For Immediate Release
March 28, 2018
Mississauga Matters: Mayor Crombie Welcomes Provincial Budget, Advocates for Resident’s Key Priorities
“On behalf of the City of Mississauga and Members of Council, we welcome many of the initiatives brought forward in today’s provincial budget.
“A number of the measures in the budget including free childcare for preschoolers, additional funding for hospitals and mental health services, as well as free prescription drugs for seniors, and dental care, will positively impact our residents in their everyday lives.
Of particular interest to Mississauga is the commitment in this Budget to:
- Conducting a review of the current approach used to calculate payments in lieu of property tax (PILT). The review of the PILT program will include consultation with affected municipalities and airport authorities. This is welcome news and will hopefully lead to Mississauga receiving our fair share from the Greater Toronto Airports Authority;
- Increasing the Public Library Operating Grant by $51 million over three years, allowing Mississauga to improve service to residents;
- Continued investments in transit, including the Mississauga Dundas Connects project, as well as Regional Express Rail, and a reaffirmed commitment to the Hurontario LRT;
- Fare reductions for MiWay riders between our system and other municipal transit system to alleviate the costs on riders; and
- The development of a Life Sciences Venture Capital Fund, which aligns with Mississauga’s Life Sciences Strategy, will help with the development of this important sector in our City.
“I will continue to encourage the provincial government and all parties to continue to support our City’s key priorities which include:
- Continuing to invest in building and maintaining sustainable infrastructure such as roads, bridges, community centres, parks and everything else that makes Mississauga a great place to live;
- Helping break gridlock by making significant investments to build rapid and connected transit including a continued committed to fund the Hurontario Rapid Transit (LRT) and all day, two-way GO Transit particularly on the Milton line and;
- Partnering to invest and build more housing that is affordable for middle-class residents
“I would also like to personally thank Charles Sousa Ontario’s Finance Minister and MPP for Mississauga South for speaking with me about our City’s priorities in advance of today’s budget. As a provincial representative for Mississauga, I know he understands what matters most to our City and our residents.
“I believe when we work to achieve real results for the people of Mississauga, our nation’s sixth largest city, our entire province is better positioned to grow, prosper and succeed.
“I will continue to work with the provincial government to ensure our City remains at the top of the agenda, to ensure our city remains competitive and that residents enjoy a quality of life second to none.
“I will continue to work to ensure all parties and all candidates in the upcoming provincial election understand that Mississauga Matters.”
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