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Stephen Dasko

City Seeks to Implement New Interim e-Scooter Strategy

By Issues, Resources

December 2, 2020

Today, members of General Committee supported the recommendation to implement a new interim e-scooter strategy. The strategy responds to the presence of personally-owned electric kick-style scooters (e-scooters) currently being operated in Mississauga.

“Devices such as e-scooters can connect residents to their destinations by helping them complete the first or last kilometre of their travel, whether it’s to a bus stop, carpool lot or their final destination,” said Geoff Wright, Commissioner, Transportation and Works. “This interim strategy will create opportunities for us to collect resident feedback, which will inform whether shared e-scooter systems should become part of Mississauga’s greater transportation system in the future.”

On January 1, 2020, the Province of Ontario launched a five-year e-scooter pilot program to evaluate whether e-scooters are suitable to be operated on roadways. The pilot allows for the operation of e-scooters, so long as municipalities opt-in to the program by adopting or amending their by-laws to regulate their use. Currently, e-scooters are banned in Mississauga on the basis that the City has not yet adopted or amended its by-laws to regulate their use.

As part of the interim strategy, the Parks By-law and Traffic By-law would be amended to regulate where e-scooters can be operated within the city. This will allow staff to evaluate how residents use e-scooters. It will also help inform future decisions about the City’s micro-mobility program, which is examining how a shared program of publicly available bikes, e-bikes or e-scooters could be used for travel in Mississauga.

“Once amended, our City by-laws would allow e-scooters to operate on public roadways with a posted speed limit of 50 km/h or less and on cycling infrastructure, including bicycle lanes and multi-use trails along roadways,” said Helen Noehammer, Director, Infrastructure Planning and Engineering Services. “They will not be allowed within parks, on trails within parks or other City-owned land not designated as public roadways.”

When determining how the use of e-scooters should be regulated in the city, staff considered best practices in other cities, the consistency between e-scooters and similar devices on the road, road safety, accessibility, maintenance standards and the public education that would be required.

Noehammer added, “When developing the interim e-scooter strategy and preparing our recommendations for regulating e-scooter use, staff also consulted with the City’s Accessibility Advisory Committee, Road Safety Committee and Mississauga Cycling Advisory Committee to obtain their feedback and address any concerns.”

The amended by-laws will be brought to Council for approval in early 2021. Once in effect, residents will be invited to share their feedback on their experiences operating their e-scooters in the manner set out by the by-laws, and their experiences interacting with others operating e-scooters.

The City’s interim e-scooter strategy and the recommendation that staff amend the Parks by-law and Traffic by-law will go to Council for approval on December 9, 2020.

For more information about the City’s micro-mobility program, visit mississaugabikes.ca/micromobility/.

Background: 

The City’s Transportation Master Plan recommended that a shared system of bikes, e-bikes or e-scooters be created in Mississauga. In October 2019, General Committee supported the recommendation for City staff to look at how a program of shared bikes, e-bikes or e-scooters could be used for travel in Mississauga, at which point the Ontario Highway Traffic Act did not allow e-scooters on roads and sidewalks.

December 2, 2020
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Economic Recovery Plan Supports Mississauga Creative Industries

By Covid-19, Resources

December 2, 2020

Today, General Committee endorsed the third industry-specific plan designed to guide the City’s economic recovery from COVID-19. The Creative Industries Economic Recovery Plan outlines specific priorities and actions to mitigate, reboot and grow Mississauga’s film, television and music sectors in the wake of the pandemic.

“Our creative industries faced an unprecedented level of uncertainty when COVID-19 closed live music venues and halted film and television production. From the outset, we worked closely with these sectors to help them manage the initial impacts of the pandemic,” said Mayor Bonnie Crombie.  “While there are still unknowns about the future, with this recovery plan, the City is well-positioned to strengthen and promote our world-class creative industries, which make such important contributions to the vibrancy and economic health of Mississauga.”

Five industry-specific plans – one for each of Mississauga’s major business sectors – were outlined in the City’s Economic Recovery Pillar Framework approved by Council earlier this year. The Creative Industries Economic Recovery Plan, led by the City’s Culture Division, was developed with continuous engagement from business owners and key industry leaders.  Three themes emerged and have become priorities for the plan:

  1. Building Confidence: As the pandemic continues, re-establishing public support for creative sectors is a priority.
  2. Removing Barriers: Reviewing and updating City policies and procedures that impede creative sectors from rebooting and growing in the wake of the pandemic.
  3. Attracting Investment: Ensuring Mississauga remains competitive and attractive to film and music production is vital to our recovery efforts.

