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Caledon’s next mayor inherits a town divided over how far growth should go
Annette Groves retired after backlash over rezoning plans that opened the door to 35,000 homes.
On a chilly Monday at the beginning of October, Caledon resident Al Axworthy carefully drove past a line of trucks to one of the 12 parcels of land former mayor Annette Groves prematurely rezoned using her strong mayor powers, opening the door to 35,000 new homes — three times the provincial target — with little public consultation.
As he passed the intersection of Queen and King streets in Bolton, Axworthy recalled standing there with Groves in 2022, protesting Highway 413.
“And now she’s been out there with Doug Ford saying this is the greatest thing; we need this,” he said. He paused, before continuing: “I voted for her.”
In the 2022 municipal election, voters were desperate for change, having witnessed the damage done by previous mayor Allan Thompson, who had quietly pushed warehouse development in the Greenbelt, violating several environmental and land-use planning policies.
Thompson was part of a majority group of pro-development council members that included Jennifer Innis. Both of their families have significant land interests and will profit handsomely from the construction of sprawling subdivisions on vast tracts of farmland.
Innis ran for mayor in 2022 to replace Thompson, with his blessing, but was quickly confronted by a fierce anti-sprawl, anti-413 Highway, anti-freight village campaign that swept Groves into the mayor’s office.
Groves and Innis had opposed each other on growth-related votes for more than a decade, and the rookie mayor vowed four years ago to make good on her sacred campaign vow to keep development in check and protect Caledon’s verdant stretches of beloved greenspace from rapacious developers. Groves seemed like an obvious choice to lead Caledon with diametrically opposing views to Innis: One promised more walkable communities, transit, climate-conscious planning and protection for rural and environmentally sensitive lands. The other favoured a more conventional suburban expansion, with sprawling subdivisions, car-dependent neighbourhoods and Highway 413 cutting through the Greenbelt.
“I will ensure that developers do not plan our community but the people plan our own community and our future,” Groves said, pledging “growth will pay for growth” and infrastructure will be “in place before development happens”.
Using her past record of voting on key council land use issues, she promised to continue pushing back against urban sprawl-inducing ministerial zoning orders (MZO). She described the provincial government tool that overrides local planning authority as an “undemocratic” approach that “circumvents the public process”. Groves said the use of MZOs leads to poor planning that favours private interests, pushing warehousing and distribution centers and a stifling “freight village” future for Caledon that would force large property tax increases.
Almost immediately after her election, with Caledon voters filled with hope for their future, Groves tore up her sacred promises and threw them in the dust bin.
Her four-year tenure was effectively managed by a group of powerful developers, who literally wrote Caledon’s planning policies, under Annette Groves’ name.
Following intense public backlash, Groves announced her retirement on April 24, leaving behind a “legacy undone by terrible decisions” that failed to guard the unique character of the rustic villages and hamlets and rolling spaces she once vowed to protect.
“They [council] gifted the Town of Caledon to the developers…She ran on a strong public interest platform, and to do the exact opposite was such a betrayal to so many people,” Cheryl Connors, running to be the next Councillor for Ward 4, told The Pointer.
“It also makes it really hard for anyone who wants to enter public service in the future because it feeds this jaded sentiment that politicians just say whatever it takes to get elected.”
In a move that stunned residents across Caledon who had just voted for her, Groves brought forward 13 bylaw amendments shortly after her election. Without any public consultation, the zoning changes would add about 100,000 residents to the town, more than doubling Caledon’s current population.
It was a jaw-dropping move that left the mayor’s supporters feeling utterly betrayed after they had been led to believe Groves would do the exact opposite. Instead of standing up to developers, she was suddenly taking her marching orders from them.
It was soon learned that the amendments Groves dropped from nowhere onto the legislative agenda had not been written by planning staff governed by the Town’s official plan and the Region of Peel’s growth master plans. They were written by a development lawyer representing one of the building consortiums that stands to make huge profits from the construction of residential subdivisions.
Axworthy shook his head that day, two weeks ago. He recalled the faith he put in Groves. He continued driving along Columbia Way toward the A8 parcel, one of the dozen that was eventually approved for massive new development. He passed the site without realizing it—something was different.
“Is that a new building?” He seemed astounded, his eyes wide with confusion.
