'An independent Mississauga:' Doug Ford teases possible changes to Peel Region

Premier Doug Ford is throwing his support behind an “independent Mississauga” amid an ongoing provincial review of Peel Region’s governance.

Ford made the comment during a press conference in the city on Monday morning, where he announced a $700,000 investment in firefighter training programs.

“I've always been for an independent Mississauga. You can't have a city the size of Mississauga, close to 800,000 people and it's continuing to grow, being tied into other jurisdictions,” he said. “So we're going to continue supporting Mississauga. My job is to make sure the people in Mississauga get the best services that they have and that we continue to enhance the services.”

In November, the Ford government appointed facilitators to asses the regional governments in Durham, Halton, Niagara, Peel, Waterloo and York and determine “the best mix of roles and responsibilities between the upper and lower-tier municipalities in those regions.”

That review remains ongoing, however Ford told reporters last week that a decision on the future of the cities that make up Peel Region (Brampton, Mississauga and Caledon) could be coming “very, very soon.”

Speaking with reporters at Monday’s press conference, Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie welcomed Ford’s apparent support for her city’s independence.

Crombie has been calling for Mississauga’s separation for years and has argued that doing so would save taxpayers $1 billion over the next decade as a result.

“I'm delighted that the premier has publicly stated that he's on the way to separating Peel It gives me great, great pleasure,” Crombie said. “I know he's fulfilling a promise to former mayor Hazel McCallion and myself and of course this makes great sense that we go our separate ways. It's more cost effective, allows us both to build great cities and allows my taxpayers to invest their tax dollars back into our city rather than to support the growth of the other municipalities, as they have for the past 50 years.”

Brampton Mayor has previously said that he welcomes efforts to remove duplication in local government in Peel Region but he has stated that his city would have to be “made whole” for the infrastructure its residents have helped fund in Mississauga.

Ford, for his part, has insisted that Brampton “will not be shafted by Mississauga, or any anyone else” if changes are indeed made to Peel Region’s governance.

"I'm going to make sure they're always whole and they're always protected, all three regions," he said.