âLeadership,â Alvin Tedjo answered.
âTrust,â Dipika Damerla said, pointing to the declining âquality of lifeâ.
âAffordability,â Crombie said.
Parrish, who was absent, chose to participate in only three mayoral debates while continuing to attend local community events and respond to residents on social mediaâsimilar to her approach in the previous municipal election.
In a poll taken the same day, residents picked affordability, housing and taxes as their top three election issues. Another survey found housing affordability is a central issue for voters across the GTAâ69 percent say it would influence their vote and 82 percent believe municipalities are not doing enough to address the crisis.
But where does the problem stem from?Â
While broad economic and political storms have coalesced to create the ongoing affordability crisis, another storm, quite literally, has intensified those pressures, but it has been conspicuously absent from the local debates.
Climate change impacts almost every aspect of municipal government and the residents who rely on City Hall for flood and storm management, reducing local emissions from bus fleets and municipal buildings, safeguarding watersheds, managing land use in sustainable ways and ensuring public spaces provide natural outlets that help the physical and mental health of residents.
Despite all the direct connections between local government and its environmental gatekeeper role, voters often look past these critical functions.Â
âThe disconnect was always surprising,â Harvard University assistant professor of economics Adrien Bilal said.
In 2024 â the warmest year on record (1.46â1.49° Celsius) â, Bilal teamed up with Northwestern University economist Diego R. KĂ€nzig to rethink conventional estimates of climate changeâs economic toll; the two found a direct correlation between the two and projected every additional 1°Celsius (C) rise in global temperatures could reduce global gross domestic product by 12 percent, six times the losses estimated by previous research.
That same year, Mississauga recorded the highest greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of any Peel municipality, releasing 6.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCOâeq) â substantially more than Bramptonâs 4 million tonnes and Caledonâs 671,151 tonnes.
Mississauga was also battered by two once-in-a-century storms that summer, which left residents stranded with flooded basements, damaged vehicles and costly repairs, with many left to shoulder expenses not covered by insurance and, eventually, a high insurance premium.
In 2021, American economist Sean Becketti theorized the climate crisis as the domino that disrupted property values, mortgage defaults, insurance costs and the stability of the housing finance industry: Physical risks, including flooding and extreme weather, were not being adequately reflected in market valuations, raising red flags about whether lenders, insurers and governments are prepared for climate changeâs financial consequences.
The aftermath of the 2024 flooding illustrated the theory in practice: even while carrying the immense emotional and financial toll, residents continued delegating at City Hall, pushing for stormwater upgrades and better flood mitigation, prompting intense, prolonged discussions among council members.
Since 2016, Mississauga has poured over $200 million into stormwater infrastructure with plans to invest $365 million by 2034; however, an additional $30 million per year from 2025 to 2124 is required to fully fund the Cityâs stormwater program and maintain aging stormwater pipes, according to a 2020 staff analysis.
During budget deliberations in November 2024, City staff warned the Cityâs stormwater reserves could be depleted by 2026 without additional revenue and suggested raising the stormwater charge in future years.
Before passing a sweeping suite of policies (including expediting major stormwater initiatives like the Dixie-Dundas Flood Mitigation Project) to protect residents and combat future flood risks in September 2024, Mayor Parrish complained about being âleft to dryâ by Queenâs Park and Ottawa to shoulder the cost of the storm.
âWeâre starting to be tired of being the poor cousins,â she told The Pointer previously.
In April 2025, 128 municipal leaders, including Tedjo, issued an open letter to federal party leaders urging climate-focused action to strengthen Canadaâs resilience in the face of natural disasters.
If elected mayor, he intends to continue pressing provincial and federal governments for infrastructure funding while prioritizing floodplain protection, stormwater management and upgrades to prevent flooding.Â
âOther municipalities, including Brampton, have successfully secured significant funding for infrastructure improvements, and Mississauga must actively pursue these same opportunities,â he told The Pointer.