The once-green, open farmland had become ‘unrecognizable’, with trees cleared away to make room for a Solmar development office suddenly standing next to the road.
“It was completely different.”
Just as a bulldozer’s engine rumbled on the site, its warning beeps piercing the air, its metal bucket scraping and digging into the ground, Bolton resident Marnie Singleton, who lives steps away from the A8 parcel, joined Axworthy.
Singleton, who has lived in the area since 2009, recently retired. After years of work and time spent away from home, she was looking forward to enjoying the changing fall colours from her window: “That’s always been a beautiful part of my life.”
She had little idea what was coming until one day while driving home, she noticed that the row of trees on the A8 parcel had disappeared.
“That broke my heart.”
“I know it will provide homes for a lot of people…I just don’t understand why they have to take the trees down outside the tree line or outside the fence line.”
Her biggest concern? “Losing farmland”.
While she understands Caledon needs new housing to accommodate the projected 300,000 residents by 2051, Singleton questions whether the town’s existing infrastructure can cope with the cumulative demands of development.
“Further down this road is the Townline between Caledon and Vaughan, and there’s an intersection there that they’re [Town staff] predicting is going to be overwhelmed by the volume of traffic that this site [A8] is going to create,” Axworthy noted.
There is already congestion along Townline Road and Highway 50 “in the mornings”, especially, Singleton added. “Add snow to that mix? It’s a recipe for a disaster”.
“They are going to add 122,000 people to Caledon, a town that currently is 80,000…the road infrastructure as it exists, there are bottlenecks with 80,000. What’s going to happen when they throw another pair?,” Axworthy added.
On October 19, he headed to the final mayoral debate hosted by the Caledon Chamber of Commerce at Caesar’s Centre in Bolton, and settled in a chair, ready with a pen and notebook to take notes.
For 45 years, Caledon’s rolling hills, wildlife and a deep love for the community have shaped his life. In 2024, he decided to volunteer with Democracy Caledon, a non-profit advocacy group formed to oppose Groves’ use of strong mayor powers and council fast-tracking large-scale urban development and pre-zoning agricultural land without heeding public concerns.
Like many residents, he now faces a difficult choice at the ballot box after Groves’ turbulent tenure and retreat from her promise not to sell Caledon to developers: council veterans Christina Early and Mario Russo, or newcomers Alan Hart, Jagdeep Sacha and Manjit Bhondhi Saini.
“This election is going to be a turning point for this town,” Axworthy said.
“I fear if Russo wins, what we love about Caledon is gone.”
The seeds of his frustration were sown in June 2024 when council voted on the 12 zoning bylaw amendments, drafted by developer lawyer Quinto Annibale, paving nearly 5,000 acres of agricultural land, the largest development plan in Caledon’s history.
Russo was among the councillors who voted in favour of the amendments despite the Region of Peel estimating that servicing 13,000 housing units alone (about a third of what Groves forced through for the developers who wrote her 12 approved amendments).
There was no fiscal plan completed to determine who will pay for this infrastructure or the impact it could have on Caledon taxpayers who may be forced to pay for the maligned plan, which has been compared to the PC government’s Greenbelt scandal that has been under RCMP investigation for over three years.
Only councillors Lynn Kiernan, Dave Sheen and Christina Early opposed the bylaws.
Early was asked about the 35,000 new units pushed through by Groves and a majority of council members earlier this term and if she would change course as mayor.
“Approving 26 years of growth in one term of Council without ensuring the necessary infrastructure is in place was not a decision I could support,” Early told The Pointer.
“We cannot simply reverse decisions already made, but we can ensure future decisions are better planned, financially responsible and made with residents’ interests first."
It’s unclear why she would not reverse the decision, which Caledon residents overwhelmingly rejected. It would be well within her power as mayor to tear up the 12 amendments Groves pushed through to build 35,000 new homes.
“Growth should strengthen our communities, not overwhelm them,” Early said.
Russo was asked the same, regarding his decision to support the 35,000 new homes and whether he would make a decision on the issue differently as mayor.
“Yes, I will support slowing or delaying further approvals and development phases where infrastructure cannot support them,” he said.
“I will use holding provisions, subdivision conditions and development agreements where legally available to tie development to demonstrated servicing and road capacity.”
