Bonnie’s Plan for Mississauga

Protect Mississauga businesses and workers

• Provide targeted tax relief for businesses affected by tariffs. I will bring forward a time-limited program allowing businesses directly and materially affected by U.S. tariffs to defer the City portion of qualifying commercial and industrial property taxes interest-free, beginning with the next tax bill. Eligibility will require demonstrated tariff exposure. I will ask Peel Region and Ontario to provide comparable relief on their portions of the bill. The purpose is to keep cash in businesses so they can protect jobs.
• Pay local suppliers faster. I will establish a 15-day payment standard for qualifying Mississauga-based small and medium-sized businesses supplying the City. Local businesses should not have to finance City Hall while waiting to be paid.
• Give employers one place to turn. A Mayor’s Tariff Action Team will provide a senior point of contact for businesses seeking help with relief programs, export markets, procurement, workforce issues, approvals or supply-chain changes. For major employers facing significant job losses or investment decisions, the City will commit to responding within 48 hours.
• Buy Mississauga, Ontario and Canadian. I will embed Canadian and Ontario purchasing preferences in the City’s procurement by-law wherever legally permitted and establish a Made-in-Mississauga procurement strategy. We will review large contracts so qualified smaller firms have a fair opportunity to bid, require purchasers to identify Canadian alternatives before eligible purchases are sourced internationally and publish an annual scorecard showing where City purchasing dollars go.

Bring new investment and better jobs to Mississauga

• Move job-creating investments through City Hall faster. A Tariff Investment Fast Track will support companies bringing production to Canada, expanding local facilities, retooling operations or protecting significant numbers of Mississauga jobs. Qualifying projects will receive a senior City contact, an approvals roadmap within 10 business days and coordinated planning, building and economic-development review. We will target completion of qualifying City-controlled approvals within 90 days wherever possible and examine deferring eligible planning and development fees until construction or production begins.
• Protect land for good jobs. I will protect strategically important employment lands for advanced manufacturing, logistics, research, life sciences and other high-value industries. The City will maintain an inventory of investment-ready sites and industrial properties so employers can see where they can grow.
• Make Pearson a stronger advantage for workers and businesses. I will work with the airport, other governments and employers to make the Pearson Economic Zone a centre for trade and investment. We will target aerospace, logistics, advanced manufacturing and life sciences, address infrastructure and transportation bottlenecks and help companies reach markets in Europe, Asia, the Gulf and Latin America. Mississauga should be a preferred Canadian location for businesses reorganizing their North American supply chains.
• Build the next generation of jobs on our waterfront. I will make the Lakeview Innovation Corridor a central part of the City’s investment-attraction work, pursuing life sciences, clean technology, advanced manufacturing, research and Canadian headquarters. Our waterfront should offer opportunities to build a career as well as a home.
• Help local companies sell to the world. We will establish a searchable Mississauga supplier and exporter network, connect local suppliers with major purchasers and work with federal and provincial trade agencies on targeted export missions. I will help smaller firms access federal trade commissioners, Export Development Canada and other trade programs so more Mississauga companies can reach customers beyond the United States.
• Put Mississauga back at the table. I will personally represent our city at major municipal, provincial and federal economic tables when local jobs are at stake. A Mayor’s Economic and Trade Council will bring together major employers, small businesses, labour, Pearson, post-secondary institutions and key industries. It will maintain clear priorities for Queen’s Park and Ottawa and report publicly on progress.
• Show what this work delivers. A quarterly Trade and Jobs Dashboard will report on businesses assisted, jobs protected or created through qualifying investments, new investment secured, local and Canadian purchasing, faster supplier payments, investments fast-tracked and progress opening new markets.

Bring taxes and spending under control

Every dollar the City spends comes from someone who worked for it. Residents deserve strong services and confidence that their money is being used well.

