Our Annual General Meeting was a wonderful opportunity to reflect on a year of progress, growth, and collaboration within MIRANET. Together, we celebrated our successes, elected our new leadership team, and set an ambitious direction for the coming year. It was especially meaningful to gather with our long-standing ratepayer groups and affiliates to discuss the shared challenges and priorities facing our neighbourhoods across Mississauga.
We are grateful to Mayor Carolyn Parrish for joining us, sharing her vision, and engaging in open dialogue on the issues that matter most to our residents. Thank you to all our partners citywide for your ongoing support—let’s keep working together to strengthen the community we are proud to call home. We extend our sincere thanks to Meghan Nicholls of Food Banks Mississauga and Sean Meagher of The Metamorphosis Network for their meaningful insights and valuable perspectives on the matters that truly make a difference in our community.
Stay tuned for our full length discussion with Mayor Carolyn Parrish on @MiranetTalks on YouTube!
📢 Community Rally – Stand for Mississauga’s Future
🗓️ July 12th | 2-4pm📍 Mississauga
Join Us
Residents are rallying in support of the City of Mississauga’s Official Plan and responsible development practices.
This is a stand against developers who are bypassing local planning rules and appealing directly to the Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT)—often succeeding despite municipal rejection.
The rally underscores concerns about provincial overreach under Premier Doug Ford’s leadership and the erosion of local decision-making.
Why It Matters
Protecting the democratic planning process.
Respecting local governance and resident voices.
Demanding accountability and transparency in development approvals.
Ensuring that no one is above the rules—regardless of wealth or political influence.
Media Invitation
Members of the press are invited to attend and cover this important civic event.
This rally marks a critical moment in the fight for sustainable, community-led growth in Mississauga.
MIRANET Talks with Angela Carter Angela J Carter Advisor, Strategic Initiatives Roots Community Services Inc. and Gurpreet Malhotra Gurpreet Malhotra MA Chief Executive Officer Indus Community Services.
Join us as we discuss issues such as municipal and provincial funding for visible minority communities, how services are affected by the underfunding of Peel region how a lack of media coverage hurts engagement amongst our communities.
Housing Insecurity has been a Canadian issue for a very long time and particulary in Peel Region where many youth and those struggling with mental health and addiction issues often get left behind. Join us for a discussion with Christy Upshall CEO of Our Place Peel and Cory O’Handley, Director of Housing and Service Innovation(SHIP) as we get into such topics as Provincial and Municipal funding, affordable housing iniatives and what these organizations services focus on.
With the February 27th Provincial Election fast approaching, Ontarians face a crucial decision: Who has the vision and plan to shape a better future for our province? To find out, we reached out to every candidate, asking what they would do to improve daily life in Ontario. Here’s what 4 of them had to say.
Watch Part 2 of our conversation with Meghan Nicholls, CEO of Food Banks Mississauga! Together, we’ll explore the pressing challenges facing local food banks—from funding and resource shortages to food distribution and strategic partnerships—all against the backdrop of today’s tough economic climate. Food insecurity is something that should concern us all. This discussion will open your eyes and hopefully give us all a better understanding of one of your most urgent social dilemmas. Please LIKE/SHARE/SUBSCRIBE…help us get this important dialogue out!
MIRANET would like to thank all who attended our Mayoral Candidate Challenge last week.
We feel that a wide variety of pressing topics were discussed and we hope that as a result, at least a few came away with a much clearer picture on which way they were leaning.
Impacts of Bill 23 on Municipal and Regional Budgets and Property Taxes
MIRANET (Mississauga Residents’ Association Network) has been closely following discussions and proposals at the Province with regards to the Conservation Authorities Act and the More Homes Built Faster Act since their inception. We have been vocal advocates for the people of Mississauga and the Region of Peel, pushing back against short-sighted and harmful policies proposed by the Ford Government. The passing of Bill 23 will have far-reaching impacts on Southern Ontario that will affect both present and future generations. Implementation of this bill will do nothing to achieve the objective of more housing stock, nor will it address the affordability issue; it will instead lead to irreversible harms to the environment and the people that it sustains and supports. The Greenbelt provides essential services whose economic value outweighs any perceived benefits from paving it over:
Agricultural lands to provide sustainable and reliable food sources. The impacts of fire, drought, flooding and disease on traditional suppliers in California, Florida, and western Canada call into question their long-term viability as large-scale centres of food production
Environmental services provided by the Greenbelt include marshes that act as carbon sinks, filter water to remove contaminants, provide downstream flood protection, and are home to critically threatened species
Greenspace and parkland where people can experience nature and reap the health benefits of being in the natural environment
The proposed legislation under Bill 23 will likely fail to meet the majority of its objectives:
Labour economists have questioned the goal of building 1.5 million homes in ten years; with the current labour shortage this goal is not realistic. They have also pointed out that there are many parcels of Municipal and Provincial land within the GTA that are sitting undeveloped. Why have these not been inventoried and earmarked for housing development? Better yet why have they not been earmarked for subsidized housing and purpose-built rental housing?