“While the impacts of COVID-19 have been severe, particularly for live music performers and venues, insights from our industry partners have also highlighted opportunities,” said Paul Damaso Director, Culture Division. “These opportunities, such as providing access to sustainable funding opportunities, digital online resources and marketing support informed our plan and will help move creative industries in Mississauga towards sustained economic prosperity.”

In total, the Creative Industries Economic Recovery Plan identifies 16 unique action items to help the film, television and music sectors through economic recovery. Key initiatives include:

  • Providing free business skills training, mentorship and grant opportunities to Mississauga music entrepreneurs through the Mississauga Business Enterprise Centre
  • Creating musical pathways for youth
  • Launching a project using input from industry stakeholders and benchmarking research to identify barriers to filming in Mississauga
  • Increasing the number of Mississauga locations on the Ontario Creates Locations Library
  • Investing efforts in continued studio expansion
  • Developing a comprehensive strategy to support and grow Mississauga’s music sector

The plan also highlights three other important culture-related recovery projects currently underway. These include the Cultural Districts Implementation Plan, the City’s Grant Program and initiatives to support Mississauga’s visual artists.

The Creative Industries Economic Recovery Plan will go to Council next week for approval.

To stay informed about the City’s COVID-19 recovery efforts, visit Mississauga.ca/recovery.

Background

The need for five industry-specific plans tailored to small business, broader industry, tourism, creative industries and the land development/real estate industry was outlined in the City’s Economic Recovery Pillar Framework. As one of four pillars guiding the City’s overall recovery efforts, the framework sets out the principles for the development of each industry-specific economic recovery plan.

Consultation and engagement with stakeholders and the business community will continue to be an important part of the City’s recovery efforts. All five industry-specific plans will be reviewed and assessed on a regular basis in consultation with the Mississauga Economic Resilience Taskforce, an advisory group established in June 2020.

December 2, 2020
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Bora Pharmaceuticals Selects Mississauga for its North American Headquarters

By Events

December 2, 2020

Bora Pharmaceuticals, a leading international contract development and manufacturing organization, has selected Mississauga as the location for its first manufacturing facility and corporate headquarters in North America.

“By choosing Mississauga for its flagship North American facility, Bora Pharmaceuticals has reinforced what so many other notable companies already know – that the life sciences sector is thriving in our city and it’s the perfect location to call home,” said Mayor Bonnie Crombie. “As the second largest life sciences sector in Canada, the talent pool of scientists, experts and engineers in Mississauga is driving technologies and innovations used worldwide. I’m thrilled to welcome Bora Pharmaceuticals to this illustrious group.”

Establishing the Mississauga site as part of its global manufacturing network is key to Bora Pharmaceuticals’ growth strategy.  From its new facility, Bora Pharmaceuticals is now positioned to produce 50 different products for 100 markets worldwide.

“This expansion into North America brings us closer to many of our customers and adds the capabilities to welcome new ones onboard,” said Bobby Sheng, CEO of Bora Pharmaceuticals. “The Mississauga site strengthens our existing state-of-the-art manufacturing network, whilst adding a number of talented colleagues that will help us develop further in the region.”

Through its acquisition of GSK’s Mississauga facility, which is now complete, the company has taken a major step forward with its expansion into North America. Bora Pharmaceuticals will employ approximately 400 skilled manufacturing employees from their Mississauga site and plans to recruit additional employees to further strengthen its technical and operations team.

“We are so pleased that Bora Pharmaceuticals’ North American operations will be headquartered in Mississauga,” said Bonnie Brown, Director of Economic Development.  “With more than 470 businesses and over 25,000 employees already working in our thriving life sciences sector – including key contract development and manufacturing organizations – we remain steadfast in our commitment to creating a sustainable environment that supports bringing medical innovation to market in Mississauga that will benefit the world.”

