Mississauga’s four main mayoral candidates — including bitter rivals Carolyn Parrish and Bonnie Crombie — will square off tonight on the debate stage for the final time before voters go to the polls on Oct. 26.
The last time the quartet of mayoral hopefuls met to argue the issues, Parrish, the incumbent, and her predecessor, Crombie, exchanged a number of verbal jabs in what turned into a heated Oct. 1 debate.
Mississauga city councillors Alvin Tedjo (Ward 2) and Dipika Damerla (Ward 7) will join Parrish and Crombie Thursday night at Christ First United Church on Lakeshore Road West, site of the final mayoral debate featuring the four highest-profile candidates.
Hosted by the Town of Port Credit Association, Lakeview Ratepayers Association, Port Credit Legion and Port Credit Community Foundation, the event begins at 7 p.m.
Parrish, Crombie, Tedjo, Damerla and 10 other candidates are vying to become Mississauga’s next mayor. Municipal election voters who didn’t cast ballots during last week’s record-setting advance polling in Mississauga will do so on Oct. 26.
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. Parrish later became councillor in that ward when Crombie succeeded Hazel McCallion as mayor in 2014.
Crombie then left the mayor’s post in Mississauga in January 2024 to become leader of the Ontario Liberal Party and take a shot at unseating Premier Doug Ford.
The four main mayoral candidates first met on the debate stage on Sept. 25 at the Sheridan College Hazel McCallion Campus in Mississauga’s downtown core.
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Among other topics discussed and argued that afternoon, the candidates talked about their plans for the embattled Ridgeway Plaza in the city’s west end should they become the next mayor.
Parrish said at the outset of the campaign she planned to take part in only three debates in the leadup to election night. Her decision brought about criticism from her three main rivals several weeks ago.
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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