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Owners of a busy plaza in Mississauga will have to implement several security measures under a new agreement reached with the city this week after large gatherings there led to complaints from local residents.
In a news release on Wednesday, the City of Mississauga said the measures at Ridgeway Plaza will improve safety, support businesses and maintain a welcoming environment. The plaza is located near Eglinton Avenue W. and Ridgeway Drive.
Under the agreement, the city said Ridgeway Plaza Condominium Corporations will have to pay for security cameras, speed bumps, permanent access gates, and additional signs indicating no parking, no trespassing and video surveillance. As well, it will have to pay for an increase in security staff on evenings when large celebrations are expected.
The city said it will provide “enhanced” enforcement of parking rules.
The agreement follows a mediation process between city officials and plaza owners, the passage of a nuisance gathering bylaw and a temporary injunction granted by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice that shut the plaza down on several cultural holidays, according to Mississauga deputy mayor Matt Mahoney.
“The condo board owners knew that something had to give. We had to work together here. It wasn’t just going to be the City of Mississauga, myself, putting the measures in place to ensure public safety,” he said on Wednesday.
“They came to the table and said: ‘You know what, we understand we need to work with the city. We need to collaborate. We need to put some measures in place to make some positive changes from a safety perspective.'”
Mahoney said the condo corporations agreed to the measures and will pay for and implement them.
More than a thousand people gathered at Ridgeway Plaza in August 2025 to celebrate Pakistan Independence Day before being asked to disperse by police. (Submitted by Muhammad Hassan Bilal)
In the release, Mahoney said Ridgeway Plaza is “an important and valued part of our community,” and he thanked the condo boards for their co-operation.
“Safety has always been our top priority, and we’re confident these steps will help address the concerns raised by the community and keep plaza patrons safe while supporting the plaza’s diverse businesses.”
The boards of directors for Ridgeway Plaza Condominium Corporations, known as PSCC 1136 and PSCC 1140, said they want to continue to comply with city bylaws.
“By making these necessary, privately funded investments in security infrastructure, we are ensuring continued compliance with City by-laws, and protecting the long-term value of Ridgeway Plaza.”
Omama Mukhtar, general manager of operations at Apna Farm grocery store, a business at the plaza, says: ‘I think altogether it’s a very balanced solution for this community and for this plaza.’ (Dale Manucdoc/CBC)
Omama Mukhtar, general manager of operations at Apna Farm grocery store, a business at the plaza, said he agrees with most of the changes, adding they are reasonable. The security of customers is everyone’s concern, he said.
“I think altogether it’s a very balanced solution for this community and for this plaza,” Mukhtar said.
“The only confusion here is about the access gates. They need to provide more information about it.”
If the access gates are closed on a busy day, for example, it could cause “unintentional harm” to the plaza businesses, he said.
Since June 2023, the city said it has received numerous complaints about the plaza.
The complaints had to do with noise, gatherings involving thousands of people, illegal patios, illegal use of moveable BBQs, illegal fireworks, littering, garbage and debris, fights, aggressive behaviour, dangerous driving of vehicles in the parking lot, street racing nearby, and difficulties getting in and out of the plaza safely, it said.
The measures are scheduled to be in place next month.