Many Ontario Mayors have voiced their objections to developers sitting on large tracts of land which have been slated for development with all necessary permits in place. Years after Municipal and Regional staff have reviewed development proposals, done their due diligence, and issued permits, these developers have yet to put shovels in the ground. Why does the government not require these developers to proceed within a specific time frame after receiving permits, particularly due to the demands of the More Homes Built Faster Act? What is preventing the Province from enacting legislation to require developers, with lands already slated for development and permits in hand, to proceed with their projects immediately? Would this not be a more-cost effective and rational approach to the housing shortage, while also protecting the Greenbelt?
Green building standards no longer need to be met. These homes will therefore not be adapted to the new climate, making them more expensive to run than their green counterparts. Only high-income earners will be able to afford them
The bill does not provide information on who will resource these new developments. Will residents be required to commute to established communities for groceries, healthcare, and entertainment?
Young people, immigrants, seniors, and the working poor will not be able to afford these new homes because prices have continued to increase while wages and salaries have remained stagnant, leading to a shift towards the rental market; inflationary factors have led to increased mortgage rates and overall increases in long-term mortgage carrying costs. The cost of rental housing is at an all-time high, therefore many young people and immigrants, despite having full-time jobs, are not able to build equity through property ownership or financial savings and investments
Limiting the ability of the Conservation Authorities to conduct risk assessments and make deputations is highly problematic. The Greenbelt was meant to protect downstream communities from extreme flooding events. We are currently experiencing more frequent and more intense rainfall events; the increasing amount of rainfall will lead to an increase in the geographic footprint of existing floodplains. Overland flood insurance is not provided by home insurance policies; in pursuing their plan of building homes on the Greenbelt, the Ford government threatens to put existing housing stock at risk, increasing the probability of devasting floods which could leave many Ontarians homeless and bankrupt
There is enough available land within municipal boundaries to address the housing shortage. This land comes with preexisting infrastructure and resources; it would therefore be substantially cheaper to develop. The current plan to build on the Greenbelt is more expensive and destructive; from a business perspective this is the worst possible option and the most financially reckless
Critics of the bill have stated that there is little evidence to demonstrate that the homes built under this plan will be more affordable. What has also become evident is that this bill is making existing housing stock far less affordable as costs previously paid by developers will now be paid by homeowners and renters. Taxpayers are essentially subsidizing the developers’ business model while reaping none of the financial benefits and all of the potential harms with no avenues of protest or redress.
Bill 23 proposes numerous changes to the Development Charges Act and the Planning Act which will significantly impact how municipal governments recover costs associated with growth. The City of Mississauga first presented their 2023 budget proposal in June 2022. The increase in municipal and regional levies in this budget were meant to address shortfalls due to Covid-19. Revenue losses due to people remaining at home during lockdown, increased expenditures for Covid supports, supply chain issues and inflationary pressures were all accounted for. The passing of Bill 23 required a reassessment of the budget and residential property taxes. While it is uncertain how Bill 23 will impact two-tier municipalities, MIRANET used the most current data to calculate potential increases to residential property taxes.
At their recent Budget Committee meetings, the City of Mississauga approved a 3.0% budget increase for 2023 (on February 1, 2023) and the Region of Peel approved a 2.8% budget increase (February 2, 2023). These increases do not reflect the potential impacts of Bill 23 on Municipal and Regional budgets. Further analysis is required and is being carried out against the backdrop of Municipal audits to be conducted by the Province. In Mississauga and the Region of Peel, there is the added risk/unknown posed by the threat of either amalgamation (favoured by Patrick Brown) or secession (favoured by Bonnie Crombie). The Premier has stated that he will sit down with the Mayors to decide on the best approach. The only role for the electorate in this process is to foot the bill for the political aspirations of our leaders.