A recent United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report stresses that in a warming world set to cross the 1.5°C threshold within the next few years, 70 percent of climate solutions depend on local and subnational action; inculcating mitigation and adaptation measures in local policies will be key to navigating climate-fueled disasters.Â
The report asks municipal governments to revise zoning laws, building codes and infrastructure to withstand rising climate risks; invest in nature-based solutions like urban trees and green spaces to reduce local temperatures; strengthen heat-warning systems and cooling infrastructure; and cut emissions through better waste management, clean energy and electrified transportation.
âMississauga should continue seeking its fair share of provincial and federal funding, but that cannot become an excuse to delay decisions within our own control,â Crombie said.
âThe City controls its budget, municipal buildings, local roads, stormwater investments, purchasing decisions and much of the planning that shapes how our community grows.âÂ
She supports integrating climate resilience into routine asset management and budget decisions, starting with prioritizing flood protection in the capital budget, improving transit service, making municipal buildings more energy-efficient and using land-use planning to create communities âwhere people have practical alternatives to drivingâ.
Tedjo agrees Mississauga can take meaningful action on climate resilience and sustainability âwithout waiting for other levels of governmentâ.
âFor too long, progress on our climate commitments has been slow. I am committed to meeting Mississaugaâs existing climate targets and ensuring the City takes meaningful action to achieve them,â he told The Pointer.
The City of Mississauga declared a climate emergency in June 2019 after a group of middle school students from Camilla Road Senior Public School made a deputation to council; it also led to the adoption of the Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP) that included a 40 percent reduction in GHG emissions from 1990 levels.
In June, Mississaugaâs Climate Policy Supervisor, Carrah Bullock, reported that 95 percent of the 89 actions outlined in Mississaugaâs 2019 CCAP have either been completed or are underway: 13 actions have been completed, 46 have been completed but remain ongoing through continuous improvement efforts and 26 are currently underway.
However, Mississauga resident and Youth Climate Corpsâ Executive Director, Bushra Asghar, who has watched water creep across her parentsâ basement floors almost every rainy season, feels the climate plan is âperformativeâ.
âTheyâre meeting 95 percent of their calls to action while failing to meet all their emissions. Itâs a bit greenwashy,â she told The Pointer.
âWhat theyâre doing is creating tasks that they can checkmark. But what are the actual reductions in emissions in real time? At this pace, how many years behind are you on the pathway to meeting your own targets?â
While Crombie takes pride in Mississauga declaring a climate emergency during her tenure as mayor, she firmly believes âa declaration and a plan must be followed by implementationâ â which she intends to do by translating climate targets into actionable decisions on transit, buildings, land use and the Cityâs own operations, if elected again.
âIn my first budget year, I would bring forward an implementation schedule identifying the actions, costs and expected emissions reductions needed to advance that target, with annual public reporting on progress,â she told The Pointer
âResidents should be able to see what has been funded, what has been completed and where we are falling behind.â
An âimportant part of that workâ is her transportation plan that aims to make transit a âpractical choiceâ by improving MiWay bus services, getting the Hazel McCallion Line open and advancing a connected regional networkâwhile tackling the second-highest source of GHG emissions in the municipality.Â
Previously, she spearheaded the Cityâs departure from purchasing conventional diesel buses in 2019 and steadily replacing them with hybrid-electric and zero-emission alternatives.
In September 2024, Mississauga became the first Ontario municipality to pilot 10 hydrogen fuel cell electric buses, expected to be on the road next year, as part of its public transit fleet.Â
âIf weâre going to be smart about climate change, we need to start looking into alternatives to diesel for our growing transit fleet and start investing in cleaner fuels and technologies,â Parrish said.
â[It] will advance our understanding of hydrogen fuel and what it means for sustainable transportation options in the future. Weâre committed to looking for innovative and low-emission solutions to reach our goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Mississauga by 40 percent by 2030.â
The total cost of the $25.4 million project is being shared between the City ($14.4 million) and Ottawa ($11 million).
That decision doesnât sit right with Damerla, who estimates the higher cost of hydrogen fuel could add $3 million annually over the busesâ 20-year lifespan, amounting to $60 million in additional costs.
