Mayor Bonnie Crombie renews call for Mississauga to separate from Peel Region

Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie is renewing her call for the city to separate from Peel Region, saying "it is time" as she campaigns for re-election.

Crombie, who is seeking a third term as mayor, said on the weekend that Mississauga has outgrown regional government. She said the city covers 60 per cent of the costs but has only 50 per cent of the vote in the region it shares with Brampton and Caledon. 

The idea of Mississauga going its own way is not new, but Crombie has given it a new name: "Certainly, this is Mexit."

She said she is determined to finish the job she inherited from her predecessor, Hazel McCallion, to make Mississauga a free and independent city. She said it is about value and fairness but it would take political will on the part of the Ontario government to change the city's status.

"We could control our own destiny at one table," Crombie told CBC Toronto. 

"This is about value for taxpayers' dollars, spending taxpayers' dollars right here in Mississauga and not sending them to other municipalities. This is about our priorities and not having to get approval for our priorities at a different council table. It makes a lot of sense. It is time." 

Crombie faces seven challengers in the race for the mayor's chair. One says political independence could harm the city. Two support the idea of separation from Peel, but a fourth remains unconvinced. 

A political scientist, meanwhile, thinks the pitch is "a real long shot," but a smart political strategy, because it sends the message that Crombie stands up for Mississauga.

If re-elected, Crombie said she will continue to pressure the Ontario government to allow Mississauga to leave.

"This is right thing to do for a lot of reasons: fairness, equity, good value for taxpayers' money, eliminating and reducing red tape, expediting the development process and getting more housing built," she said.

Crombie said Mississauga deserves to be a single-tier city, as the third largest in Ontario. Other single-tier cities in Ontario include Ottawa and Windsor. According to the Ontario government, Mississauga is what is called a "lower tier" municipality in a two-tiered structure.

Crombie said it is also not clear how new legislation that creates a strong mayor system would work in Mississauga, if the powers were granted to the city and given that the city remains part of a larger region. 

As well, she said Mississauga endured extensive lockdowns due to COVID-19, even though its case numbers were lower than that of Brampton, but it would have more control over public health measures if it were its own city with its own public health unit, she said. 

Political independence would give it autonomy and control over its affairs, she added.