• Keep City tax increases at or below inflation as our goal. I will make affordability a priority in every budget while protecting frontline services. Every department will be required to justify its spending through a line-by-line review of purchasing, consulting, administration, technology contracts and the use of City facilities. Council will receive clear savings options and an explanation of their effects on services.
• Establish an independent Auditor General. Reporting directly to Council, the Auditor General will scrutinize spending, major contracts and capital projects. Findings will be public, departments will have to respond and residents will be able to see whether recommendations have been implemented.
• Show the full bill before approving major projects. Construction costs are only part of what residents pay. The City will disclose financing, staffing and maintenance costs before major projects are approved. I will bring the same scrutiny to Peel Region’s spending and require a clear funding source for new ongoing City commitments. We will report publicly on savings and service performance.
• Give homeowners an option to save by paying early. I will bring forward a discount for homeowners who can pay their annual property tax bill in January. The City Treasurer will assess options between 2 and 5 per cent, with the final rate and eligible portion of the bill determined through public financial analysis. That analysis will compare the cost of the discount with cash-flow and interest benefits. The proposal will come through my first budget for implementation in the following tax year. Monthly and instalment options will remain available.

Help families afford everyday life

• Increase recreation assistance to $500. I will increase the annual ActiveAssist credit to $500 for each eligible participant, helping residents with low incomes access City recreation and culture programs. We will simplify enrolment, offer registration help and reserve subsidized spaces in high-demand programs so families can use the assistance available to them.
• Make affordable transit easier to access. I will protect free MiWay travel for children under the existing fare rules and the discounted transit program for residents with low incomes. Working with Peel Region, libraries and community partners, we will simplify applications and help residents register for PRESTO. People applying for recreation assistance will also be offered help accessing transit support, reducing repeated requests for eligibility documents wherever possible and with their consent.
• Help people make essential trips. A targeted emergency transportation fund, delivered through community agencies, will help residents facing an immediate barrier to reaching work, essential appointments or housing services.

Help seniors enjoy the life they have built

Seniors helped build Mississauga. They deserve to remain independent, close to family and connected to their community.

• Increase the property tax rebate to $1,000 for eligible seniors with low incomes. I will work with Council and Peel Region to increase the annual rebate while maintaining support for eligible residents with disabilities. We will simplify renewals, provide application help at libraries and community centres and include clearer information with tax bills. Seniors dealing with the death of a spouse or a significant income change will have help understanding their options.
• Provide more time to pay a tax increase. I will bring forward an interest-free, one-year deferral of annual property tax increases for eligible homeowners aged 65 and older, with clear repayment terms.
• Provide practical help to stay at home. A Stay at Home partnership fund will work through trusted community organizations to help seniors with low incomes obtain minor safety and accessibility improvements, such as grab bars, and practical assistance. We will connect residents with existing programs for larger renovations and home support, expand windrow clearing where eligible demand exceeds available spaces and help seniors find reliable seasonal assistance. Help will be available by telephone and in person.
• Protect free transit and fitness. I will protect free MiWay travel for seniors and free City fitness memberships for residents aged 65 and older. We will add beginner and adapted activities, daytime programming and indoor pickleball opportunities where demand is high. Seniors will have help setting up PRESTO cards and registering for recreation by speaking with someone.
• Make neighbourhoods easier to navigate. An annual program of improvements around seniors’ residences, community centres and neighbourhood destinations will prioritize benches, accessible bus stops and safer crossings.
• Reduce isolation and make help easier to find. I will pursue predictable, multi-year support for organizations providing social activities, community meals, telephone check-ins and outreach to seniors living alone. Regular sessions at libraries and community centres will connect seniors and caregivers with benefits, services and fraud-prevention information, with support in the languages residents speak. A Mississauga Seniors Advantage Program will bring together these services, municipal activities and voluntary discounts from local businesses, with printed information and in-person help.
• Create more housing choices near family and friends. I will work with Peel Region, non-profit and co-operative providers, faith communities and other partners to advance affordable, accessible seniors’ housing near transit, shops and services. Within my first year, the City will publish suitable City-owned land and partnership opportunities with clear next steps. City support will be tied to affordability commitments and delivery milestones. We will also make garden suites and multigenerational housing easier to navigate through accessible standard designs, clearer advice and targeted relief from eligible City fees.

