The debate is being held \u201cto ensure that poverty alleviation, including income and housing security, and food security are key platform issues for Mississauga mayoral candidates,\u201d event organizers said in an online description of the upcoming debate.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/crombie-parrish-mississauga-election-1024x576-1-2.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Mayor Carolyn Parrish, at right, and former mayor Bonnie Crombie will debate key Mississauga issues on Oct. 1.<\/p>\n
Food Banks Mississauga, which until 2023 operated as The Mississauga Food Bank, oversees 60-plus agencies\/food programs within its network across Canada\u2019s seventh-largest city.<\/p>\n
The Metamorphosis Network is an umbrella group comprised of more than 100 non-profit community services agencies in Peel that have joined forces to ensure key services are \u201cfully funded, effective and meet the needs of the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
As voters prepare to go to the polls in Mississauga and across Ontario in the Oct. 26 municipal election, FBM officials say the agency\u2019s vast network \u201ccontinues to serve record-breaking numbers of food bank users, and food insecurity is on the rise with no end in sight.\u201d<\/p>\n
They added voters who attend the Oct. 1 debate \u201ccan hear directly from the candidates on their vision and strategies for addressing key issues facing the city like poverty alleviation and food security.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/City-Ward-7-Coun-Damerla-GC-March-4-2026.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Mississauga Ward 7 Coun. Dipika Damerla.<\/p>\n
Registration for the in-person debate will open on Sept. 1, organizers said.<\/p>\n
Last 30 Days: 32,308 Votes<\/p>\n
All Time: 1,487,941 Votes<\/p>\n
1257 VOTES
\n How much more would you pay to buy Canadian instead of American? <\/p>\n
In the meantime, they urge residents to complete an anonymous survey<\/a> to let organizers know what they want to hear discussed at the debate.<\/p>\n In a recent interview with INsauga.com, Parrish said she plans to participate in no more than three mayoral debates, including the Oct. 1 event, in advance of the Oct. 26 election.<\/p>\n Crombie, meanwhile, told INsauga.com she\u2019ll take part in as many debates as she can work into her schedule.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not limiting myself,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Mayoral race is set at 14 candidates<\/p>\n 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\u2019s seat in Mississauga for the next term of council.<\/p>\n The two highest-profile candidates \u2014 Parrish and her predecessor, Crombie \u2014 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.<\/p>\n Mississauga Ward 2 Coun. Alvin Tedjo.<\/p>\n Citing a recent Liaison Strategies poll that found Parrish and Crombie each at 35 per cent<\/a> among decided and leaning voters, with the remaining candidates well behind, the former mayor and her campaign team said last Friday it\u2019s \u201ca clear two-way race.\u201d<\/p>\n Crombie, who left the Mississauga mayor\u2019s post in 2024 after 10 years to lead the Ontario Liberals and take a shot at unseating the premier, said she\u2019s looking to reclaim the seat because she believes better days are ahead for the city.<\/p>\n \u201cEverywhere I go, I hear the same concerns,\u201d Crombie said in an Aug. 21 news release. \u201cLife has become too expensive. People are worried about safety. Traffic and congestion are taking too much time away from families. And residents want to know that City Hall is focused on getting things done.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m running because I believe Mississauga can do better,\u201d she continued. \u201cWe can make life more affordable, build safer neighbourhoods and get our city moving again.\u201d<\/p>\n Incumbent doesn\u2019t trust latest poll<\/p>\n Parrish told INsauga.com in an Aug. 21 interview she doesn\u2019t trust the results of the Liaison Strategies poll, saying \u201cI don\u2019t believe that at all.\u201d<\/p>\n Not only does the incumbent believe she\u2019s doing better than a tie with her predecessor, but she doesn\u2019t view the race as being such an obvious two-candidate competition.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very presumptuous\u201d to suggest it\u2019s a clear two-way race, said Parrish, adding \u201cI think it\u2019s an open race\u201d in which both Damerla and Tedjo should not be counted out.<\/p>\n Parrish said the two sitting councillors \u201chave been working hard,\u201d have support and she doesn\u2019t think they\u2019re doing as poorly as the poll indicates. The Liaison Strategies sampling of voters had Damerla at 18 per cent and Tedjo at 12 per cent.<\/p>\n As for her own campaign, the incumbent told INsauga.com she\u2019s feeling \u201cvery confident, I\u2019m getting a lot of support (in the community), fundraising is going well and I have a great team.\u201d<\/p>\n Parrish and Crombie have battled in a previous campaign<\/p>\n Parrish added her accomplishments the past two years since winning a mayoral byelection in June 2024<\/a> to succeed Crombie speak for themselves, have solidified support for her across the city and bode well for her in the upcoming election.<\/p>\n The two highest-profile mayoral candidates have gone head-to-head in a heated municipal election campaign prior to 2026, with Crombie defeating Parrish (2,479 votes to 2,239 votes) in a September 2011 byelection for the Ward 5 council seat.<\/p>\n The other 10 candidates for mayor of Mississauga are:<\/p>\n David Shaw \u2014 ran in both the 2024 mayoral byelection and 2022 municipal election for mayor. Registered to run May 1 For more information on who\u2019s running and the election in general, visit the city\u2019s election page online<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Coun-Alvin-Tedjo-March-11-2026-council-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\nMike Matulewicz \u2014 ran in the 2024 mayoral byelection. Registered to run May 5
\nAmjad Jilani \u2014 registered to run July 14
\nFrank Fang \u2014 ran in the 2024 mayoral byelection and competed for the Ward 9 council seat in the 2022 municipal election. Registered to run July 15
\nFadi Naami \u2014 registered to run July 20
\nKaram Ahmed \u2014 registered to run Aug. 20
\nAamir Bhatti \u2014 registered to run Aug. 21
\nGord Elliott \u2014 registered to run Aug. 21
\nMohsin Khan \u2014 registered to run Aug. 18
\nAna Luisa Vasquez De Espinal \u2014 registered to run Aug. 11<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1787958254_921_GOCF_2026-Full-Weekend-MIS_1920x1080-1-1024x576.webp\")
<\/p>\n