âThe problem with those buses is that itâs untested technology, and we actually donât know whether they reduce greenhouse gases,â she said during The Pointerâs latest âBallot Voxâ episode.Â
âWhy are we doing a pilot on the backs of the City of Mississauga property taxpayers?...let the federal government fund it.â
A proponent of a value-for-money audit, her campaign has largely focused on scrutinizing each spending item at City Hall to reduce the ballooned property tax (4.39 percent for this year).
âEvery week, we say yes to some new spending. No oneâs saying how does this all add up, and then we do all of these things that sound very high-mindedâŠweâre gonna do a free app for everybody or weâre gonna save the environment,â she said.
Tedjo contends one of Mississaugaâs biggest challenges is communities built âaround car dependency rather than investing in more sustainable transportation options and walkable neighbourhoods that can help reduce our carbon footprintâ.
That reliance can be reduced by âtransitioning our public transit fleet and municipal vehicles to electric alternatives, expanding access to EV charging infrastructure and encouraging greater adoption of electric vehiclesâ.
In 2024, Mississauga emerged as a leader in EV adoption in the Peel region with a 30 percent growth in registrations.
Parrish has been outspoken about her support for EVs as wellâgreenlighting the expansion of the cityâs EV charging network with more than 170 connections in place; the decision was supported by Tedjo and Damerla both during the council vote.
Despite their differing perspectives on community mobility, Crombie, Damerla and Tedjo all believe flood protection must be a priority and Lisgar is among the ârepeatedly affected neighbourhoodsâ that require urgent attention due to their vulnerability to repeated flooding.
âOur work has been too slow,â Damerla observed.Â
âThe money is already earmarked. Letâs just get it going. So my first commitment would be to speed up the Lisgar pumping station.â
Crombie promises to give precedence to âclear public accounting of the pumping-station, drainage and downspout work already undertaken or planned, what remains outstanding and whether it is delivering the protection residents needâ.
âOur capital planning must reflect increasingly severe rainfall,â she said, calling for greater investment in stormwater capacity, upgrades to existing infrastructure and nature-based solutions such as permeable surfaces, rain gardens and natural areas to reduce runoff.Â
A 2022 report from the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario endorsed higher-capacity systems and green infrastructure solutions like rain gardens, bioswales, and permeable surfaces as necessary since climate-induced rainfall could cost municipalities an additional $700 million annually just to maintain existing stormwater systems. Without immediate upgrades, overall infrastructure costs could rise by 27 percent.
Damerla believes incentives can play a crucial role in encouraging residents to reduce concrete surfaces on their properties and adopt measures such as ârain gardensâ to help absorb stormwater and reduce flood risks.
As Ontario moves forward with the amalgamation of its 36 conservation authorities into nine regional bodies, Crombie deems it imperative that those sitting on council must strive to âpreserve local expertise, flood forecasting and watershed management, with uninterrupted flood protection throughout the transitionâ. Experts have called the provincial takeover a âdeath knell for watershedsâ as a result of reduced democratic representation in managing natural resources and an expected spike in local costs.
âLarger organizations must remain responsive to local conditions. Strong, properly resourced conservation authorities working across watersheds are essential partners in protecting Mississauga,â she noted.
Damerla advocated for the City to take a balanced approach to development in its pursuit of meeting the provincial housing target for Mississauga to construct 120,000 new units by 2031.Â
âOverdevelopment also results in flooding,â Damerla added.
âWe have to address the housing shortage but we have to be smart about it, and we cannot be approving things that result in flooding.âÂ
In 2024, Mississauga council voted unanimously in favour of green development standards (GDS) after the guidelines were first set in 2012 under Hazel McCallionâs leadership. The new updates established a three-tiered sustainability framework for new residential and non-residential site plan applications to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy efficiency.
However, the Doug Ford government steamrolled those efforts after the passage of Bill 17, Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act, in 2025, stripping Ontario municipalities of their ability to set independent GDS. In April this year, the province doubled down on those rollbacks through Bill 98, dubbed the Building Homes and Improving Transportation Infrastructure Act, enforcing tighter restrictions on municipal green rules, EV parking mandates, bird-friendly glass requirements and green roof bylaws under the guise of spurring housing development and lowering construction costs.
