Mayor Bonnie Crombie Pushing for Mississauga to Leave Peel Region

It’s no secret that the mayor of Mississauga wants to re-evaluate the city’s place in Peel Region — she’s made multiple comments about it in the recent past.

However, Bonnie Crombie’s words are now becoming action as city council has passed (in principle) her motion requesting the province pass legislation that Mississauga become independent from Peel.

Today, Council passed in principle my motion requesting the province pass legislation that #Mississauga become independent from the Region of Peel. Analysis shows we send $85M to the Region to fund the growth of others cities. This is not fair to residents and businesses. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/eo2SmPVEcT

— Bonnie Crombie (@BonnieCrombie) March 20, 2019

Crombie’s reasoning stems from her belief that, as Mississauga continues to grow and become a much bigger city, it must prioritize its own interests as a single-tier municipality and separate itself from the interests of the rest of the region.

“Analysis shows we send $85 million to the Region to fund the growth of others cities. This is not fair to residents and businesses,” Crombie said on Twitter.

“Our money should go towards Mississauga priorities. We must be able to govern our affairs and set our vision without interference.”

Crombie states that Mississauga, the city of Brampton, and the town of Caledon are in different stages of growth and development, often resulting in the member municipalities of the Region of Peel having different or competing priorities.

“As Ontario’s third largest city with a population approaching 800,000, it’s time for Mississauga to be able to control its own destiny as a single-tier City much like other large cities in Ontario including Ottawa, Hamilton, Windsor and London,” Crombie says.

However, if the province doesn’t grant single-tier status to Mississauga, Crombie calls for the Ontario government to delineate the roles and responsibilities of upper and lower-tier municipalities to better address the needs of each municipality’s residents, including “adhering to the principle of representation by population.”

At a currently undecided time, a community meeting will be hosted for residents to provide their input before the city’s position is finalized.

Residents can also have their thoughts heard by completing an online survey regarding Ontario’s regional municipalities.

Should Mississauga stay in Peel Region or do you agree that it’s time to go?