Mayor Crombie Delivers 2017 State of the City Address
We are strengthening the foundation to build Mississauga for the next fifty years, Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie said today during her keynote 2017 State of the City Address delivered at a business networking event hosted by the Mississauga Board of Trade. Click here for the speech.
“I stand before you today to say the state of the City of Mississauga is strong,” Mayor Crombie said. “Our future is bright, proud and promising. We are achieving real results for the entrepreneurs, businesses and people of Canada’s sixth-largest City,” Mayor Crombie added.
In 2024, Mississauga turns 50, Mayor Crombie said, adding that “the work of Council and staff is proof Mississauga’s next 50 years, will not look like our first 50.”
“There’s a buzz about our City. It’s being felt around the country. The headlines speak for themselves. All eyes are on Mississauga. But make no mistake: in Mississauga, we don’t leave success to chance. We plan for it. We see it through.”
“Mississauga is working,” Crombie said.
Mayor Crombie made the following announcements during her keynote address:
- Mayor Crombie will represent Ontario this week at the 2017 Federal-Provincial-Territorial meeting of infrastructure ministers;
- September 2017 Investment Mission to Japan – Mississauga has nearly 100 Japanese companies, more than any other Canadian city;
- UTM scientist and researcher – Dr. Patrick Gunning – will deliver the keynote address during the Mayor’s 2017 Youth Speaker Series event;
- 4th Annual First Look Angel Investor Networking Event planned for Spring 2018;
- City-Wide Small Business Town Hall planned for October 2017;
- 2nd Annual Mayor’s Youth Employment Expo – taking place on November 19th at City Hall;
Mayor Crombie also discussed at length city-building accomplishments and opportunities including:
- Projected nearly $52 million in savings of tax dollars over the past decade;
- For the fourteenth straight year, Mississauga retains its Triple-A credit rating;
- Implementation of an accountable and transparent Stormwater Charge to build modern and reliable infrastructure;
- City of Mississauga’s Five-Year Life Sciences Cluster Strategy;
- Planned opening of BioLab’s new R&D centre – a job-creating investment secured in large part by the Mayor’s 2015 South American Investment Mission;
- The Economic Development Office’s Building Skilled Talent Together Forum – which led to partnerships with the Mayor’s Office to launch two new youth employment programs: one in aerospace the other in information technology (IT);The development of Mississauga’s first-ever 25-year Transportation Master Plan;
- Planned opening of the Renforth Gateway Transitway stop;
- Ongoing progress with Metrolinx to build the Hurontario LRT;
- Ongoing advocacy for Council-approved priorities including the Missing Link all-day, two-way GO Train plan and Making Room for the Middle – Mississauga’s housing affordability plan;
- Tech and the City Hackathon on October 21 at UTM’s Innovation Complex;
- Council and staff are developing a made-in-Mississauga Climate Change Action Plan; this follows Council’s approval to join the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy and a vote to designate the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River basin – as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve;
Mayor Crombie also challenged everyone in attendance to take part in the 2017 Mayor’s City-Wide Food Drive, adding that “Our goal is to raise $125,000 and 225,000 pounds of food by October 13th – this would make it the food bank’s biggest Thanksgiving ever!”
“Since this current Council was sworn in, we all have so much to be proud of,” Mayor Crombie said. “We’re doing what we said we would do.”
Mayor Crombie concluded “It is an honour to serve as your mayor. As we look ahead, there is more to be done. We’ve only just begun. And I’m ready for the hard work that’s ahead of us.”
