These are the top candidates running for mayor in Mississauga and what they are promising

Mississauga voters are set to go to the polls June 10 in a special byelection to choose a new mayor. There are 16 candidates registered to run in the election, but a few have been polling high enough to be contenders. Here's a look at the top candidates in the race and their key promises.

Carolyn Parrish

The frontrunner in the race, Parrish was a federal MP for 13 years before moving to municipal politics in 2006.

She enjoyed a wide lead in the polls earlier in the race but saw it evaporate over the past few weeks following a decision not to attend debates, citing "a new style of politics and the safety of her staff. The decision came after she was slammed for comments she made at an early event on transgender bathrooms and federal refugee programs. Parrish has said her opponents have unfairly taken her comments out of context.

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"I've had some controversial issues in my past. I've been threatened with all kinds of physical damage and all the rest of it," she told CP24 in a recent sit-down interview when asked about her decision not to attend further debates. "I wasn't concerned about myself so much. I'm quite used to it, but I was concerned about the threats against the staff on my campaign, so I just decided I would spend the time meeting and greeting. I've had probably 40 or 50 large group meetings, and just wanted to protect the integrity of the campaign."

Parrish said she didn't believe that her decision made her unaccountable to voters.

"I've been accountable for 18 years on city council. I'm outspoken. I speak on every issue. People who follow politics know exactly where I stand on everything, and I've put out three pieces of literature, right?" she said.

Parrish cites housing, particularly affordable housing, as the top issue in the election.

"We have a real need for housing. We've had 40,000 people leave Mississauga since the last census, which is very unusual," she said. "Most of the GTA cities are growing, and it's usually young people. They grow up in Mississauga. They want to live in Mississauga, and they can't afford the rent, and they can't afford to buy a house."

She said she supports gentle infill, but says the city also needs more aggressive density, including rezoning some office lands for housing and approving proposed projects that would see space at old malls converted to highrise buildings. She also wants to speak to developers to see how council can speed up the approvals process.

Parrish says she'd like to keep property taxes at or below the rate of inflation and says the way to do it is through quarterly budget meetings rather than having one large budget meeting each year.

She dismisses some candidates' promises of zero per cent tax increases as untenable.

"You can't do zero tax. That's a pipe dream from someplace, because you have to repair buildings, you have to repair roads, you have to have reasonable increases for your unionized staff," Parrish said. "So, yes, growth is going to cost money, but it doesn't have to be exorbitant. It has to be controlled, it has to be watched carefully 12 months of the year.

Website: https://www.parrishformayor.com/

Dipika Damerla

The councillor for Ward 7 since 2018, Damerla also previously served as a Liberal MPP in the Wynne government.

In a recent interview, she told CP24 she sees the biggest issues in the election as affordability and congestion.

She says she would keep property taxes at or below the rate of inflation. But she says promising to freeze taxes while growing the city is "a disaster waiting to happen."

"I believe I have the most reasonable and responsible plan, which is to keep property taxes low not just today but into the foreseeable future," she said.

Damerla said she would also cancel the $27 million Bloor Street project that would see lanes of traffic removed to make room for bike lanes. Citing the large number of car spots approved in new developments, she said she doesn't want lanes of traffic removed on Bloor Street or other arterial roads.

"So in which world does it make sense to say we need to add 1,200 more parking spots, but we're going to remove two car lanes?" Damerla said. "So it's this kind of policy incoherence that I'm against."

Website: https://dipikaformayor.ca/

Alvin Tedjo

A first-term councillor for Ward 2, Tedjo previously worked at Toronto Metropolitan University, Sheridan College, and the Government of Ontario.

Tedjo has positioned himself as a candidate who represents "generational change" and new ideas.

"How do we help the seniors who are struggling on a fixed income? How do we get more housing built for young people who can't find a place to live in the city of Mississauga? These have been our priorities," he told CP24 recently. "This is what I've been talking about. My parents are seniors. My kids are young. I want to find a place for them to live so they can do what I did, which is live in the community that they grew up in."

He says he believes property taxes can be frozen until 2026 to give people a break if the tax base grows by attracting more people to the city and by using reserve funds in the interim.

"We're only taking 20 per cent of the reserves. And when we start hitting our housing targets, we're gonna be getting more money from the provincial and federal government," he said.

In terms of housing, he says he would accelerate development around major transit stations. He's also in favour of "gentle density" measures such as fourplexes.

When it comes to transportation, he says he would accelerate bike lanes over the next five years because it's not feasible to have a growing city where everyone drives.

"It's not fair for people to only have a choice of driving, right? We need to give them safe separated options to get around the city of Mississauga and my plan includes that," Tedjo said.

Website: https://www.alvintedjo.ca/

Stephen Dasko

The Ward 1 councillor says this election is about a future vision for the city.

"We know where we’ve been for the past 50 years as the city of Mississauga, it’s where we’re going for the next 50 and having that leadership that’s going to guide us," Dasko told CP24 in an interview.

He cites crime as a major problem in the city.

"Nobody should have to be in that situation where they're looking out their front window to see if their car is still there before they go to bed, and then when they wake up, the same thing," he says.

He wants money to buy land for a new police station in the city.

At the same time he wants to see property taxes kept below the rate of inflation.

"I'll never sacrifice on the services and what we're offering to our citizens. That's paramount," he says. "But I also think that we can do a little bit better when it comes to targeting our spend and going through and being more efficient as we do things."

When it comes to bike lanes on Bloor, he says some candidates have been dishonest with promises to cancel the project.

"A decision was made on Bloor Street. There was over three years, six different options that were presented. That was voted on a year ago and right now only someone who voted for it in the affirmative could actually bring it up to have it looked at again and that would be a decision for full council to look at," Dasko says.

He said he has pledged to review the decision if elected, but the mayor would not have unilateral power to cancel it.

He says he would also like to see Toronto's subway system extended from Kipling, along Dundas to Hurontario to connect with the Hazel McCallion light rail project.

Website: https://www.daskoformayor.com/

Brian Crombie

A late entrant to the race, Crombie comes with a corporate and financial background. He also comes with a familiar name as the ex-husband of the former mayor.

He cites taxes and affordability as the top issues in the election.

"Development fees are one of the biggest impediments to affordable housing, Crombie says, calling them "the most regressive tax we have in our system."

He says Ontario municipalities are left to rely too heavily on property taxes and development charges.

Crombie would slash development fees or eliminate them for purpose-built rental units under $500,000.

He also says he'd also promote the development of housing projects with fewer parking spots, which would make some of the units cheaper while at the same time promoting better transit options.

When it comes to crime, he says he'd like to see more done to bolster the "civil spirit" that's been eroded.

"I think we've got to do something to improve our civic attitude where we're more mindful," he says.

If elected, he says, he would bring a fresh perspective to a council which he accuses of "rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic" for far too long.

"I've been 40 years in business. I would bring a completely different style to the position of mayor," Crombie says. "I would attack the budget like it's never been attacked before I would improve transit."

Website: https://briancrombie.ca/