Former minister of municipal affairs and housing Paul Calandra, the Region of Peel and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority all stated the pre-zoning was premature.
Town staff reassured the bylaws included holding provisions that require future secondary plans, infrastructure servicing confirmations, and environmental studies before the legislation can be ratified into official planning policy, triggering construction.
“I supported the June 2024 zoning by-laws, with holds,” Russo said.
“Those lands were already inside Caledon’s urban boundary or existing settlement areas. Further planning and servicing requirements remained after the zoning approvals.”
Critics who reject Russo’s stance, that a terrible, developer-driven decision which he supported can now somehow be responsibly controlled, saw the vote as a starting point for a 4–5 voting bloc.
Residents want the bylaw amendments torn up. Full stop.
In December 2024, Democracy Caledon filed a notice of application against the Town of Caledon in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice challenging the zoning bylaws for violating section 24 of Ontario’s Planning Act and section 273 of the Municipal Act, 2001 by failing to conform to the official plans of Caledon and the Region of Peel. The group had their hearing in May this year; Justice Rosemarie Juginovic did not issue a decision, instead reserving her ruling, which could take several months.
In less than two weeks, the motion was voted on, after only three residents were able to voice their concerns during a public question period with only Sheen, Kiernan, de Boer and Early opposing.
Among the council members who voted in favour, Ward 5 councillor Tony Rosa received a $1,200 campaign contribution from Nicola Cortellucci. Ward 1 Councillor Christina Early received the same amount (she voted alongside the residents in opposition), according to the Town’s 2022 candidate results and financial statements.
Early said her 2026 campaign is not being funded by developers, unlike the 2022 municipal elections when she received $14,900 (42.4 percent) from donors connected to the development and construction industry, according to A Better Caledon report card prepared by Caledon resident Katherine Wilson. For Russo, the share was higher: 57.6 percent.
“In May 2025, I supported the amended motion establishing a conditional process requiring studies, public consultation and a further report to Council before an agreement could be entered into,” Russo explained.
Two months later, the Town proposed to revise its fill bylaw—a connection that many saw as more than just a coincidence.
The existing fill bylaw restrictions made Swan Lake, zoned extractive industrial, ineligible for a fill permit.
On the other hand, the Town’s draft Site Alteration Bylaw, meant to modernize the 18-year-old fill regulations, included ambiguous language with frequent use of “may” and “shall,” a fragmented public notification process, all of which undermine clarity and public engagement while giving the commissioners of engineering, public works and transportation the power to approve permits, decide if public meetings are required and override Council approval for large projects.
After months of media reports, fierce public pressure, packed Town Hall meetings and provincial support for Swan Lake by Liberal MPP Ted Hsu, council temporarily halted the plan to allow the developer to fill the lake with construction waste following a motion brought forward by Russo.
Both him and Early committed to opposing filling Swan Lake and will not be supporting the proposal’s revival.
“The next mayor has to do their job and work for the constituents of Caledon,” Belain Farm owner Anna de Langley, whose property borders Swan Lake, told The Pointer.
“We don’t want any more strong mayor powers. We don't want flip-flopping on things like the 413. We want someone that actually cares about the residents, and cares about the farmland and will protect it.
“It's like the mistakes of the farmers 30 years ago that sold to all these aggregate people and developers; now it's all coming to fruition, and we’re the ones paying the price.”
During the debate, all five candidates stated that they reject the use of strong mayor powers.
Early and Russo also say they oppose the proposed CBM blasting quarry that plans to extract up to 2.5 million tonnes of limestone, sand, and gravel annually from below the water table using controlled blasting—completely altering the landscape in the town, already scarred by the aggregate industry’s moonscapes and trucks that jam roads throughout the town.
In April, Early successfully put forward a motion proposing to update a 2024 vibrations and nuisance bylaw and build stricter noise standards to protect residents and businesses 24 hours a day from loud vibrations from industrial sites, pits and quarries rather than only during designated nighttime hours; it was unanimously approved.
However, the decision was in direct contrast to Early’s 2020 vote in favour of a pit expansion — the James Dick/Erin pit, which doubled an existing pit in Erin and eventually encroached into Caledon.