The benefits of secession versus amalgamation have long been debated by economists. The promises of the reduction in duplication of services and greater economies of scale are not borne out by the data. The same holds true for secession, or de-amalgamation, where the division of assets and debts can be divisive and usually ends in litigation; furthermore, the results don’t always deliver more simplified governance structures.
The residents of the Region of Peel have been here once before; when the Ford government came to power in 2018 they had plans to reimagine health care delivery in the Province, simplify the process of providing supports to families of children with autism, and find efficiencies in municipal operating budgets through amalgamation. The Province failed to provide any convincing arguments (based on good quality data and thoughtful analysis from subject matter experts as opposed to vague invocations of cost savings based on the most tenuous of grasps on reality) and public feedback was resoundingly in favour of the status quo.
According to the 2021 Census Data released by Statistics Canada, the population of the Region of Peel now stands at 1,450,000 million people. Our leaders are planning profound long-term changes to our governance structures without any real public input. Given the challenges of health care reform, inflationary pressures on the economy, increasing inequality, and municipal budget shortfalls, the Province has more than enough on its plate to deal with. The only people who should decide on changes to the governance structure are the 1.45 million people who call the region home.
Should the Province decide to ride roughshod over the democratic rights of residents and proceed with either amalgamation or secession, the potential financial and legal risks are unknown. We have no clear assessment of what the costs to the taxpayer may be.
In order to offset the impacts of Bill 23, the Province has stated that it will make Municipalities “whole” through financial compensation for the loss of development charges, but as yet, no binding agreements are in place. We have therefore provided an analysis of the hypothetical property tax impacts in the event that the Province does not address the funding gap. Table 1 summarizes the tax scenarios in the 2023 City of Mississauga and Region of Peel budgets proposed in June 2022. Table 2 summarizes the approved 2023 City of Mississauga and Region of Peel budgets, as well as hypothetical tax increases in the event of a funding shortfall.
Table 1: 2022 Proposals for City of Mississauga and Region of Peel Budgets
Table 2: 2023 Approved Budgets for City of Mississauga and Region of Peel including Potential Impacts from Bill 23
The education levy is determined by the Provincial government and this rate is projected to remain unchanged. It is also worth noting that the Region has increased the Average Utility Rate by 7.9% impacting both business and residents (further details may be found at https://www.peelregion.ca/budget/2023/pdf/2023-executive-summary.pdf)
Table 3 contains a summary of the tax levies for 2022, for 2023 (recently approved and excluding Bill 23 impacts, these numbers are hypothetical until the City and Region announce their official levies), and for 2023 including estimated potential impacts of Bill 23.
Table 3: MIRANET Calculation of Revised Municipal and Regional Tax Levies
Table 4 contains a summary of property taxes for 2022, 2023 (approved year-over-year increase, to be confirmed by the City and the Region), and 2023 (including estimates of potential Bill 23 impacts).
Table 4: Calculation of Various Property Tax Scenarios
Anyone wishing to calculate their property taxes for any of these scenarios can do so with the following formulae:
Total property taxes (TotP)
TotP =MPAC Assessed Home Value × (Total Levy ÷100)
Average property tax by installment (AvgP)
AvgP =TotP ÷6
Any approved changes to the property tax rate will not be reflected in the first three installments of 2023; instead, these first three payments will reflect the 2022 rates and the difference will be averaged over the final three payments of 2023. As an example, an individual whose home has been assessed at $730,000 will pay three installments of $1,009.51 each in the spring of 2023 and the remaining installments will be $1,152.96 each. While the installments collected by the City are not exact averages of the total amount owing, these numbers are very useful for personal finance and budget calculations.
The total amount of property taxes in each of these scenarios is illustrated in Figure 1 and the dollar value increase in property taxes with and without the impact of Bill 23 is illustrated in Figure 2.
