With less than a week before Mississauga voters head to the polls, the mayoral race has become a closely watched contest between incumbent Carolyn Parrish, former mayor Bonnie Crombie and city councillors Alvin Tedjo and Dipika Damerla.
While affordability and public safety remain major election issues, the busy — at times, controversial — Ridgeway Plaza has also emerged as a talking point on the campaign trail.
CBC’s Peel bureau spoke with the four candidates about their plans to address these issues, along with housing, transit and AI data centres. Here’s how their promises compare ahead of the Oct. 26 election.
Affordability
Carolyn Parrish
Parrish wants to keep property tax increases close to the rate of inflation through changes to regional services. She says she expects $45 million in annual savings from transferring regional road maintenance and waste collection to the city, with the full savings taking effect by 2028.
Bonnie Crombie
Crombie says she wants to keep city tax increases at or below inflation and scrap the proposed $2.5-billion city centre redevelopment.
She pledges to increase property tax rebates for eligible low-income seniors to $1,000 and introduce an early-payment property tax discount, with rates between two and five per cent subject to a financial review.
For small businesses, she promises a 90-day turnaround for qualifying permit approvals and payment from city hall within 15 days.
WATCH | Mississauga’s final mayoral debate of 2026:
Leading candidates in Mississauga mayoral race face off in final debate
Mississauga’s mayoral race is shaping up to be one to watch this election season with the current mayor, a former mayor and two city councillors hoping to steer the ship at city hall. Tensions reached a boiling point at a debate on Oct. 1. The four leading candidates shared the stage again on Oct. 15, but this time it was a much less heated face-off. CBC Peel’s Jayden Dill was at the debate in Port Credit and has the highlights.
Dipika Damerla
Damerla promises to freeze the city-controlled share of residential property taxes in 2027, excluding transferred regional service costs, and cap future increases at the rate of inflation unless services are expanded or improved.
For small businesses, she pledges to simplify licensing and base restaurant parking requirements based on seating capacity rather than square footage.
Alvin Tedjo
Tedjo promises a two-year freeze on city-controlled property taxes through spending cuts and a review of city operations. He wants to increase property tax rebates for eligible low-income seniors to about $700.
He’s also promising free public swimming and skating for children 12 and under, a 100-day turnaround for qualifying small-business permits and matching security grants of up to $5,000 following break-in attempts.
Housing
Mississauga is a growing city, and housing has been a popular issue for debate this mayoral campaign. (Patrick Morrell/CBC)
Carolyn Parrish
Parrish says she wants to continue incentives for purpose-built rental housing and to advance the city centre redevelopment project, which would include new downtown housing.
Bonnie Crombie
Crombie promises to eliminate development charges on new housing if the federal and provincial governments cover the lost revenue. She also proposes a city hall “concierge” service to speed up planning approvals.
Dipika Damerla
Damerla says she wants high-density housing concentrated along transit corridors rather than blanket fourplex zoning in established single-detached neighbourhoods.
She pledges to simplify permits for smaller housing projects such as garden suites and duplex conversions.
WATCH | Mississauga turns to students as city looks to build more fourplexes:
Mississauga is looking to build more fourplexes. They turned to students for inspiration
Students at Sheridan College have teamed up with the city of Mississauga to design a fourplex that could inspire the future of Mississauga’s housing landscape. CBC’s Britnei Bilhete has the story.
Alvin Tedjo
Tedjo proposes a city-owned Mississauga Housing Corporation to partner with developers and non-profits to build affordable housing on underused land.
He wants to triple missing middle-family housing by 2037, expand incentives for sixplexes and replace lodging-house licensing with a public registry of licensed rental properties and safety-based inspections.
Public safety
Carolyn Parrish
Parrish wants more marked police cruisers patrolling shopping plazas and residential neighbourhoods. She is also open to installing CCTV cameras in high-crime areas, subject to legal and privacy reviews.
Bonnie Crombie
Crombie wants to expand mental health crisis response teams and reduce officers’ administrative work, including report processing, through automation and civilian staffing, to free up more officers for patrols.
WATCH | Highlights from the Mississauga mayoral debate:
The Mississauga mayoral debate in 3 minutes
Mississauga’s four leading mayoral candidates went head to head in the first mayoral debate ahead of October’s municipal election. Check out the highlights.
Dipika Damerla
Damerla proposes installing police CCTV cameras at major intersections to track suspects, with strict privacy rules.
