Bonnie Crombie takes final walk out of mayor’s office at city hall in Mississauga

Bonnie Crombie walked out of the mayor’s office at Mississauga city hall late this afternoon for, in all likelihood, the final time.

Much has been written, and broadcast, the past year or so detailing at first her uncertainty as to whether she’d leave the cozy confines of Mississauga politics to take a run at the provincial game, and then her official decision last June to do just that and make the big jump from her mayor’s seat to Queen’s Park.

A decade earlier, Crombie, now 63, had taken another significant political leap, straight into the huge footsteps of Mississauga’s iconic mayor of 36 years (1978 to 2014), Hazel McCallion.

Now, as the Ontario Liberal Party’s new leader after her victory in early December, Crombie leaves footsteps of her own in Mississauga as she takes full-time aim — starting as early as next week — at unseating Premier Doug Ford in the next provincial election (2026).

Meanwhile, back at Mississauga city hall, folks will be addressing Ward 4 Coun. John Kovac as “Acting Mayor Kovac” for the next few weeks as the city returns to its acting mayor rotation until a byelection later this year fills the vacant mayor’s seat.

Next Wednesday, council will officially declare the mayor’s seat vacant. Under the Municipal Elections Act, council then has 60 days to pass a bylaw requiring a byelection for the vacant seat.

Following that, according to City of Mississauga officials, a nomination period of between 30 and 60 days is required to line up candidates to succeed the latest mayor and “voting day will fall 45 days after Nomination Day (last day for submitting nominations).”

So far, two sitting councillors — Ward 1’s Stephen Dasko and Ward 5’s Carolyn Parrish — have publicly declared they will run for the mayor’s post.

In saying goodbye to Mississauga councillors, city staff and residents of Canada’s seventh-largest city earlier this week, an impassioned Crombie said she’s optimistic for Mississauga’s future as the city celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2024.

“We’re going to continue to grow and continue to be the envy of the world…especially with our beautiful waterfront development, the downtown redevelopment, the growth that’s coming and we’re building a more welcoming, inclusive city,” Crombie said before signing off for a final time at a meeting inside council chambers.

“I know this momentum we’ve built will propel us to even greater heights.”

A recent insauga.com interview with then-Mayor Bonnie Crombie.