She said she did not believe she had voted for the pit expansion while defending the EA as a ‘potential good decision’, adding that she recused herself from related matters due to her family’s property being affected by the proposed highway corridor—however, that was after voting to fast-track the assessment.
A year later, when Russo was serving as Regional Councillor for Wards 4, 5 and 6, he voted against a motion to disavow former mayor Allan Thompson for securing a provincial zoning order for a 502-acre warehouse development (that engulfed six homes) without council or public support—Early voted in favour. However, both of them opposed a motion seeking records of communications between Thompson, Town staff and the province about MZOs from July to December 2022.
In 2023, they were also among five councillors who refused to reverse a 25 percent pay increase (motion brought forward by Groves), which raised councillors’ salaries from $40,080 to $49,841 — an increase ten times the average rate of inflation at the time.
During the debate, mayoral candidate Jagdeep Sacha said he has heard residents complain about “very high” taxes already; he plans to address that by focusing on generating employment and business opportunities.
Manjit Bhondhi Saini wants to do a line-by-line budget review to protect taxpayers and essential services, and identify infrastructure gaps tied to approved growth, if elected.
Alan Hart argued that a fresh pair of eyes and leadership is exactly what Caledon needs to avoid being “known as the warehouse and trucking hub of Canada”.
Early wants to shift Caledon’s current approach from logistics to attracting commercial businesses while creating “complete communities” and easing barriers for agritourism—an area where Russo wants to invest as well, with the addition of investment in research and development, healthcare and post-secondary education instead of ‘pigeonholing’.
Despite being one of the GTA’s fastest-growing municipalities, Caledon remains car-dependent, with limited public transit and heavy trucks hauling concrete and aggregate along its roads — traffic that has claimed residents’ lives and left families fearing for the safety of their loved ones.
When Connors asked if any of the candidates would impose a moratorium on further truck-dependent industrial development until measurable safety improvements are in place, Early and Russo stopped short of committing to one, instead pointing to infrastructure upgrades, truck enforcement and local traffic solutions. They also pledged to address congestion along Highway 50.
“I believe the province should seriously examine how Highway 407 could be better utilized to relieve congestion across the region,” Early added.
As Caledon heads toward election day on October 26, a simmering undercurrent of discontent has hardened into a deep community divide as Early and Russo supporters trade accusations—rooted in a fear of preventing a “Groves 2.0”.
Candidates were also asked how they planned to prevent a potential 73 percent tax increase for Caledon households — $80 million annually in new costs — when 1,620 kilometres of regional roads are transferred to the Town of Caledon on July 1, 2027.
Russo believes Caledon “should not accept” a transfer that would cripple the town financially; the province must adequately “subsidize” to cover the costs as the population grows, especially since the roads serve traffic beyond Caledon’s borders for movement of goods.
“I joke that I might have to put a border crossing or a literal turnstile at Mayfield Road and Highway 9,” Russo said.
Early targetted Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish’s claims that she would save $30 million and use those savings to help keep taxes down. While there has been discussion about the province subsidizing municipalities, municipalities don’t know what those figures would be yet.
“I do not think we have a complete picture of what the July 2027 transition will look like,” she said, noting that CAOs are still crunching those numbers.
“I would be lying if I told you I could say exactly what the financial impact would look like right now.”
She argues the first priority must be to determine the total costs and financial implications, and then work with both Brampton and Mississauga as well as Queen’s Park to ensure the transition can happen without placing an unreasonable burden on taxpayers.
Whoever fate and voters have in store for Caledon, ecoCaledon co-secretary Betty de Groot wants the “next mayor to know that this is a community that cares, that has their eyes open and is alert to what the environment needs”.
“We don’t like being hoodwinked. We like honesty…the way things have gone, especially in that last term, we don't like to be lied to,” she told The Pointer.
“We want to know what we’re signing up for, and we want to believe in the people’s word even after the election.”
Former Ward 1 councillor Lynn Kiernan, who is not seeking re-election, reflected on her eight years in office that gave her a “ringside seat” to “one of the most consequential and difficult periods in Caledon’s municipal history” — “a clear example of why Caledon needs a change of leadership”.
“I have watched our community confront extraordinary growth pressures, significant changes in provincial policy, the introduction of strong-mayor powers and a changing relationship between Council and senior administration,” she said in a statement.
“I have also seen something more troubling: a deterioration in the respect and collegiality that should underpin good local government.