According to the provinceâs housing tracker, those drastic legislative changes have done little to put more âshovels in the groundâ; In 2024, Mississauga was behind its target with 3,496 homes completed against an annual target of 10,000âmeeting just 34.96 percent of its goal.
âMaybe itâs a bit cheaper, but longer term, I think we pay more,â Damerla said.
Instead, she would support expanding passive housing, also known as Passivhaus, a science-based, German building performance standard designed to use 90 percent less energy for heating and cooling, as Mississauga continues to build more homes.
Buildings are the primary source of emissions in the city, and Crombie argues the needle can be moved by improving âthe energy efficiency of municipal buildings and incorporating climate considerations into infrastructure and purchasing decisionsâ.Â
In 2023, Crombie also utilized her strong mayor powers to bypass a deadlocked city council vote to legalize âmissing middleâ or four-plexes citywideâa motion initially brought forward by Tedjo.
For Tedjo, building a âmore resilient Mississaugaâ means bringing in funding: âAs we plan for more housing and population growth, we must ensure our water and stormwater infrastructure can support that growth without putting existing neighbourhoods at greater risk.â
As the Vice Chair of the Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) Board of Directors, he also wants to expand urban âtree canopy by 30 percent over the next 10 years while creating more accessible green spaces, particularly in the central and northern parts of the cityâ â building on a sustainability plan he introduced in 2024.
For Lisgar residents, if the torrential downpours of 2024 werenât enough, the following year brought another source of anxiety: a proposal for a large-scale data centre that could be among the largest data centres in the Greater Toronto Area.
In August 2025, Vaughan-based building consultants, Mainline Planning Services, submitted a Planning Justification Report to the City of Mississauga, on behalf of U.S.-based real estate firm Prologis, seeking approval for a Zoning By-law Amendment and Site Plan Approval to facilitate a proposed two-storey data centre of approximately 220,015 square feet at the northwest corner of Tenth Line West and Argentia Road.
Seven months later, at a Planning and Development Committee meeting, City Planner Connor DiPietro explained that the applicant was seeking to change the propertyâs zoning from D8 development exception to E2 employment exception zones to accommodate the industrial buildings and data centre.
Since Mississaugaâs Official Plan did not include a specific land-use designation for data centres, the proposed facility was classified as a warehousing use.
City staff recommended referring the applications back for further work, identifying outstanding issues ranging from natural hazards and building setbacks to entrance design, stormwater diversion, sanitary servicing, water demand, cooling systems, parking and zoning compliance.
Zoning applications were then unanimously referred back to staff for further refinement and resubmission.Â
âWhoever turns down Prologis; havenât seen anybody yet,â Carolyn Parrish said after the vote.Â
As word spread of the proposal, residents expressed fear and a long list of questions about its potential effects on electricity demand, water consumption, noise, the environment and public health. On June 25, the City held a town hall at Erin Meadows Community Centre, drawing a packed room of residents from Wards 9 and 10 who wanted answers about the proposed development but many left without the clarity they had sought from the City and Prologis.
Amid extensive public outcry, on September 16, Mississauga council voted unanimously in favour of an interim control bylaw (ICBL), assuring residents they were heard âloud and clearâ â imposing a one-year pause on new data centre developments as staff simultaneously studied the emerging sector and its impacts in its entirety.Â
Mayor Parrish chose to abstain from the ICBL vote, citing Robertâs Rules of Order and Bourinotâs Rules, which required her, as chair of the council meeting, to refrain from voting unless her vote was needed to break or create a tie.
During the POLICORNER debate, mayoral hopefuls were asked whether Mississauga should permanently restrict new large-scale data centres: Tedjo and Crombie said yes, while Damerla said no.
