Mississauga’s four main mayoral candidates will meet on the debate stage in two weeks in the downtown core to present their plans for addressing key issues impacting the city’s business community.
The top four polling candidates — incumbent Carolyn Parrish, former mayor Bonnie Crombie and city councillors Alvin Tedjo and Dipika Damerla — will square off as the Mississauga Board of Trade hosts its 2026 Mississauga Mayoral Debate on Sept. 25 at the Sheridan College Hazel McCallion Campus.
The debate, which organizers say will focus on important issues including economic growth, leadership, investment, infrastructure and the city’s future, will run from 1:30-4:30 p.m.
Theme of the event is “business and leadership,” according to the board of trade, which represents some 1,000 larger businesses in addition to numerous smaller operations across Mississauga.
Mayor Carolyn Parrish, at right, and former mayor Bonnie Crombie will debate key Mississauga business issues on Sept. 25.
The Mississauga Board of Trade describes the upcoming debate as “an important conversation about Mississauga’s future” and adds it will provide an opportunity “to hear directly from mayoral candidates” as they discuss issues of most importance to city businesses of all sizes.
“Whether you’re a business leader, entrepreneur, professional or engaged member of the Mississauga community, this is an opportunity to hear the candidates’ perspectives and learn more about their vision for the city,” MBOT said in an online notice of the debate.
In-person attendance is exclusively available to MBOT members, “offering members a unique opportunity to experience the debate live and engage with the discussion in person,” organizers said.
The debate will also be live streamed, they added.
Go online for more details about the 2026 Mississauga Mayoral Debate.
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How long will you accept higher prices from the trade war?
Trade war with U.S. impacts Mississauga businesses
Mississauga businesses are particularly concerned these days about impacts resulting from the ongoing trade war between Canada and the U.S.
The City of Mississauga has vowed to support local businesses in any and all ways possible, noting earlier the city’s economy “is particularly vulnerable to U.S. tariffs,” with 18 per cent of total employment in Canada’s seventh-largest city, roughly 89,000 jobs, “tied directly to U.S. exports.”
Key areas affected include automotive parts, machinery and electronics, plastics and rubber, furniture, and steel and aluminum products, the city added.
Mississauga Ward 7 Coun. Dipika Damerla, who’s also running for mayor, will debate issues relevant to the city’s business community on Sept. 25.
The four main mayoral candidates previously weighed in on the impact of U.S. tariffs — and the trade war — on Mississauga businesses.
Following the debate hosted by the Mississauga Board of Trade, the four main candidates will square off again less than a week later.
Poverty, housing and food security will be among the issues discussed when the candidates meet on stage for an Oct. 1 debate co-hosted by Food Banks Mississauga and the Metamorphosis Network.
That event takes place from 7-9 p.m. at FBM’s warehouse on Eastgate Parkway in the city’s east end.
Also taking part in the Sept. 25 debate hosted by the Mississauga Board of Trade is mayoral candidate and Ward 2 Coun. Alvin Tedjo.
In a recent interview with INsauga.com, Parrish said she plans to participate in no more than three mayoral debates, including the Sept. 25 and Oct. 1 events, in advance of the Oct. 26 election.Crombie, meanwhile, told INsauga.com she’ll take part in as many debates as she can work into her schedule.
“I’m not limiting myself,” she said.
Mayoral race is set at 14 candidates
Following the Aug. 21 deadline to register for the 2026 municipal election, 14 names appeared on the list of hopefuls looking to occupy the mayor’s seat in Mississauga for the next term of council.
The two highest-profile candidates — Parrish and her predecessor, Crombie — are joined in the contest by city councillors Tedjo (Ward 2) and Damerla (Ward 7) and 10 others of varying experience in the realm of political campaigning.
Parrish, who won a mayoral byelection in June 2024 to succeed Crombie, and her predecessor have gone head-to-head in a heated municipal election campaign prior to 2026. Crombie defeated Parrish (2,479 votes to 2,239 votes) in a September 2011 byelection for the Ward 5 council seat.
The other 10 candidates for mayor of Mississauga are:
David Shaw — ran in both the 2024 mayoral byelection and 2022 municipal election for mayor. Registered to run May 1
Mike Matulewicz — ran in the 2024 mayoral byelection. Registered to run May 5
Amjad Jilani — registered to run July 14
Frank Fang — ran in the 2024 mayoral byelection and competed for the Ward 9 council seat in the 2022 municipal election. Registered to run July 15
Fadi Naami — registered to run July 20
Karam Ahmed — registered to run Aug. 20
Aamir Bhatti — registered to run Aug. 21
Gord Elliott — registered to run Aug. 21
Mohsin Khan — registered to run Aug. 18
Ana Luisa Vasquez De Espinal — registered to run Aug. 11
For more information on who’s running and the election in general, visit the city’s election page online.
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