Figure 1: Property Tax Increases for 2023 prior to Bill 23 and for 2023 with Bill 23
Figure 2: Property Taxes for 2022, 2023, and 2023 with Bill 23
Interested in helping with the upcoming Federal By-Election? We need strong, capable people to help with the end of the day return of materials from the different polling locations. Here are the details:
Position: Election Night General Help (Support Officer)
Hourly Pay: $15.86 per hour minimum of 3 hours
Job Requirements: Able to lift up to 30 lbs. Able to bend and lift items out of vehicles. Moving materials and equipment being returned to designated spots. Able to manage a fast paced environment in both indoor and outdoor conditions. Minimum 14 years of age on December 12, 2022. Be legally allowed to work in Canada.
The South West Mississauga Ratepayers’ Associations (SWMRA) are hosting a virtual candidates meeting on Tuesday May 31st, 2022 at 7:30pm. Join to hear what candidates have to say.
In recent years, growth in the GTA has caused many problems. It is destroying some neighborhoods and building uncomfortably dense centers creating traffic gridlock and unlivable communities with few, if any, public amenities. Canada is also in the grip of a housing affordability crisis that has seen house prices triple in the past 10 years.
A Housing Affordability Task Force was formed by the Ontario government to generate ideas to address the housing crisis. It is interesting to note the task force was made up of primarily developers, financial intuitions and governmental agencies. Missing from the table are the most affected stakeholders such as non-profits, concerned citizen groups and the general public.
In March, the Mississauga Residents Association Network (MIRANET) along with more than 50 residents’ associations, non- partisan, and non-profit groups from across the GTA joined together to form A Better GTA (http://www.abettergta.com). A Better GTA was formed to collectively raise concerns of residents across the GTA who believe that there exists a lack of a sensible growth and vision, along with overdevelopment of our communities.
A Better GTA, including MIRANET, wrote to Premier Doug Ford on March 1st to outline the need for full transparency requested a deferral of any implementation of the findings of the task force report, until residents and the private sector had an equal opportunity to address their concerns and offer alternative solutions.
The current housing task force report is built on a false premise and its recommendations would not solve the problem. Instead, the recommendations would result in weakening the power of municipalities and citizens to help determine the nature of the communities that they live in.
The City of Mississauga is very concerned about the recommendations made by the Affordability Task Force. On March 10th the City of Mississauga issued their review of the Affordability Task Force report card which outlined the City’s position on each recommendation. See link https://www.mississauga.ca/publication/ontario-housing-affordability-task-force-report-card
From the 62 task force recommendations that the city reviewed, they were opposed to 29, in support of 19 and neutral to 14.
The solutions to the GTA’s issues with housing, transportation, climate management, and more are not out of our reach. We can build a great city that provides for all of this and addresses our affordability problems. However, first, we ask that your government defer any further action on implementing any legislation which would enact the current TOC policies or the Task Force report. This concern is clearly echoed by many municipal councils and Mayoral associations throughout the GTA. There is no rush. Give residents the opportunity to make our case.
A comprehensive, win-win and durable solution must involve ALL stakeholders. It is not too late to get community buy-in to solve the affordability crises. A Summit is critical to bring all affected stakeholders to the table and come up with reasonable solutions that work for all. This issue concerns us all. Get your voices heard and reach out to your MPP.
MIRANET is greatly concerned about recent statements in the news by former Councilor Karen Ras concerning workplace harassment. Various news outlets have reported disturbing alleged behaviour by a City Councilor that resulted in a police investigation. No criminal charges were filed, and the incident was buried. MIRANET believes the Mayor, Councilors and the Integrity Commissioner should and must be held accountable to the constituents they represent and all the residents of Mississauga.
Why was the workplace harassment not investigated by the Integrity Commissioner and the Mayor in April of last year? A toxic work environment is detrimental to elected officials, City staff, and the public they are meant to serve. It seems that the complaints process of the City of Mississauga is broken. Where was City leadership?
What is the point of having a Municipal Code of Conduct, as well as a Governance Committee, if procedures are not applied and the committee is not consulted? Governing around a myriad of different voices and opinions is a challenge at best, but civility is the least that the public should expect from their elected officials. Mississauga citizens deserve answers, apologies, positive change and above all transparency.
MIRANET will be watching closely as this story unfolds.