About Mississauga’s Life Sciences Sector
Mississauga is a leading location for life sciences companies that employ over 100 employees. With more than 470 businesses employing 25,000 employees, the City’s talent pool of scientists, experts and engineers has grown 25 per cent in the past 10 years.  Today, Mississauga’s life sciences businesses account for $2.7B of the City’s real GDP. For more information about Mississauga’s life sciences sector, please visit www.thefutureisunlimited.ca/industries/life-sciences/

 

December 2, 2020
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Recreational Facilities Update: Shower & Warming Access for the Homeless

By Covid-19, Issues

As a result of the lockdown, our Recreation facilities have been closed for our regular services, including relief from the cold and our Shower Pass program for homeless members of our community.  Starting this Saturday December 5th, we will be providing limited access to three of our community centres for these purposes.  Shower and lobby facilities will be available daily from Monday through Saturday, 1-4pm, at the following locations:

  • Malton Community Centre
  • Meadowvale Community Centre
  • Port Credit Arena

The Library’s Open Window Hub will be providing hygiene kits and referral resources will be made available.  The Recreation team will continue to monitor demand for these services and we are prepared to expand access if required.  In the case of an Extreme Cold Weather alert, we are also prepared to extend hours at these locations to serve as a warming centre.

December 2, 2020
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3rd annual Streetsville Christmas Breakfast fundraiser

By Events

The 3rd annual Streetsville Christmas Breakfast fundraiser is a series in the ‘twas The Bite events being held in benefit of the local Mississauga food centre, Eden Food For Change (www.EdenFFC.org). As in previous years, this is a collaboration between Community Stakeholders including Institutions, First Responders, Businesses, Media, Local Artists and the Public.

To ensure COVID-19 physical distancing and safety protocols can be respected, this will be a CONTACTLESS drive thru (curb side pick-up) experience held in the parking lot at Drake, A Firkin Pub (Derry Road/Mississauga Road).

As always, kids eat FREE + this year each family receives a FREE Christmas Wreath + each kid receives a FREE NBA basketball. (quantities are limited)

Thanks to generous in-kind donations, this initiative continues to be organized at a ($0) cost ensuring (100%) of the proceeds benefit the charity. In 2019, through sponsorships and ticket sales, the community raised over ($12,000). http://www.neighbourhoodmagazine.ca/streetsville-christmas-breakfast-2019/

Kindly encourage family, friends and neighbours to visit www.Streetsville.org to order a meal or make a donation. Thank you for helping raise the spirit of giving and supporting the community in need during this fragile time.

December 2, 2020
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Community Virtual Meeting: 958-960 East Avenue (File OZ 20/005 W1) TONIGHT

By Events, Issues, Planning & Development

Dear Resident,

Re: Community Virtual Meeting 

958-960 East Avenue (File OZ 20/005 W1)

The City of Mississauga has received an application from Peel Housing Corporation to redevelop their existing property at the southwest corner of East Avenue and Lakeshore Road with a 7 storey rental apartment building containing 151 residential units.

In order to implement their plans, the applicant is proposing to amend the Official Plan designation from Mixed Use and Residential Low Density II to Residential High Density.  In addition, the applicant is proposing to rezone the property from RM8-14 (Back to Back and/or Stacked Townhouses – Exception), and R3-75 (Detached Dwellings – Typical Lots – Exception) to RA2 – Exception (Apartments – Exception).

Due to the COVID pandemic, we are not able to have an in-person meeting. Therefore, we have arranged a Community virtual meeting on Wednesday, December 2, 2020 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The Call-in details are as follows: Join by phone: 647-484-1596, Meeting Access: 172 960 9925#, Meeting Password: ward1.

When it’s time, join your Webex meeting here.

Meeting number (access code): 172 960 9925

Meeting password: ward1 (92731 from video systems)

Join meeting

If you would like to submit your comments, please forward to Paul Stewart, Planner, Planning and Development Department, 300 City Centre Drive, 6th floor, Mississauga, ON  L5B 3C1 or paul.stewart@mississauga.ca.

Sincerely,

Stephen Dasko

December 2, 2020
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COVID-19 Lockdown – Temporary Lay – Offs for Part-Time employees in non-essential services

By Covid-19, Events, Resources

December 1, 2020

The City of Mississauga, is currently in the Grey-Lockdown level of Ontario’s COVID-19 Response Framework and is adhering to all recommendations and precautions set forth by the Province and Peel’s Medical Officer of Health.

Peel Region’s Grey-Lockdown level status has resulted in the closure of City community centres, including pools, fitness centres and arenas and cultural facilities such as the Small Arms Building and Museums of Mississauga, Living Arts Centre and Meadowvale Theatre. All indoor team sport activities, indoor in–person recreation programs including pools, arenas, fitness and culture programs are cancelled.

With these closures, the City of Mississauga has again made the difficult decision to temporarily lay-off approximately 1,100 part-time employees who work at these facilities effective December 7, 2020.