“In my view, this culture was set and supported by Mayor Groves and [her hire] CAO Nathan Hyde.”
She criticized the former mayor for fostering a culture that discouraged dissent and marginalized councillors who challenged decisions.
Kiernan observed a majority voting bloc was becoming a means of silencing opposition rather than advancing policy. At times, she experienced it too.
“Residents should not be fooled again by promises of accountability, collaboration and respect if the conduct and culture of the past four years are allowed to continue,” she said.
“Caledon will continue to grow and change. There will be difficult votes and passionate disagreements. That is democracy. But respect should never depend upon agreement.
“Public service should be demanding. It should never have to be demeaning.”
Email: anushka.yadav@thepointer.com
At a time when vital public information is needed by everyone, The Pointer has taken down our paywall on all stories to ensure every resident of Brampton, Mississauga and Niagara has access to the facts. For those who are able, we encourage you to consider a subscription. This will help us report on important public interest issues the community needs to know about now more than ever. You can register for a 30-day free trial HERE. Thereafter, The Pointer will charge $10 a month and you can cancel any time right on the website. Thank you
Copyright 2026, The Pointer. All rights reserved.
Anushka Yadav, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Pointer.
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Data centres, floods, affordable housing: What Mississauga’s next mayor must confront in a climate crisis
Mississauga faces rising flood costs and needs $30 million more annually for stormwater management.
In a tight race to lead one of Canada’s fastest-growing big cities, incumbent Carolyn Parrish is facing two of her council colleagues and her predecessor Bonnie Crombie, as affordability and crime have dominated the mayoral campaign.
On October 5, they were asked during a debate to identify the single biggest issue facing residents in the 2026 municipal election.
“Leadership,” Alvin Tedjo answered.
“Trust,” Dipika Damerla said, pointing to the declining “quality of life”.
“Affordability,” 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 media—similar 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 GTA—69 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?
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.
“The disconnect was always surprising,” Harvard University assistant professor of economics Adrien Bilal said.
In 2024 — the warmest year on record (1.46–1.49° Celsius) —, Bilal teamed up with Northwestern University economist Diego R. Känzig to rethink conventional estimates of climate change’s 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 (tCO₂eq) — substantially more than Brampton’s 4 million tonnes and Caledon’s 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 change’s 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 City’s stormwater program and maintain aging stormwater pipes, according to a 2020 staff analysis.
During budget deliberations in November 2024, City staff warned the City’s 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 “left to dry” by Queen’s Park and Ottawa to shoulder the cost of the storm.
“We’re starting to be tired of being the poor cousins,” 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 Canada’s 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.
“Other municipalities, including Brampton, have successfully secured significant funding for infrastructure improvements, and Mississauga must actively pursue these same opportunities,” he told The Pointer.
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.
“Mississauga should continue seeking its fair share of provincial and federal funding, but that cannot become an excuse to delay decisions within our own control,” Crombie said.
“The City controls its budget, municipal buildings, local roads, stormwater investments, purchasing decisions and much of the planning that shapes how our community grows.”
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 “where people have practical alternatives to driving”.
Tedjo agrees Mississauga can take meaningful action on climate resilience and sustainability “without waiting for other levels of government”.
“For too long, progress on our climate commitments has been slow. I am committed to meeting Mississauga’s existing climate targets and ensuring the City takes meaningful action to achieve them,” 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, Mississauga’s Climate Policy Supervisor, Carrah Bullock, reported that 95 percent of the 89 actions outlined in Mississauga’s 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 Corps’ Executive Director, Bushra Asghar, who has watched water creep across her parents’ basement floors almost every rainy season, feels the climate plan is “performative”.
“They’re meeting 95 percent of their calls to action while failing to meet all their emissions. It’s a bit greenwashy,” she told The Pointer.
“What they’re 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?”
While Crombie takes pride in Mississauga declaring a climate emergency during her tenure as mayor, she firmly believes “a declaration and a plan must be followed by implementation” — which she intends to do by translating climate targets into actionable decisions on transit, buildings, land use and the City’s own operations, if elected again.
“In 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,” she told The Pointer
“Residents should be able to see what has been funded, what has been completed and where we are falling behind.”
