation: publicly funded services must support those in need without compromising safety, transparency, or the well-being of the communities they operate within.
Councillor Santos has been vocal on this issue because it matters. While she respects the important work many organizations do, she cannot accept a lack of due diligence or the continued harm caused to surrounding communities. Peel residents deserve both compassion for those in need and accountability from those entrusted with public resources.
For more background on this development and updates, refer to the following articles:
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