{"id":802621,"date":"2026-07-15T02:42:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T02:42:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/802621\/"},"modified":"2026-07-15T02:42:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T02:42:09","slug":"bonnie-crombie-says-shell-see-it-through-if-shes-re-elected-mississauga-mayor-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/802621\/","title":{"rendered":"Bonnie Crombie says she\u2019ll \u2018see it through\u2019 if she\u2019s re-elected Mississauga mayor, again"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Former Ontario Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie reacts to hearing supporters chant her name after she registered to run for mayor in Mississauga, on Tuesday.Keito Newman\/The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n

Bonnie Crombie says she\u2019s dedicated to representing Mississauga again as mayor after she quit the job more than two years ago to take over the helm of the Ontario Liberal Party, as her main rival in the municipal race accused her of opportunism. <\/p>\n

Ms. Crombie formally registered on Tuesday to run for mayor of the suburban city west of Toronto, a post she previously held from 2014 to 2024.<\/p>\n

Her re-entry into municipal politics has shaken the race to lead Ontario\u2019s third-largest city, a crucial electoral battleground that is represented by the Progressive Conservatives at the provincial level and the Liberals at the federal level.<\/p>\n

Affordability, crime and government spending are expected to take centre stage in the contest. Voters head to the polls on Oct. 26.<\/p>\n

Ms. Crombie, 66, is returning to municipal politics after she resigned as mayor in early 2024 upon winning the Ontario Liberal leadership race.<\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Ms. Crombie greets supporters at the elections office. The former Ontario Liberal leader is facing accusations from critics that she is returning to Mississauga because her other plans did not work out.Keito Newman\/The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n

But her quest to lead the province was foiled after a disappointing result in the 2025 Ontario election, which saw Premier Doug Ford\u2019s Progressive Conservatives elected to a third majority government. While the Ontario Liberals regained party status by winning 14 seats, Ms. Crombie failed in her own bid to win a riding in Mississauga. After a lukewarm leadership review among her own party members, she formally resigned as leader earlier this year.<\/p>\n

Standing outside of Mississauga\u2019s municipal elections office in the sweltering heat on Tuesday, Ms. Crombie acknowledged that her provincial political career did not go as planned. <\/p>\n

\u201cYes, I left to fight for Mississauga at Queen\u2019s Park. And I lost. But what I learned is that everything I care about is right here,\u201d said Ms. Crombie, surrounded by her family and a small group of supporters who chanted her name.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, today I\u2019m asking for this job to be mayor of Mississauga, and I\u2019m staying, and I will see it through.\u201d<\/p>\n

The focus of her budding campaign, she said, is strong fiscal management, as well as transit and crime. Ms. Crombie is pitching herself as a trusted leader with the vision and energy to make life more affordable for the city\u2019s more than 750,000 residents.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have the experience to do so, and I want to earn back their trust,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

Bonnie Crombie resigns as Ontario Liberal Leader<\/a><\/p>\n

She accused the current mayor, Carolyn Parrish, of spending irresponsibly and being \u201cnowhere to be seen\u201d over the past two-and-a-half years, including at events, big city mayors\u2019 meetings and trade missions.<\/p>\n

In an interview, Ms. Parrish, a former Liberal MP and longtime city councillor who was elected as mayor in a June, 2024, byelection, accused Ms. Crombie of returning to municipal politics only as a last resort.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, she\u2019s been pushing her resume around town. She didn\u2019t get any bites, I guess,\u201d Ms. Parrish said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think she tried hard to find some appointment, didn\u2019t come through, so this is her fallback position.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ms. Parrish, who described her relationship with Ms. Crombie as \u201ctesty,\u201d defended her record. She said she is particularly proud of a new youth hub, as well as building more homes and increasing benefits for seniors. Her next plan, she said, is to rebuild the city\u2019s performing arts centre and revitalize the downtown core.<\/p>\n

She acknowledged taxes have increased, but said that is due to an unfair regional spending formula that sees Mississauga subsidize services such as policing for neighbouring Brampton. She said she\u2019s working with the Ford government to download costs, and that tens of millions will be returned to the city\u2019s coffers in the coming years.<\/p>\n

Ms. Parrish said she still has plans for the city and is prepared to take on Ms. Crombie.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t plan to retire, so she\u2019s going to get a fight,\u201d Ms. Parrish said.<\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Ms. Crombie was mayor of Mississauga from 2014 to 2024.Keito Newman\/The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n

In an interview with The Globe and Mail, Ms. Crombie brushed off accusations that she is returning to Mississauga because her other plans did not work out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had plenty of offers from the private sector and elsewhere,\u201d she said. \u201cI wanted to come back to make a difference for the people of Mississauga.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, Ms. Crombie, who was previously at odds with Mr. Ford, says she\u2019s willing to work with anyone for the betterment of the city. She said the Premier collaborates with others at the municipal level, including Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow; Steven Del Duca, the former Ontario Liberal leader who is now the Vaughan Mayor; and former Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath, who is now the Hamilton Mayor.<\/p>\n

In March, the Ontario Premier told reporters that Ms. Crombie was an \u201cabsolute disaster\u201d as mayor and he would \u201csend an army\u201d to help Ms. Parrish defeat the former Ontario Liberal leader if Ms. Crombie were to enter the race. <\/p>\n

Mr. Ford\u2019s office said Tuesday he will be staying out of the contest. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs the Premier has said before, he will work with anyone, no matter their political stripe,\u201d said Hannah Jensen, a spokeswoman for the Premier\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n

Alvin Tedjo, a Mississauga councillor who is also running for mayor, said in an interview the city needs fresh leadership and a change from both Ms. Crombie and Ms. Parrish.<\/p>\n

\u201cResidents deserve someone who\u2019s focused on the city and not their own careers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Another mayoral candidate, councillor Dipika Damerla, said: \u201cResidents are looking for a mayor that puts Mississauga first. That\u2019s what I\u2019m focused on.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: Former Ontario Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie reacts to hearing supporters chant her name…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":802622,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194297],"tags":[901,888,902,879,877,903,49,48,876,895,896,891,878,875,46,549,295,894,887,914,880,881,893,889,890,884,904,55405,885,909,910,912,907,911,905,908,882,898,899,714,897,906,865,61,900,892,886,883,913],"class_list":["post-802621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mississauga","tag-alberta","tag-arts-news","tag-bc","tag-breaking-news","tag-breaking-news-video","tag-british-columbia","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canada-news","tag-canada-sports","tag-canada-sports-news","tag-canada-trafficcanada-weather","tag-canadian-breaking-news","tag-canadian-news","tag-economy","tag-education","tag-environment","tag-federal-government","tag-foreign-news","tag-globe-and-mail","tag-globe-and-mail-breaking-news","tag-globe-and-mail-canada-news","tag-government","tag-life-news","tag-lifestyle","tag-local-news","tag-manitoba","tag-mississauga","tag-national-news","tag-new-brunswick","tag-newfoundland-and-labrador","tag-northwest-territories","tag-nova-scotia","tag-nunavut","tag-ontario","tag-pei","tag-photos","tag-political-news","tag-political-opinion","tag-politics","tag-politics-news","tag-quebec","tag-sports-news","tag-technology","tag-travel","tag-trudeau","tag-us-news","tag-world-news","tag-yukon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802621","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=802621"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/802621\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/802622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=802621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=802621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=802621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}