An “important part of that work” is her transportation plan that aims to make transit a “practical choice” by improving MiWay bus services, getting the Hazel McCallion Line open and advancing a connected regional network—while tackling the second-highest source of GHG emissions in the municipality.
Previously, she spearheaded the City’s 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.
“If we’re 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,” Parrish said.
“[It] will advance our understanding of hydrogen fuel and what it means for sustainable transportation options in the future. We’re 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.”
The total cost of the $25.4 million project is being shared between the City ($14.4 million) and Ottawa ($11 million).
That decision doesn’t sit right with Damerla, who estimates the higher cost of hydrogen fuel could add $3 million annually over the buses’ 20-year lifespan, amounting to $60 million in additional costs.
“The problem with those buses is that it’s untested technology, and we actually don’t know whether they reduce greenhouse gases,” she said during The Pointer’s latest ‘Ballot Vox’ episode.
“Why are we doing a pilot on the backs of the City of Mississauga property taxpayers?...let the federal government fund it.”
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).
“Every week, we say yes to some new spending. No one’s saying how does this all add up, and then we do all of these things that sound very high-minded…we’re gonna do a free app for everybody or we’re gonna save the environment,” she said.
Tedjo contends one of Mississauga’s biggest challenges is communities built “around car dependency rather than investing in more sustainable transportation options and walkable neighbourhoods that can help reduce our carbon footprint”.
That reliance can be reduced by “transitioning our public transit fleet and municipal vehicles to electric alternatives, expanding access to EV charging infrastructure and encouraging greater adoption of electric vehicles”.
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 well—greenlighting the expansion of the city’s 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 “repeatedly affected neighbourhoods” that require urgent attention due to their vulnerability to repeated flooding.
“Our work has been too slow,” Damerla observed.
“The money is already earmarked. Let’s just get it going. So my first commitment would be to speed up the Lisgar pumping station.”
Crombie promises to give precedence to “clear 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 need”.
“Our capital planning must reflect increasingly severe rainfall,” 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.
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 “rain gardens” 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 “preserve local expertise, flood forecasting and watershed management, with uninterrupted flood protection throughout the transition”. Experts have called the provincial takeover a “death knell for watersheds” as a result of reduced democratic representation in managing natural resources and an expected spike in local costs.
“Larger organizations must remain responsive to local conditions. Strong, properly resourced conservation authorities working across watersheds are essential partners in protecting Mississauga,” 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.
“Overdevelopment also results in flooding,” Damerla added.
“We have to address the housing shortage but we have to be smart about it, and we cannot be approving things that result in flooding.”
In 2024, Mississauga council voted unanimously in favour of green development standards (GDS) after the guidelines were first set in 2012 under Hazel McCallion’s 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 province’s housing tracker, those drastic legislative changes have done little to put more “shovels in the ground”; In 2024, Mississauga was behind its target with 3,496 homes completed against an annual target of 10,000—meeting just 34.96 percent of its goal.
“Maybe it’s a bit cheaper, but longer term, I think we pay more,” 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 “the energy efficiency of municipal buildings and incorporating climate considerations into infrastructure and purchasing decisions”.
For Tedjo, building a “more resilient Mississauga” means bringing in funding: “As 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.”
As the Vice Chair of the Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) Board of Directors, he also wants to expand urban “tree canopy by 30 percent over the next 10 years while creating more accessible green spaces, particularly in the central and northern parts of the city” — building on a sustainability plan he introduced in 2024.
For Lisgar residents, if the torrential downpours of 2024 weren’t 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 property’s zoning from D8 development exception to E2 employment exception zones to accommodate the industrial buildings and data centre.
Since Mississauga’s 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.
“Whoever turns down Prologis; haven’t seen anybody yet,” Carolyn Parrish said after the vote.
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 “loud and clear” — imposing a one-year pause on new data centre developments as staff simultaneously studied the emerging sector and its impacts in its entirety.
Mayor Parrish chose to abstain from the ICBL vote, citing Robert’s Rules of Order and Bourinot’s 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.
“I've been very, very clear that the moratorium is an opportunity to get the guardrails in place, and the biggest guardrails are electricity prices don’t go up, and we have all the evidence we need to make sure that noise is not a problem, and there’s no environmental or health impacts,” Damerla explained.
“So 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 it’s a hard no.”
