MISSISSAUGA – With Ontario’s provincial election set for Thursday, February 27, 2025, the City of Mississauga has launched its renewed advocacy campaign, Mississauga Matters. The initiative aims to ensure that all provincial candidates and political parties recognize the city’s importance within the province while addressing key issues that impact residents.
Key Priorities: Housing and Affordability
The Mississauga Matters campaign is centered around two main pillars: accelerating housing development and maintaining affordability for residents. The city is advocating for provincial support to tackle challenges such as the housing crisis, transit expansion, and funding for major infrastructure projects, including the rebuilding of The Peter Gilgan Mississauga Hospital.
Mississauga has emphasized the need for stable funding to keep the city livable and competitive as a major economic hub. The campaign outlines several priorities aimed at strengthening local and regional services.
(1/4): With election day just under a month away, #MississaugaMatters is highlighting the City’s key priorities: getting housing built and keeping Mississauga affordable for all. pic.twitter.com/kB5PvSUDbM
— City of Mississauga (@citymississauga) February 4, 2025
Boosting Housing and Transit Infrastructure
To meet Ontario’s target of 120,000 new homes over the next decade, Mississauga is pushing for housing-enabling infrastructure, including:
- Extending the Dundas Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line to improve east-west connections across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) and reduce travel times for approximately 30,000 daily riders.
- Expanding all-day, two-way GO train service along the Milton corridor, which serves 8,000 businesses and supports over 143,000 jobs, with projections of up to 94,000 daily passengers by 2041.
- Securing funding and alignment confirmation for the Hazel McCallion Line Extension (Downtown Loop) to enhance rapid transit in Mississauga.
- Building a new transit facility to support sustainable public transit expansion, a critical component in increasing housing availability.
- Expediting approvals for the city’s applications to the Housing Enabling Water Systems Fund and Housing Enabling Core Services Stream to accelerate housing development while enhancing flood protection.
Keeping Mississauga Affordable
As affordability remains a growing concern, Mississauga is advocating for:
- Strengthening partnerships with private and non-profit developers through the Mayor’s Housing Task Force, which was launched in July 2024 to provide strategic recommendations on zoning, building standards, development charges, and affordable housing funding.
- Securing a fair share deal for the Region of Peel, which currently faces an $868 million annual deficit—translating to a $578 per-person funding gap across Mississauga, Brampton, and Caledon.
- Reassessing the local financial share required for the Mississauga Hospital rebuild to ease the burden on city taxpayers.
- Removing the 5% cap on payments in lieu of taxes (PILT) for the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) to ensure a more equitable funding model that prevents tax hikes on residents and businesses.
- Addressing food insecurity by advocating for increased provincial funding to support local food banks and backing the Groceries and Essentials Benefit proposed by Food Banks Canada, aimed at helping struggling households afford necessities like food and shelter.
Encouraging Resident Engagement
The Mississauga Matters campaign will run throughout the provincial election period, encouraging residents to engage in discussions on social media using the hashtag #MississaugaMatters and reach out to local candidates about these critical issues.
For more information on Mississauga’s provincial election priorities, residents can visit the official Mississauga Matters webpage.
SOURCE City of Mississauga
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