Amid media reports that Premier Doug Ford could be reconsidering the province’s decision to break up Peel Region, Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie continued to push for her city’s independence.
“It’s no secret that the Premier and I don’t always see eye to eye, but if there’s one thing we can agree on, it’s that we need to be smart and invest taxpayer dollars wisely. Local government must run efficiently and we need to weed out waste, duplication and red tape at every opportunity,” Crombie said in statement issued on Wednesday. “That’s why I’ve long advocated for an independent Mississauga, picking up the torch from the late Hazel McCallion who continued to call for this, even in her final days. The Premier promised Hazel he’d get it done, and he did, passing the Hazel McCallion Act, 2023 in her honour earlier this year.”
Clarifying that she’s not aware of any formal decision by Premier Doug Ford or Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Paul Calandra to walk back the dissolution of Peel Region at this time.
“Dissolving Peel Region and eliminating an additional layer of government would allow Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon to become more efficient, reduce confusion amongst residents, streamline the delivery of services, and ultimately save residents and businesses time and money. We’re confident it’s the right thing to do,” Crombie’s statement read.
She continued to term Brown’s figures as “unfounded”.
“My message to Premier Ford and Minister Calandra is simple: Let’s not allow ourselves to be distracted by Mayor Brown’s desperate political stunts using unfounded figures to derail a process that is already well underway and working, ” Crombie said. “Let’s put the politics aside and put taxpayers first by continuing the great work we’ve started in Peel Region to create efficiencies, deliver for our residents and get more housing built. Let’s honour Hazel’s legacy by finishing what we’ve set out to do.”
However Crombie who was elected leader of the Ontario Liberals on the weekend will not be Mississauga mayor should the breakup of Peel Region go through. She said she would be resigning her position early next year which would mean a mayoral byelection to determine who will lead the city through the process for independence.
The City of Mississauga’s statement regarding the controversy says that the province would have done its homework and concluded that it’s the right thing to do.
“The province has recognized the benefits of dissolution through the Hazel McCallion Act,” Mississauga’s statement read. “They did their homework, just like Hazel would do, and came to the conclusion that this is the right thing to do. Mississauga will continue to work, as mandated by the Hazel McCallion Act and the province, to complete the transition by January 1, 2025.”
