For Immediate Release
June 1st, 2016
Mayor Crombie to Meet with Canada’s Big City Mayors
The priorities of Mississauga are the priorities of the majority of Canadians, Mayor Bonnie Crombie said today.
“Cities are engines that drive our country forward, creating local jobs and local growth,” Mayor Crombie said. “Canada’s cities are also hubs for innovation, where solutions are found, tested and shared to meet national challenges playing out in communities across the country.”
Mayor Crombie made the comments as she prepares to depart for Winnipeg to attend the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) 2016 Annual Conference and Trade Show. Mayor Crombie is a member of FCM’s Big City Mayors’ Caucus (BCMC), which meets throughout the year. The Caucus represents 22 cities and a population of over 21 million people.
During their BCMC meetings, Mayor Crombie and Canada’s big-city mayors will meet with Infrastructure and Communities Minister, Amarjeet Sohi.
Mayor Crombie plans to use the opportunity to follow up on a number of Council-approved priorities, as detailed in the City of Mississauga’s 2016 Budget: Pre-Budget Submission to Finance Canada, including all-day, two-way GO Train service to the Milton and Kitchener GO Train lines, with the Missing Link Plan.
“The Missing Link plan will finally make way for all-day, two-way, GO Train service on both routes,” Mayor Crombie said. “It will reinvigorate our transit hubs.” “A project of this magnitude also has national and international implications. This line is critical to Canada’s economy. It is a Continental Gateway, allowing for the movement of large amounts of goods to and from the central Canadian market. Because of the magnitude of the Missing Link, there is a strong case to be made that all governments must partner together to move this plan forward.”
Our meetings in Winnipeg will be an opportunity to build on our national advocacy efforts during the federal election, Mayor Crombie said, adding that in 2015 she participated in the nation-wide BCMC Vote for Cities campaign – an initiative to raise awareness and to press for dedicated and predictable funding for public transit and infrastructure; new efforts to ignite local economic development opportunities to attract job-creating investments; and increased support to build more affordable housing.
During the election, Mayor Crombie hosted a Mississauga-candidates’ debate on these issue in collaboration with FCM and Rogers TV Cable 10. Click here to watch the debate online.
During the meetings, BCMC mayors will also participate in a panel discussion on social infrastructure led by Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Toronto-are MP, Adam Vaughan, Parliamentary Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs.
Mayor Crombie concluded that, “With over 50% of our population residing in cities, I look forward to once again working alongside my colleagues as we continue to advance the priorities of our growing and thriving cities.”
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