Before a packed church hall in Port Credit, Mississauga’s mayoral candidates politely tried to win over undecided voters, a different tone from the high tensions on display the last time they faced off two weeks ago.
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they → try → display
“I don’t think we want to embarrass our city tonight,” said Alvin Tedjo to applause from a crowd with many questions in what has become a close and contentious race for the city’s top job.
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what → think → job
This mayoral debate, hosted by the Town of Port Credit Association and the Lakeview Ratepayers’ Association, was the last to be attended by incumbent Carolyn Parrish, along with former mayor Bonnie Crombie and current councillors Tedjo and Dipika Damerla.
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debate → host → Crombie
Some of the zingers that dominated previous debates were nowhere to be heard — Parrish and Crombie both agreed the previous debate earlier this month got “out of control” — as the candidates discussed managing traffic congestion, housing, the police budget and, to cheers, the “blight” of rogue e-bikes.
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candidates → dominate → bikes
All candidates agreed e-bikes are a problem, and Parrish said forthcoming provincial regulations are expected to address enforcement.
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regulations → agree → enforcement
Parrish’s dream project is a $2.5-billion redevelopment of 12-acres of city-owned lands in Mississauga’s core, that would eventually replace the Living Arts Centre with a hotel and convention centre, a music venue, rental housing, a public rooftop park and a pedestrianized promenade.
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that → own → hotel
The plan is currently being explored by city staff and Parrish has been having meetings with potential partners about how it can be done.
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it → explore → partners
“It’s going to pay for itself,” she told the crowd, assuring an audience member that local music groups would continue to have space to use.
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groups → go → space
Crombie has promised to cancel it, calling it a vanity project that isn’t financially viable or the right plan for Mississauga’s downtown.
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that → promise → downtown
Tedjo and Damerla have also said they would not continue with the plan, with Damerla adding that Premier Doug Ford wants to build a new convention centre in Toronto that would be competition.
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that → say → Toronto
A two-year property tax freeze
A Mississauga homeowner with a property assessed at $730,000 is paying $1,884 more in property taxes in 2026 than they did in 2022, about 24 per cent more.
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they → assess → 2022
About two-thirds of that increase comes from the taxes set at the Region of Peel, which passed significant successive hikes to the Peel police budget in 2024 and 2025.
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which → come → 2024
In 2025, the average Mississauga tax bill went up by $319 due to the police budget alone.
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bill → go → budget
Crombie says she will keep the city-controlled tax portion increases to the rate of inflation.
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she → say → inflation
Parrish has urged residents to look at the big picture.
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Parrish → urge → picture
In 2028, the city will save at least $50 million after taking over road maintenance and waste collection from the Region of Peel, which will be reflected in property tax bills, she says.
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she → save → bills
And, if Ford fulfils his promise to her to change the police funding balance with Brampton, she says Mississauga could save more than $100 million a year.
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Mississauga → fulfil → million
“I have absolute confidence,” she said.
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she → have → confidence
Tedjo has promised a two-year property tax freeze that he would finance in part through a vacant home tax, a hiring freeze and finding five per cent to cut in each city department’s budget.
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he → promise → budget
The phrase “property tax freeze” makes municipal finance experts like Almos Tassonyi shiver.
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experts → make → Tassonyi
“Watch out for the zero-zealot,” Tassonyi recalls being told when he was a senior economist with the province’s municipal finance branch.
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he → watch → branch
“Tax freezes — they’re easy to promise, but it’s a promise that may be hard to keep,” said Tassonyi, in an interview.
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Tassonyi → ’re → interview
They limit flexibility and can create risk for a municipality in the face of things like volatile fuel prices or salary increases for city employees that can increase costs, he added.
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he → limit → costs
And the bill from sustained tax freezes or very low increases comes due eventually, Tassonyi said, pointing to London, Ont. and Toronto where periods of low taxes were followed by larger tax hikes and the deferring of infrastructure investments.
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periods → sustain → investments
Crombie said she hopes Ford will fulfil his promise to former mayor Hazel McCallion to break apart Peel Region and allow Mississauga to stand on its own, but if the police funding model is fixed she will be satisfied.
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she → say → own
“We’re a little bit pregnant,” Crombie said in reference to some of the services formerly controlled by the region like roads and waste collection coming down to the city.
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roads → ’re → city
Parrish said it was through her relationship with Ford that Mississauga was able to take on those services from the region, and that residents will see the benefits.
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residents → say → benefits
”I’m the one that engineered the planning coming down, the waste coming down and the roads,” she said.
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she → ’m → planning
Tedjo said in his view the separation ship has sailed.
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ship → say → view
”I think full separation, the moment has passed this government is not going to go back on something they went back on already,” Tedjo said.
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Tedjo → think → something
“Continuing everything that we’re talking about in terms of fighting for a better deal for Mississauga is what absolutely we need to do.”
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we → continue → what
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