Peel Weekly News carried an article by MIRANET Council, taking stock of the past year. MIRANET will hold its Annual General Meeting on 2 June. The article is below.
Chris Mackie, member of MIRANET’s Municipal Finance Committee reflects on the actions of the City of Mississauga’s Budget Committee.
What’s wrong with the City’s Budget Committee? It’s not working effectively.
Councilors listen to staff presentations and occasionally ask questions. Most Councilors appear poorly prepared. Some clearly have not studied the material included on the agenda. About three regularly raise issues and question staff.
The committee’s poor performance worsens when reports containing big ticket items are adopted without debate. This occurred last week when $65 million was added to the Mississauga Fire & Emergency Services (MFES) ten-year capital budget without discussing the report. Written questions submitted by MIRANET did not appear to have been considered by committee members. The MFES report was adopted without discussion.
What is wrong with this scenario? By not discussing this and other reports Budget Committee is allowing senior staff to make decisions for it. That’s not good enough. It’s unfair to taxpayers. It’s not good governance. Councilors are elected to make these decisions, not staff. Budget Committee should review all staff recommendations that impact the budget and property taxes. Budget Committee should be the gatekeeper of the City’s finances. It is not. Finance staff are.
Council has a fiduciary responsibility for the well being of the City. Several Councilors ignore their responsibility and only take an interest in issues that affect their ward.
This is not good enough for Canada’s sixth largest City. The Committee needs to improve its performance.
Here’s a suggestion. Holding Budget Committee immediately following a four-hour General Committee is not a great idea. Brains are tired. Improve the committee’s scheduling. Budget Committee is too important to be treated as an appendix to General Committee.
As of Thursday, May 6, at 8 a.m., all 11 mass vaccine clinics in Peel Region will accept bookings for individuals who live in Peel and are 18 years of age and older at the time of vaccination.
This expansion opens eligibility for 50,000 residents who do not live in hotspots and have not yet had the opportunity to be vaccinated and makes all Peel residents who are 18 years or older, eligible for vaccination.
As one of the hardest hit communities in the province, this announcement extends the vital protection provided by vaccination to all adult Peel residents.
How to Book
NEW: Residents 18-49 – non-hotspot
Residents of Peel who are aged 18-49 but do not live in a provincially-identified hotspot postal code must book an appointment online using the Region of Peel’s booking system. If you need help booking, call the Region of Peel COVID-19 Vaccination Line at 905-791-5202, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 7 days a week.
The postal codes for this booking system are as follows:
L4V, L4Y
L5E, L5G, L5H, L5J
L7E, L7K
Residents 18+ – hotspot
As announced on Monday by the province, Peel residents 18+ and that live in provincially-identified hotspot postal codes should continue to use Ontario’s vaccine booking system or call the Provincial Vaccine Booking Line at 1-833-943-3900 (TTY 1-866-797-0007).
The provincial hotspot postal codes are as follows:
L4T, L4W, L4X, L4Z
L5A, L5B, L5C, L5K, L5L, L5M, L5N, L5R, L5V, L5W
L6P, L6R, L6S, L6T, L6V, L6W, L6X, L6Y, L6Z
L7A, L7C
All residents 50+
All residents who are 50+ can use Ontario’s booking system, regardless of postal code.
Given the interest and demand to book appointments at our clinics, residents are encouraged to book as soon as possible. We ask for patience in booking as given the scale of this effort, there may be wait times to access the website or call centres. Appointments may only be available on a timeline beyond the next few days as we work to provide this protection to all of our residents. In almost all cases, the fastest way to book an appointment is online, which provides real-time availability. Appointments for all Peel postal codes can also be booked at hospital run clinics in Peel.
Adults 65 years or older and people of any age who have transportation barriers can use TransHelp, free of charge, to get to their vaccine appointment. You don’t need to be a TransHelp client to use this service. Call 905-791-1015 at least 48 hours before your appointment to make your booking.
Homebound residents who live in Peel and cannot physically leave their home to receive the vaccine due to medical, social, or other cognitive reasons can complete this form and they will be contacted to book an in-home appointment.
Visit peelregion.ca for regular updates on priority groups and clinic locations and follow @regionofpeel on social media for news on COVID-19 and vaccine availability.
