This petition is directed to Bonnie Crombie, the Mayor of Mississauga, Patrick Brown, the Mayor of Brampton, and Allan Thompson, the Mayor of Caledon.

It responds to the Peel Region’s latest mandate, dated effective November 9th, 2020, to impose stricter directives to the community, especially those pertaining to religious services, rites or ceremonies. We ask the Mayors to reconsider their decision to restrict capacity for religious service to a maximum 50 people per facility and instead apply the current province-wide standard of maximum 30% capacity.

Indicators that track the pandemic in the Peel Region (and provincially) have not shown that places of worship are a source for the spread of COVID-19. Indeed, inspections have revealed a high level of compliance with required regulations and policies. As outlined by Dr. Lawrence Loh, Medical Officer of health, Region of Peel – Public Health, the Region’s elevated weekly rates are due to reasons outside of religious services.

Taking “aggressive action now to get the pandemic under control in Peel” must not include further restrictions on places of worship, which have consistently remained a key, and often the only source for our community’s psychological, spiritual, and physical strength and well-being. Many are suffering from anxiety, isolation, and mental health distress, which the Region of Peel has been unable to meet with the current supports that they provide; the elderly, the poor, the marginalized are especially vulnerable, with our places of worship as their only source of community support and sustenance. Our places of worship provide a space that is sustaining our mental and emotional well-being as we navigate these difficult times. Without this space, we are concerned about our own and our community’s ability to weather these hard times.

We implore you to reconsider your decision to restrict capacity for religious service to a maximum 50 people per facility, and retain capacity to 30% of current space.