The Pointer asked the mayoral candidates how they would regulate data centre development once the ICBL ends.
“If 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,” Tedjo said.
“I 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.”
Crombie would take the route of seeking “independent expert advice to inform the rules brought forward to Council before the moratorium expires” along with clear rules covering electricity and water use, emissions, cooling, noise and neighbourhood impacts.
“That assessment must include the cumulative effects of multiple facilities, rather than considering each application in isolation,” she added.
“We 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.”
She aims to ensure development-related costs aren’t passed on to taxpayers and residents have a meaningful say in data centre decisions with clear information about the “trade-offs” on hand. “Canadian data sovereignty and security must be part of that discussion as well,” 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 government’s water and wastewater privatization plans—with 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.
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 “power to collect and impose fees or charges” from users, giving them control over water rates.
It allows the province to regulate the “issuance of shares of a corporation” and “the composition of the board of directors”, raising apprehensions about who owns and controls these entities.
If required, corporations must submit a “rate plan that establishes the rates” charged to users that the Minister can approve, reject or require changes to.
“Our government is piloting a new publicly owned water and wastewater delivery model in Peel Region to save homebuyers money,” Daniel Strauss, a spokesperson for housing minister Rob Flack, told The Star.
“Publicly owned municipal service corporations will be wholly owned by municipalities, not private entities. Our legislation gives municipalities more tools to respond to growth pressures — all while maintaining strong local oversight.”
But legal experts note the government’s claims that the model guarantees public ownership do not hold up under scrutiny.
“There’s 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,” 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.
“The word public in the name of these corporations does not have any real legal effect.”
Crombie said “essential” water and wastewater services must remain publicly owned and “accountable to the communities they serve”.
“Before 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,” she added.
“I would advocate for open rate-setting, independent audits and clear reporting on operating costs, debt and infrastructure investment…Keeping 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 “firmly oppose” privatization; while Damerla is open to working with the province to prevent water and wastewater services from falling into private hands, Tedjo urged Queen’s Park to adequately fund municipal water infrastructure, “without placing additional financial burdens on residents”.
Email: anushka.yadav@thepointer.com
At a time when vital public information is needed by everyone, The Pointer has taken down our paywall on all stories to ensure every resident of Brampton, Mississauga and Niagara has access to the facts. For those who are able, we encourage you to consider a subscription. This will help us report on important public interest issues the community needs to know about now more than ever. You can register for a 30-day free trial HERE. Thereafter, The Pointer will charge $10 a month and you can cancel any time right on the website. Thank you
Copyright 2026, The Pointer. All rights reserved.
Anushka Yadav, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Pointer.
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Quebec Conservative leader says his newly elected members will make mistakes
Quebec Conservatives will make mistakes: leader
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot
Quebec Conservative Leader Éric Duhaime says Quebecers should expect the newly elected members of his caucus to make some mistakes.
Duhaime made the comments as members of his team were sworn in at Quebec's national assembly.
His party had no seats before the Oct. 5 election, but now have the second-largest opposition caucus in the legislature.
The vast majority of the elected Quebec Conservatives are newcomers and several have already caused confusion and controversy.
The party's new whip, Renaud Labrecque, has called on his colleagues to exercise greater discipline.
This is the first time the Quebec Conservatives have had members elected to the Quebec legislature since a previous iteration of the party had members in the legislature in 1935.
Duhaime's Conservatives made a breakthrough by securing close to 21 per cent of the votes and winning 19 seats.
The leader called on English-speaking Quebecers during the swearing-in ceremony, placing himself as an alternative to the Quebec Liberal party.
"They've been taking you for granted for ages. You don't need to be hostages of those Liberals anymore," he said.
"They don't deserve your support. Our doors are open at the Conservative Party of Quebec, and we're welcoming you for the next blue wave."
Duhaime faces many challenges ahead, notably managing a largely inexperienced team.
Only former Coalition Avenir Québec member Maïté Blanchette Vézina, who joined the Conservatives in 2025, and Caroline Simard, a Liberal member of the national assembly from 2014 to 2018, have prior legislative experience.
But the Conservatives hold part of the balance of power in this new legislature, where the Parti Québécois government is in a minority with 60 of 127 seats.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2026.
By Patrice Bergeron | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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