Region of Peel
The Region of Peel works with residents and partners to create a healthy, safe and connected Community for Life for approximately 1.5 million people and over 175,000 businesses in the cities of Brampton and Mississauga and the Town of Caledon. Peel’s services touch the lives of residents every day. For more information about the Region of Peel, explore peelregion.ca and follow us on Twitter @regionofpeel and Instagram @peelregion.ca.
As of Friday, April 9 at 8:00 a.m., all vaccine clinics in Peel Region will be accepting bookings for individuals 50 years or older within select postal codes to schedule COVID-19 vaccine appointments.
The select communities include:
L4T, L4W, L4X, L4Z
L5A, L5B, L5C, L5K, L5L, L5M, L5N, L5R, L5V, L5W
L6P, L6R, L6S, L6T, L6V, L6W, L6X, L6Y, L6Z
L7A, L7C
This eligibility expansion also marks our progression into phase 2 of the vaccine roll-out, offering vaccines to more residents and made available in more accessible ways. All vaccine clinics in Peel region will be taking bookings for the following groups who wish to receive the COVID-19 vaccine:
Adults 50 years and older within select postal codes
Indigenous Adults and their household members 18 years of age or older
Active health care workers
People with highest and high-risk health conditions
Adult recipients of home care
Book an appointment online. The fastest way to book is online. Residents without internet access who need assistance booking can call 905-791-5202.
Information on how to prepare for an appointment and what to expect at a clinic is available at peelregion.ca/COVID19vaccine. This is a one-stop spot for Peel residents to book an appointment to get vaccinated at the clinic of their choice when it’s their turn.
Adults 65 years or older and people of any age who have transportation barriers can use TransHelp, free of charge, to get to their vaccine appointment.
You don’t need to be a TransHelp client to use this service. Call 905-791-1015 at least 48 hours before your appointment to make your booking.
Visit peelregion.ca for regular updates on priority groups and clinic locations and follow @regionofpeel on social media for news on COVID-19 and vaccine availability.
The following is an update from the City of Mississauga.
Effective today, Peel residents aged 65 years and older are eligible to book vaccine appointments at hospital vaccination clinics in Peel. When the provincial booking system is ready, Public Health Vaccination Clinics will also accept this group for vaccination. Public Health Clinics will continue to focus on vaccinating eligible groups, including residents aged 70 years and older.
Access to booking systems for both Public Health Vaccination Clinics and hospital clinics is available on the Region of Peel website. The Region of Peel Vaccine Line can also assist residents who have questions or challenges related to getting vaccinated – Region of Peel COVID-19 Vaccination Line at 905-791-5202 (open 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., 7 days a week). Seniors who have challenges getting to and from the vaccine clinic can use TransHelp. Call 905-791-1015 at least 48 hours before your appointment to make your booking. You don’t need to be a TransHelp client to use this service.
Vaccine supply is improving and Peel’s hospital partners are able to open a limited number of spots in their clinics for vaccination of adults over the age of 80. Residents of Peel that meet this age criteria, based on year of birth (i.e. born 1941 or earlier), can visit the following websites to book in at their clinic of preference. These websites are being made available to speed up the vaccination of this important group in our community and will remain active until a centralized Provincial booking system launches.
Any resident of Peel (including Brampton, Mississauga, and Caledon) born in 1941 or earlier, can visit the following websites to book or pre-register at their clinic of preference. Please note that appointments may be limited due to supply.
Supply at Region of Peel-run community clinics remains limited and currently being prioritized to high-priority workers. When supply improves, a program to support housebound seniors and online booking for 80+ will be launched at these community clinics, increasing choice and access for the Peel community.
“We continue to ramp up our system here in Peel to deliver more vaccines, every day, to those who need them the most. We’re excited to be able to start vaccinating our community, offering protection to those who are rendered most vulnerable by age. While supply and appointments remain limited, we continue to ask for patience as we begin this journey together. I want to thank all our residents and workers in Peel for your support; if you are eligible, please sign up to get your shot to get protected and support our efforts to keep each other safe and end the pandemic in our community. ” – Dr. Lawrence Loh, Medical Officer of Health, Region of Peel
As Dr. Loh indicates in the quote above, please note that appointment availability and supply are limited at this time but it is expected this will continue to ramp up over the coming weeks.
Mississauga Residents' Association Network 