“This decision is especially difficult given the hard year we have all had. The City is facing significant financial pressures as a result of this second lockdown. In order to be fiscally responsible, we must take action to respond to the facility closures and their impact on our operations. This is not where we wanted to be. But I truly believe that Mississauga can come together, right here and right now, to get this situation under control. I am again urging everyone to stay home expect when going out for the essentials, and to please limit their in-person contact to just their immediate households and essential supports,” said Mayor Bonnie Crombie.

“As the City had to enter a second lock-down in order to protect the health and safety of employees and residents, we made the difficult decision to lay off part time staff in non-essential services. I know that employees are under a lot of anxiety and stress, especially so close to the holiday season. Due to financial pressures we are seeing on our 2020 financial results, we have to mitigate the financial impact from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The lay-offs are a direct result of City program cancellations and facility closures, not having work available for part-time employees during the shut-down of non-essential services. We will continue to assess the impact of the lockdown to City operations, communicate with those impacted and have made our employee and family assistance program available to all staff during this difficult time,” said Paul Mitcham, Chief Administrative Officer and City Manager.

The majority of lay-offs impact part-time employees in Community Services. Many employees are expected to receive benefits through the Canada Recovery Benefit.

The City will continues to deliver services including Fire, Transit, Works Operations and Maintenance, 311 and Dispatch, Parks and Forestry, Animal Services, Regulatory Services, Building Permits/Inspections, Site Plan Applications, Official Plan Amendments and Rezoning Planning Applications, Security Services as well as Administrative/Technical functions.

For information on health and safety recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit peelregion.ca/coronavirus.

For information about the City’s response to COVID-19:

December 1, 2020
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City’s Natural Ice Rink Program returns for 2020-21 winter season

By Issues

The City of Mississauga ’s Parks Operations team is excited to announce the launch of its annual Natural Ice Rink Program.

Each winter, select parks across the City become home to natural ice rinks to allow for residents to enjoy outdoor pleasure skating in neighbourhood parks. Rinks are maintained by dedicated resident volunteers who donate their time to help us provide these amenities in local parks where conditions allow.

Enjoy some outdoor skating fun this winter! Select City parks offer natural ice rinks, operated by dedicated neighbourhood volunteers. Please note: all rinks are weather dependent. For a list of rink locations, visit https://mississauga.ca/events-and-attractions/parks/natural-ice-rinks/

All rinks will be open by December 15 from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, subject to weather conditions.

December 1, 2020
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Community Virtual Meeting 958-960 East Avenue (File OZ 20/005 W1)

By Events, Planning & Development

December 1, 2020

Dear Resident,

Re: Community Virtual Meeting 

958-960 East Avenue (File OZ 20/005 W1)

The City of Mississauga has received an application from Peel Housing Corporation to redevelop their existing property at the southwest corner of East Avenue and Lakeshore Road with a 7 storey rental apartment building containing 151 residential units.

In order to implement their plans, the applicant is proposing to amend the Official Plan designation from Mixed Use and Residential Low Density II to Residential High Density.  In addition, the applicant is proposing to rezone the property from RM8-14 (Back to Back and/or Stacked Townhouses – Exception), and R3-75 (Detached Dwellings – Typical Lots – Exception) to RA2 – Exception (Apartments – Exception).

Due to the COVID pandemic, we are not able to have an in-person meeting. Therefore, we have arranged a Community virtual meeting on Wednesday, December 2, 2020 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The Call-in details are as follows: Join by phone: 647-484-1596, Meeting Access: 172 960 9925#, Meeting Password: ward1.

When it’s time, join your Webex meeting here.

Meeting number (access code): 172 960 9925

Meeting password: ward1 (92731 from video systems)

Join meeting

If you would like to submit your comments, please forward to Paul Stewart, Planner, Planning and Development Department, 300 City Centre Drive, 6th floor, Mississauga, ON  L5B 3C1 or paul.stewart@mississauga.ca.

Sincerely,

Stephen Dasko

December 1, 2020
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Snow Maintenance and Leaf Pick Update

By Events, Issues

Crews were called in this morning to start on our priority roads and priority sidewalks with the snowfall through the overnight.  Accumulations vary across the City so far up to 3cm.  Forecast call for snow through most of the day and crews will continue to make our routes safe.

 

As a result, the vacuum leaf program is postponed for today.

 

Please be patient on the roads and give our crews time and space to work.

December 1, 2020
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