In the lead-up to the upcoming Mississauga mayoral election, the race for the city’s top position has intensified, drawing attention to incumbent Carolyn Parrish, former mayor Bonnie Crombie, and city councillors Alvin Tedjo and Dipika Damerla.
While key election topics like affordability and public safety dominate discussions, the bustling Ridgeway Plaza has also sparked debate among the candidates. CBC’s Peel bureau recently engaged with the four contenders to delve into their proposals on addressing these issues, alongside housing, transit, and AI data centers. Here’s a breakdown of their pledges ahead of the Oct. 26 election.
### Affordability
**Carolyn Parrish:**
Parrish aims to limit property tax hikes to inflation rates by restructuring regional services. She anticipates annual savings of $45 million by transferring regional road maintenance and waste collection duties to the city, with the full benefits expected by 2028.
**Bonnie Crombie:**
Crombie pledges to keep city tax increases at or below inflation levels and halt the proposed $2.5-billion city center redevelopment. She plans to boost property tax rebates for eligible low-income seniors to $1,000 and introduce early-payment property tax discounts, with rates ranging from two to five percent following a financial review. Additionally, she promises expedited permit approvals for qualifying small businesses within 90 days and city hall payments within 15 days.
**Dipika Damerla:**
Damerla commits to freezing the city-controlled portion of residential property taxes in 2027, excluding transferred regional service costs, and capping future increments at inflation rates unless services are enhanced or expanded. For small businesses, she aims to streamline licensing processes and base restaurant parking requirements on seating capacity instead of square footage.
**Alvin Tedjo:**
Tedjo proposes a two-year freeze on city-controlled property taxes through cost-cutting measures and operational reviews. He plans to enhance property tax rebates for eligible low-income seniors by around $700 and introduce initiatives like free public swimming and skating for children aged 12 and under. Tedjo also promises a 100-day turnaround for qualifying small-business permits, along with matching security grants of up to $5,000 post break-in attempts.
### Housing
**Carolyn Parrish:**
Parrish advocates for continuing incentives for purpose-built rental housing and advancing the city center redevelopment project to include new downtown housing options.
**Bonnie Crombie:**
Crombie vows to waive development charges on new housing if the federal and provincial governments cover the revenue loss. She also envisions a city hall “concierge” service to expedite planning approvals.
**Dipika Damerla:**
Damerla supports concentrating high-density housing along transit corridors rather than implementing blanket fourplex zoning in established single-detached neighborhoods. She also pledges to simplify permits for smaller housing projects such as garden suites and duplex conversions.
**Alvin Tedjo:**
Tedjo proposes establishing a city-owned Mississauga Housing Corporation to collaborate with developers and non-profits in constructing affordable housing on underutilized land. He aims to triple middle-family housing by 2037, expand incentives for sixplexes, and replace lodging-house licensing with a public registry of licensed rental properties and safety-oriented inspections.
### Public Safety
**Carolyn Parrish:**
Parrish advocates for increased police presence in shopping plazas and residential areas with marked cruisers. She is open to installing CCTV cameras in high-crime zones following legal and privacy assessments.
**Bonnie Crombie:**
Crombie plans to expand mental health crisis response teams and reduce administrative work for officers through automation and civilian staffing to enhance patrol availability.
**Dipika Damerla:**
Damerla suggests installing police CCTV cameras at major intersections for suspect tracking under strict privacy guidelines. She intends to collaborate with Peel Regional Police to enhance response times for non-emergency incidents and establish a task force for mental health crisis improvements.
**Alvin Tedjo:**
Tedjo advocates for creating a Mississauga safety division to coordinate neighborhood crime prevention efforts and expand non-police mental health crisis teams. He also proposes distributing signal-blocking key pouches to deter auto thefts.
### Transit
**Carolyn Parrish:**
Parrish prioritizes two-way, all-day Milton GO train services while opposing the proposed subway extension into Mississauga. She highlights provincial funding for studying increased passenger train operations on the freight corridor.
**Bonnie Crombie:**
Crombie aims to conduct a feasibility study on extending the TTC Line 2 from Kipling Station to Square One, with stops at Sherway Gardens and the expanded Mississauga Hospital. She pushes for the opening of the Hazel McCallion LRT by 2028 and promises MiWay buses every 15 minutes on major routes.
**Dipika Damerla:**
Damerla plans to extend MiWay transfer times from two to three hours by