She wants to work with Peel Regional Police to improve response times for non-emergency crimes and establish a mayor’s task force to improve mental health crisis responses.
Alvin Tedjo
Tedjo wants to create a Mississauga safety division to co-ordinate neighbourhood crime prevention and expand non-police mental health crisis teams.
He plans to distribute free signal-blocking key pouches to help prevent auto thefts.
Tedjo also wants increased enforcement against loud vehicle exhausts while opposing surveillance systems such as Flock cameras.
Transit
Here’s how the candidates plan to help get the city moving. (ATU Local 1572)
Carolyn Parrish
Parrish is prioritizing two-way, all-day Milton GO train service while opposing the proposed subway extension into Mississauga.
She says the province has allocated funding to study how more passenger trains could operate on the freight corridor, either through additional passing tracks or a second rail line.
Bonnie Crombie
Crombie wants to launch a feasibility study into extending TTC Line 2 from Kipling Station to Square One, with proposed stops at Sherway Gardens and the expanded Mississauga Hospital.
She wants to pressure the province and Metrolinx to open the Hazel McCallion LRT by the end of 2028, including requesting a public construction and testing schedule within her first 100 days as mayor.
Crombie also promises MiWay buses every 15 minutes on major roads.
WATCH | Crombie pitching connecting TTC subway to Mississauga:
Should Toronto’s subway reach Mississauga? Crombie says yes
Should Toronto’s subway reach Mississauga? Mayoral candidate Bonnie Crombie is proposing extending TTC Line 2 west from Kipling Station. CBC’s Karina Zapata breaks down Crombie’s proposal.
Dipika Damerla
Damerla promises to extend MiWay transfers from two to three hours by 2028 and improve bus connections with GO trains.
She wants two additional stations along the Lakeshore West GO corridor and two-way, all-day Milton GO service.
For drivers, she opposes bike lanes that remove vehicle lanes on major roads. She also promises to repair major potholes on arterial roads within four days of being identified, weather permitting.
Alvin Tedjo
Tedjo promises to fix the city’s 10 worst traffic bottlenecks within two years and introduce cross-city express buses that bypass Square One.
He wants dedicated bus rapid transit lanes on major roads and two-way, all-day Milton GO service every 15 minutes.
AI data centresWATCH | Mississauga council votes for 1-year moratorium on new data centres:
Why Mississauga just blocked new AI data centres for 1 year
Mississauga city councillors voted to press pause on new large data centres for one year, a decision that follows other cities in the Greater Toronto Area. But as CBC’s Naama Weingarten explains, there is mixed reaction to the decision.
Carolyn Parrish
Parrish supports the one-year moratorium on new data centre applications but opposes an outright ban. She wants facilities restricted to industrial areas away from residential neighbourhoods.
Bonnie Crombie
Crombie supports the moratorium and wants mandatory neighbourhood buffer zones for new data centres, along with disclosure of foreign corporate ownership.
WATCH | The coming AI data centre boom, and the growing resistance against it:
A hyperscale AI data centre boom is coming
A boom in hyperscale AI data centres in Canada is coming, promising economic opportunity and tech sovereignty, but as CBC’s Nora Young explains, there’s a growing resistance to the impact the massive, power-hungry facilities have on local communities.
Dipika Damerla
Damerla supports the one-year moratorium and wants to review its findings before deciding whether Mississauga should allow more large data centres on its limited industrial land.
Alvin Tedjo
Tedjo opposes very large data centres in Mississauga and wants the one-year moratorium used to establish rules on electricity and water consumption, along with protections for surrounding neighbourhoods.
Ridgeway Plaza
Ridgeway Plaza, located at Eglinton Avenue W. and Ridgeway Drive, is a popular gathering spot in the city, but it’s also been the subject of complaints about dangerous driving and noise. (Rob Leth/CBC)
Carolyn Parrish
Parrish wants the city to build a multi-level municipal parking garage at Ridgeway Plaza.
Bonnie Crombie
Crombie proposes establishing a Business Improvement Area (BIA) at Ridgeway Plaza and encouraging private operators to build additional parking.
WATCH | A quick look at what mayoral candidates want for Ridgeway Plaza:
Dipika Damerla
Damerla wants to work with the private sector to create more gathering spaces for young people like Ridgeway Plaza, with better infrastructure planning to protect surrounding neighbourhoods.
Alvin Tedjo
Tedjo wants to make Ridgeway Plaza more walkable while improving parking and traffic management to reduce disruptions in surrounding neighbourhoods.