âI've been very, very clear that the moratorium is an opportunity to get the guardrails in place, and the biggest guardrails are electricity prices donât go up, and we have all the evidence we need to make sure that noise is not a problem, and thereâs no environmental or health impacts,â Damerla explained.Â
âSo if we are able to put all those guardrails in place, then I am open to considering data centres. But if those issues are not addressed, then itâs a hard no.â
The Pointer asked the mayoral candidates how they would regulate data centre development once the ICBL ends.
âIf those safeguards have not been established [after the one-year pause], I will push to introduce strict energy consumption limits to prevent excessive strain on our utilities,â Tedjo said.
âI will oppose any data centre development that increases utility costs for residents. Mississauga families should not be forced to pay higher bills to accommodate large-scale developments.â
Crombie would take the route of seeking âindependent expert advice to inform the rules brought forward to Council before the moratorium expiresâ along with clear rules covering electricity and water use, emissions, cooling, noise and neighbourhood impacts.Â
âThat assessment must include the cumulative effects of multiple facilities, rather than considering each application in isolation,â she added.
âWe need to ask whether a proposed data centre represents the highest and best use of the land, what permanent jobs and economic benefits it would bring and whether those benefits justify its demands on electricity, water and infrastructure.â
She aims to ensure development-related costs arenât passed on to taxpayers and residents have a meaningful say in data centre decisions with clear information about the âtrade-offsâ on hand. âCanadian data sovereignty and security must be part of that discussion as well,â she added.
Parallel to the data centre debate, the next individual who will be adorning the chain of office, representing Mississauga, might have to deal with the Ford governmentâs water and wastewater privatization plansâwith Peel handpicked as the pilot testing ground.
In November 2025, Bill 60, the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, was passed, giving the PCs sweeping authority over how water infrastructure is managed in Ontario.Â
The Act conferred on the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing the power to designate, by regulation, a corporation that is incorporated under the Business Corporations Act as a water and wastewater public corporation to provide water and sewage services on behalf of particular lower-tier municipalities. The corporations would have the âpower to collect and impose fees or chargesâ from users, giving them control over water rates.Â
It allows the province to regulate the âissuance of shares of a corporationâ and âthe composition of the board of directorsâ, raising apprehensions about who owns and controls these entities.Â
If required, corporations must submit a ârate plan that establishes the ratesâ charged to users that the Minister can approve, reject or require changes to.Â
âOur government is piloting a new publicly owned water and wastewater delivery model in Peel Region to save homebuyers money,â Daniel Strauss, a spokesperson for housing minister Rob Flack, told The Star.
âPublicly owned municipal service corporations will be wholly owned by municipalities, not private entities. Our legislation gives municipalities more tools to respond to growth pressures â all while maintaining strong local oversight.â
But legal experts note the governmentâs claims that the model guarantees public ownership do not hold up under scrutiny.
âThereâs nothing in the legislation itself that requires the shares of these corporations to be owned by the municipality that creates it, or own public sector entity,â Goldblatt Partners lawyer and Partner Simon Archer, who was engaged by the Canadian Union of Public Employees Ontario (CUPE) to analyze the legislation, said during a press conference.
âThe word public in the name of these corporations does not have any real legal effect.â
Crombie said âessentialâ water and wastewater services must remain publicly owned and âaccountable to the communities they serveâ.Â
âBefore supporting a new delivery model, I would want a public comparison of its costs, financing arrangements and implications for household bills against the existing system,â she added.Â
âI would advocate for open rate-setting, independent audits and clear reporting on operating costs, debt and infrastructure investmentâŠKeeping bills affordable also requires responsible long-term planning. We cannot allow maintenance to be deferred until it becomes an expensive emergency, nor should residents face unnecessary costs arising from restructuring.
Any necessary rate increases should be publicly justified and accompanied by targeted assistance for residents who need it.
Both Damerla and Tedjo also âfirmly opposeâ privatization; while Damerla is open to working with the province to prevent water and wastewater services from falling into private hands, Tedjo urged Queenâs Park to adequately fund municipal water infrastructure, âwithout placing additional financial burdens on residentsâ.
Email: anushka.yadav@thepointer.com
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Anushka Yadav, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Pointer.