Give every resident a fair chance

Some residents are working and still cannot make ends meet. Others are living with a disability, raising children on their own or trying to manage an unexpected setback. They deserve practical help and a fair chance to get ahead.

• Help people stay housed. I will work with Peel Region to strengthen emergency rent and utility assistance and eviction prevention. My first budget will include a proposed, targeted City contribution for Mississauga residents at risk of losing their homes, with additional provincial and federal support sought. Housing organizations and community legal clinics will help residents get assistance before arrears become an eviction. In-person help and clear referrals will connect City, regional and community services. We will report on response times and households helped to remain housed.
• Build and protect affordable rental homes. I will establish a dedicated partnership process for non-profit, co-operative and supportive housing providers, helping viable projects secure sites, navigate approvals and pursue funding. City land, coordinated approvals and targeted incentives will also help advance purpose-built rental housing, including homes suitable for families. Within my first year, we will identify suitable municipal sites and publish the steps needed to move partnerships forward. Where the City provides land or funding, agreements will require lasting affordability, accessibility and delivery deadlines.
• Preserve existing affordable housing and help people leave homelessness. I will work with Peel and non-profit partners to pursue opportunities to acquire existing rental buildings and preserve affordable homes. I will press for stable funding for outreach, appropriate shelter and supportive housing, with services that help residents move into and maintain a permanent home.
• Strengthen food programs. I will pursue predictable, multi-year funding agreements with Food Banks Mississauga and community food organizations. City support will address practical gaps in storage, distribution and access in underserved neighbourhoods. With school boards and established student-nutrition organizations, we will expand breakfast and snack programs where needs are unmet, bringing together municipal, provincial, federal and community contributions. I will also press senior governments for adequate income supports and housing benefits so fewer people need emergency food assistance.
• Connect residents with benefits and employment. Qualified community partners will offer more benefits and tax-filing clinics at libraries and neighbourhood locations, helping residents complete applications and find housing, employment and financial supports. I will work with employers and community partners to expand access to paid work placements and apprenticeships.
• Set targets and report on progress. A first-year poverty-reduction action plan will establish measurable targets, with annual public reporting. Costs, funding sources and implementation timelines will be identified through the budget process and agreements with regional and community partners.

