A fast reaction to a provincial plan that would have postponed the handover of regional roads from Peel Region to Mississauga for an entire year likely saved the city $15 million, according to the mayor.
The Ontario government’s Peel Transition Implementation Act (Bill 45, 2025) states that Mississauga, Brampton, and Caledon will each take on several important services – including regional roads and related stormwater infrastructure – that were previously managed by the region.
The transfer of regional roads from Peel to these three municipalities was originally set to start on July 1, 2026. However, in a move that caught officials from Mississauga off guard, the province announced on December 19 that it was delaying this date by one year, pushing it back to July 2027.
Expecting significant annual savings starting this year under the new timeline, Mississauga quickly sent a firm response to oppose the delay.
In a letter addressed to Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Rob Flack dated December 22, Mayor Carolyn Parrish expressed her “disappointment” over the province’s decision. She emphasized that the city is “fully confident” in its ability to provide “more efficient operations and maintenance – key considerations in this legislation.”
Mayor Carolyn Parrish says saving $15 million this year is crucial for Mississauga taxpayers.
The mayor mentioned that they were not informed about the province’s intention to change the deadline.
“Neither our council nor staff were consulted on this proposed and significant change,” Parrish wrote in her letter, adding “we request this recent decision be reconsidered.”
It seems like Mississauga may have gotten its way as word surfaced earlier this week indicating that the minister of municipal affairs and housing has agreed to reconsider.
During Wednesday’s general committee meeting, Parrish told councillors and senior city staff she reached out to Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown right after discovering the province’s plans in December.
She stated Brown also responded to the province and during a later conversation with Flack, she was assured that the original transfer date for regional roads would stay as planned.
Mayor “optimistic” original transfer date will stick
“It wasn’t a hard promise, but … he didn’t see the point of doing all of this and then changing it if both large municipalities (in Peel) were opposing,” Parrish said regarding her discussion with Flack. “So I’m optimistic we’ll keep with the original date because it means millions in savings for 2026.”
The mayor noted that under this plan for taking over responsibility for regional roads by July, Mississauga stands to save $15 million this year.
And that’s “a lot of money,” Parrish continued. She added “right now we’re going to be pinching every penny we can for our taxpayers; while what happens at the region is less under our control. When we’re asked to send letters like this one, we do it immediately.”
“And this is one letter that went out very fast.”
The regional roads transferring from Peel into city management include Airport Road, Derry Road, Britannia Road, Dixie Road, Cawthra Road, Finch Avenue, Mavis Road, Winston Churchill Boulevard, The Queensway and Erin Mills Parkway.
“With taking over these regional roads, the city will now maintain all roadways within its limits. This change will bring clarity for residents and streamline roadway maintenance while saving taxpayer dollars,” city officials said earlier.
It’s not full independence yet but it’s progress
Although Bill 45 doesn’t grant them complete political independence they’ve been seeking for around thirty years (which was briefly promised by Ontario government in 2023 before being revoked), Mississauga officials believe assuming responsibility for several critical services will allow them better serve their growing population.
This updated Peel plan comes as Ontario aims to make municipal operations more efficient while improving service delivery and increasing housing availability; city officials explained earlier.
This new approach has been welcomed by Mississauga but can be viewed as somewhat of a consolation prize given its status among Peel’s municipalities.
After decades advocating for complete separation from Peel’s three municipalities’ governance structure; officials felt they had finally secured their wish when Premier Doug Ford told them so in mid-2023.
However unexpected developments occurred in December 2023 when Ford along with his administration reversed their commitment. If things had gone as planned initially; Peel would have separated into individual entities starting January 1st , 2025.
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