Ontario Construction News staff writer
The City of Mississauga is ready to become an independent, single-tier municipality on Jan. 1, 2025, senior staff said in a recent update to council.
“We’ve advocated for this change for years and are prepared to take on the challenge of becoming a single-tier, independent municipality. The City has proven its ability to be a world-class destination with strong financial management, exceptional leadership and extensive experience,” said Chris Fonseca, acting mayor and ward 3 councillor.
“The shift towards independence will allow council and the city to make meaningful decisions to address key issues unique to Mississauga such as housing, growth, transportation, infrastructure, climate change and financial management.
“We’re confident this change will lead to a better service delivery for residents and businesses. This is good news for Mississauga.”
Bill 112, the Hazel McCallion Act (Peel Dissolution), 2023 will dissolve Peel Region as a governing body and makes Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon independent municipalities, meaning the majority of property tax revenues will now remain in Mississauga for investments in the strategic priorities without interference from the regional government.
“Moving to a single-tier government structure will provide residents and taxpayers with cost savings and more co-ordinated service delivery,” said Shari Lichterman, city manager and CAO. “We will have the ability to make decisions independently and that means we can do things like approving housing more quickly to reach our provincial housing targets and deliver improved programs and services that meet the direct needs of those in our Mississauga community.”
To get ready for independence, Mississauga hired Catherine Matheson as the Interim Commissioner of Health and Human Services and appointed Lori Kelly, former Director of Human Resources, as the new Director of Municipal Transition and Integration.
“We’re ensuring Mississauga will have the right people in place for a seamless transition. This includes bringing on experts in fields like health and human services so that we’re ready to deliver these critical services on day one,” Lichterman said. “Our focus remains on providing quality services with no disruption for residents and businesses. It also means welcoming the highly qualified Peel Region staff and their expertise to deliver the programs and services in these areas.”