• Bring the Line 2 subway into the heart of Mississauga. Within the first year, I will seek a formal partnership with Ontario, Metrolinx, Toronto and the Toronto Transit Commission to launch a comprehensive business case for extending Line 2 west from Kipling through Sherway Gardens and into downtown Mississauga. The study will determine the alignment, stations and terminus, examining Dundas alongside other feasible routes. It will assess ridership, fleet and maintenance requirements, power, signalling, capacity and connections, as well as tunnelling and elevated construction where appropriate. We will protect suitable future transit corridors and plan housing and employment around potential stations.
• Make City Centre a true regional transit hub. I will bring together planning for the Hazel McCallion Line, its downtown loop, the Transitway, MiWay and regional buses, with the subway business case determining the best future Line 2 connection. The Downtown Mobility Hub should make transfers convenient and shorten trips.
• Press to open the Hazel McCallion Line by the end of 2028. I will make passenger service on the initial line by December 31, 2028 a formal City priority, working with Ontario and Metrolinx. Within my first 100 days, I will request a public milestone schedule covering construction, vehicle testing, systems integration, safety certification and opening requirements, with regular progress reports. I will also push for clear funding commitments and timely delivery of the downtown loop, including funding for its operation.
• Make the line fast and reliable. I will press for strong active transit signal priority from opening day and movement toward five-minute peak service as ridership and operations permit. Travel-time, reliability and speed targets should be published before opening and reviewed afterwards. MiWay routes will be redesigned to feed the line efficiently and reduce unnecessary duplication.
• Build a connected rapid-transit grid. I will advance rapid buses, express service and transit priority on Dundas, Derry, Dixie, Burnhamthorpe, Eglinton, Erin Mills, Mavis, Britannia, Matheson and Courtneypark. Dundas rapid bus service west of Hurontario should connect Erindale, the University of Toronto Mississauga area, Erin Mills and Oakville. In the east, investment should preserve the possibility of a future subway if the business case selects that corridor. Derry will be a northern priority connecting Meadowvale, Malton, employment lands and Pearson.
• Improve connections with Brampton. A joint transit initiative will begin with Dixie, Mavis/McLaughlin and Erin Mills, improving express service, coordinated routes and schedules, passenger information and transfers while reducing unnecessary duplication.
• Build an Airport Workforce Transit Network. I will connect Pearson and surrounding workplaces with Malton, Renforth, Derry, Dixie, Matheson, Courtneypark, the Transitway and City Centre. Service will reflect early mornings, late evenings, weekends and shift changes, including jobs beyond the terminals. I will work with Ontario, Metrolinx and the Greater Toronto Airports Authority to complete the Eglinton Crosstown West connection from Renforth to Pearson.
• Make MiWay frequent enough to rely on. I will accelerate 15-minute-or-better all-day service on major corridors and 10-minute-or-better service on the busiest routes where ridership supports it. We will improve express, evening, weekend and employment-area service, timed GO connections and rapid-transit feeders. Signal priority and queue-jump lanes will be used where they materially improve travel without disproportionate impacts elsewhere. Clear standards and regular reporting will show frequency, reliability and passenger travel times.
• Make practical progress on the Milton line. I will seek a Milton Line Capacity Plan with Ontario, Metrolinx and Canadian Pacific Kansas City, building toward all-day, two-way service. The plan will examine additional track sections, passing opportunities, crossovers, signalling, turnback and storage facilities, station bypasses and negotiated passenger-train windows. We should progressively add counter-peak, midday, evening and weekend service without making every improvement depend on delivery of the full Missing Link freight bypass.
• Fight for faster, electrified GO service. I will advocate for electrification through Mississauga and frequent Lakeshore West service at Port Credit and Clarkson, including service every 15 minutes or better, and for frequent, electrified Kitchener line service through Malton.
• Get traffic moving for drivers. My Traffic Flow First program will synchronize and modernize signals, expand technology that responds to actual traffic conditions and publish action plans for chronic bottlenecks. We will examine targeted turn lanes, intersection changes and short road connections, coordinate construction across City projects, utilities, developers and transit agencies and move work outside peak periods where practical. We will strengthen enforcement against blocked intersections and travel lanes and better manage deliveries, pickups and stopping around schools, stations and commercial areas. Additional road capacity, connections and rail grade separations will be considered where modelling demonstrates meaningful benefits.
• Build homes where transportation can support them. Future subway stations, the Hazel McCallion Line, GO stations and major bus corridors should be focal points for housing, employment and community amenities. The subway business case will include a land-use strategy linking growth to infrastructure, transit ridership and access to jobs.
• Make the whole network connect. City Centre, Cooksville, Malton, Renforth, Port Credit and Clarkson should offer convenient connections between local and regional services. I will work with regional partners on coordinated routes, schedules, passenger information and transfers. Residents should be able to travel across the network without going through City Centre for every trip.
• Measure whether travel is improving. An annual Mississauga Congestion Report Card will establish baselines and report year-over-year results on corridor travel times, bottlenecks, MiWay speed and reliability, rapid transit, GO service, construction impacts, ridership and collisions. It will distinguish City responsibilities from improvements requiring other partners. Investments must make it easier to get around.

