For Immediate Release
September 22nd, 2015
Mayor Crombie Delivers Inaugural State of the City Address
Mississauga – As we look toward the next forty years, we must do everything we can now, to ensure we have control over our destiny and how we want to move Mississauga forward, Mayor Bonnie Crombie said as she delivered her inaugural State of the City Address, at an event hosted by the Mississauga Board of Trade (MBOT).
“I stand before you to say Mississauga is strong and to maintain this strength we must take action and make the right investments now.”
Crombie spoke at length about transit, and in particular, the province’s commitment to fully fund the Hurontario-Main Light Rail Transit (LRT) with a $1.6 billion investment. Crombie also cited Council’s recent commitment to deliver all-day, two-way, GO Train service, on the Milton and Kitchener GO Train Lines with the Missing Link Western By-Pass proposal.
Crombie announced that on November 9 Mississauga will host its first ever transportation summit – Mississauga Moves 2015 at the Living Arts Centre. “Your ideas will be captured. They will be used to help draft a comprehensive Transportation Master Plan. This plan will be our roadmap to ensure we set – and achieve – our future transit needs.” For more information visit: www.mississaugamoves2015.ca.
Planning, investing, and building a comprehensive transit network gives businesses the confidence they need to choose Mississauga to succeed, said Crombie, who added that “transportation policy is economic development policy.”
Speaking to a room of business professionals, Crombie said that if we are going to win on the global stage, “we must be proactive to attract businesses and industries in our targeted sectors.” Crombie recapped her work in Philadelphia during the 2015 BIO International Convention – the world’s largest life science conference. Mississauga is home to Canada’s second largest life sciences cluster. Crombie also discussed her recent South America Trade Mission citing that “in total we had over fifty meetings, in three countries, over eight working days, connecting with over one hundred businesses.”
Trade missions are about building lasting relationships and making connections and local government is in the business of making connections, said Crombie, who pledged to connect young Mississaugans with opportunities for personal and professional development. Crombie committed to hosting a Mayor’s Jobs Fair, along with a new youth driven speaker series.
Crombie highlighted how Mississauga is “leading the way with new approaches to deliver smarter, more efficient public services, committed to better value for taxpayer dollars.” The City’s new open data initiative will empower residents to use City data sets for research, along with software and website development. Crombie added that “this access to information can ignite new business ventures.” In 2016, Mississauga will invite “the best and the brightest – students and seasoned professionals – to participate in a hackathon.”
“They will mine through mountains of open data with the goal to improve service delivery for residents, and develop new apps for the City,” Crombie said. “With open data, our next big idea is in your hands.”
Crombie also addressed the issue of Mississauga’s place in Peel Region, saying “we are currently undertaking a review of how the Region works. A lot has changed since 1974, and this conversation is long overdue. We need to do what works for Mississauga and ensure our residents get a fair deal.”
Crombie announced that economic development, public transit and affordable housing will dominate a Mississauga-focused federal election debate the Mayor’s Office is organizing as part of a special edition of #CrombieConnects – the Mayor’s monthly Rogers TV Cable 10 show. “We have a responsibility to set the agenda,” Crombie said. “The issues facing Mississauga are the issues facing the majority of Canadians.”
Crombie reminded the audience of community and business leaders that yesterday she launched the Mayor’s City-Wide Food Drive in partnership with the Mississauga Food Bank and Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services.
“A city-wide food drive was another campaign commitment and I am seeing it through,” Crombie said. “With Thanksgiving around the corner, your contributions will ensure families can enjoy a warm cooked meal and share in new memories together.” For more information about donating, please visit www.mayorcrombie.ca.
Crombie concluded, “I have been on the job less than a year, and in that time we all have so much to be proud of. Mississauga is no longer a sleepy bedroom community but a dynamic city with limitless potential. Together, we are moving Mississauga forward.”
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