• Return to the Peel Police Services Board. Carolyn Parrish walked away from the Board. I will return and make sure Mississauga’s priorities are heard. I will support frontline policing, scrutinize the budget and hold the service accountable through civilian oversight while respecting the Chief’s responsibility for operations.
• Focus on the crimes residents fear most. I will support specialized investigations, intelligence, technology and cooperation between agencies to tackle home invasions, break-and-enters, auto theft, extortion, violent robbery, organized crime and repeat violent offending. We should measure success through reductions in crime and better service.
• Sustain the fight against extortion. I will support Peel Police’s specialized capacity, closer coordination with the Ontario Provincial Police, Canada Border Services Agency and international partners, multilingual victim support and direct outreach to affected businesses and families. This includes South Asian businesses and community members targeted by criminal networks. No one should feel they are facing these threats alone.
• Combat hate and strengthen trust. I will support dedicated hate-crime work, better reporting and victim support through community partnerships. I will build on work with the Ontario Human Rights Commission to address systemic and anti-Black racism and strengthen accountability in policing. As mayor, I will speak clearly when hate occurs and stand with targeted communities.
• Get officers out from behind desks. I will support appropriate civilian and clerical staffing for report processing, disclosure and other work that does not require a sworn officer. Responsible use of artificial intelligence and automation can reduce repetitive administration, with privacy, security and human oversight. Officers should have more time to serve the public.
• Keep improving 911 and emergency response. I will support continued modernization of dispatch and emergency communications, including Next Generation 911. Appropriate technology can help manage non-emergency inquiries so trained operators can focus on emergencies. Every 911 call must continue to be answered by a person. Clear public reporting will show whether emergency and non-emergency response is improving.
• Strengthen visible neighbourhood policing. I will support the Chief’s work on neighbourhood policing, community engagement, traffic safety and crime prevention. Residents should see stronger frontline service from increased investment.
• Demand value from the police budget. I will propose an annual Public Safety Value Review examining overtime, overhead, appropriate civilianization, procurement, fleets, facilities, technology, shared services and the fairness of cost-sharing across Peel. Savings should protect frontline policing and reduce pressure on taxpayers.
• Expand mental-health crisis response. I will support Peel Police’s tiered response, mobile teams pairing police with mental-health professionals, the Crisis Outreach and Support Team and stronger partnerships with health providers and community experts. People in crisis need appropriate care, and officers need time to prevent and respond to crime.
• Make roads and school areas safer. I will work with school boards, Peel Public Health and police on education and appropriate enforcement addressing speeding, dangerous driving, helmet safety and illegal or underage e-scooter use.
• Prevent youth crime through opportunity. I will strengthen access to mentorship, jobs, recreation, counselling and after-school programs for young people at risk of violence, gang recruitment or exploitation. Prevention work and referrals to trusted services will be built into the Malton and Glenforest youth hubs and future community facilities. I will seek sustained provincial and federal funding for proven gun and gang prevention programs.
• Publish the results. A quarterly Community Safety Dashboard will track auto theft, home invasions, robbery, extortion, hate crime, 911 and non-emergency response, emergency response times and stolen-vehicle recovery, using Mississauga-specific data wherever available.
• Fight repeat violent crime beyond City Hall. I will work with other mayors and senior governments to advocate for effective bail reform, stronger action against repeat violent offenders, better organized-crime enforcement and measures to stop stolen vehicles being exported. Mississauga needs an active voice at those tables.

• Keep the Living Arts Centre serving residents. I will protect its role as a home for performances, arts education and community programming. Necessary maintenance, safety and accessibility work will be assessed transparently on its merits.
• Put taxpayers’ priorities first. I will not support committing City land or taxpayer funding to advance this redevelopment scheme. Our capital decisions must reflect affordability, essential infrastructure, safer communities and the need to get Mississauga moving.
• Show residents what has already been committed. I will request a public accounting of spending to date, existing contracts and any obligations associated with stopping the proposal. Residents deserve an honest account, including any costs of changing direction.
• Support arts and culture people can enjoy. Local artists, community organizations and accessible cultural programs will remain part of our city’s future. We can support them while making responsible decisions about buildings and public money.

I will stop the vanity project and put residents’ priorities back at the centre of City Hall’s decisions.