Stephen Dasko

April 24, 2020

The City of Mississauga is donating approximately 1,500 pansies, ranunculus and primrose as a gesture of thanks to hospital workers and health care providers at Trillium Health Partners.

“We are incredibly grateful to our hospital and health care heroes who are on the front lines battling the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Mayor Bonnie Crombie. “This is a small gesture but one we believe shows Mississauga’s support for the dedicated men and women who courageously go to work to keep us healthy and safe. They are working while we stay home so that together, we can flatten the curve. On behalf of Council, we salute our health care heroes at Trillium Health Partners. These flowers are a sign of spring and brighter days ahead. I hope they bring much needed light and joy during this very difficult time. ”

“The staff at Trillium Health Partners are working long hours under difficult circumstances,” said Caroline Riseboro, President and CEO of Trillium Health Partners Foundation. “This is a lovely and moving gesture from the City of Mississauga, one which reminds us that, even in dark times, beauty and renewal persist. On behalf of my colleagues at the hospital, a special thanks to Mayor Crombie and the City.”

“Plant materials for the City’s spring planting program, typically used in planters and gardens across the City, are ordered eight months in advance and could not be cancelled,” said Jodi Robillos, Director, Parks, Forestry and Environment.  “Our parks and forestry staff are preparing for the onset of spring which includes litter pick up and the mowing of turf but horticulture is not an essential service.  Rather than dispose of this plant material, a proposal was developed at the request of Mayor Crombie to donate the plants to hospital workers and health care providers at Trillium.”

City of Mississauga staff continue to provide essential services including waste collection, priority maintenance, legislated inspections, contract administration and bylaw enforcement during the COVID-19 crisis.

The City has partnered with Humberview Maintenance Group Ltd., Royalview Landscaping and Winsom Landscape Contractors who volunteered their staff time to collect and deliver the plants for distribution to each health care professional as they exited the Trillium Hospitals.

Committees of Council, enforcement, support for Long-term Care Workers and Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) Mayor’s and Chairs meeting outcomes

COVID-19 | April 23, 2020

Yesterday, Council discussed actions and impacts in response to COVID-19 including managing the City’s Committees of Council, clarifying enforcement actions during the pandemic, support for long-term care workers and the outcomes of a Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) Mayor’s and Chairs meeting.

“Mississauga continues to work in the face of this pandemic. Council continues with our weekly meetings virtually and where possible, we are now extending that to other committees to continue the important work they do,” said Mayor Bonnie Crombie. “We will continue to monitor this situation as it unfolds and act in the best interests of residents and local businesses. We are asking residents to follow the guidelines being set by our health officials, other levels of government and the City of Mississauga. We continue to partner and work closely with our government partners, health agencies and neighbouring cities to keep our City safe.”

Council and Committee Schedule

The work plans of Advisory Committees will be deferred until further notice. Matters that arise and require action will be brought to Council after informal consultation with Committee members. Council and Committees that are continuing, will meet virtually. The public can view these meetings live or archived at Mississauga.ca/video. 

Council Meetings – Wednesdays, 9:30 a.m.

• Agendas are posted and members of the public may submit questions related to the agenda by emailing the city.clerk@mississauga.ca               

General Committee – Suspended

• To ensure the timely implementation of Council decisions, General Committee has been replaced with weekly Council meetings during the pandemic. Matters requiring a decision will be moved directly to Council.                                                        

Audit Committee – May 4, 2020, 9 a.m. 

Budget Committee – June 24, 2020, 1:30 p.m. 

Planning and Development Committee – June 1, 2020, 6 p.m.

• Agenda items that require public participation will be deferred until further notice. 

Committee of Adjustment – June 4, 2020, 1:30 p.m.

• Agenda items that require public participation will be deferred until further notice. 

Heritage Advisory Committee

• This committee will be disbanded until further notice.

Enforcement
The City is enforcing four Emergency Orders under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act and City public by-laws. City Officers have taken an approach of informing and educating, before escalating to laying charges. Failure to comply with the Order can result in a fine of up to $1,000.

Parks, green space, trails and pathways remain open for walking, cycling or running.

The City is asking for continued co-operation in following the recommendations made by Peel Public Health. Public Health guidelines advises residents:

• to stay at home and only leave for essential items
• that daily exercise should be done alone or with one household member, or to exercise with a pet.
• that if you need some fresh air or want to exercise, it is okay go outside for a short time while practicing physical distancing.

All litter including garbage, recycling, dog waste, disposable masks, gloves or other protective materials is to be placed in the appropriate waste containers. Failure to dispose of these items properly can result in a $365 fine.

Virtual Cherry Blossoms Viewing
The City of Mississauga’s beautiful cherry blossoms in Kariya Park are expected to be in full bloom in the coming weeks and while residents won’t be able to visit in person, they can admire the blossoms from afar via the City’s new cherry blossom webcam.

The City is offering a live feed where residents can view the cherry blossoms online beginning today until their petals start to fall, as the trees only stay in bloom for approximately two weeks. To view them bloom live, visit mississauga.ca/cherryblossomwebcam.

Long-Term Care Facility Workers
Mayor Crombie will send a letter to the Premier of Ontario to help address safety in long-term care homes. The letter will outline the importance of addressing the health of our residents living in long-term care facilities and seniors homes as it relates to staff. The letter will address the need to ensure staff are employed at one facility to limit movement between facilities and reduce the potential transmission of illnesses; staff are provided a fair living wage and are employed on a full-time basis with associated benefits to provide consistent care.

GTHA Mayors and Chairs Meeting
This week, GTHA Mayors and chairs, including Mayor Bonnie Crombie, met to discuss the impacts of COVID-19 and how municipalities can work together on the economic restart and recovery.

To learn about the latest updates on actions taken by the City of Mississauga visit mississauga.ca/coronavirus or follow @CityMississauga on Twitter.

For health information, please visit Region of Peel peelregion.ca/coronavirus.

Region of Peel

• Donations of clothing and other reusable goods in Peel, during COVID-19
  • Residents are asked not to drop off any donations at Diabetes Canada bins or other charitable organization drop-off bins, as they will not be collected.
  • Community Recycling Centres are not accepting tires, electronic waste, large appliances or bulky items until further notice.

April 22, 2020

While the City continues taking action in response to COVID-19, essential spring maintenance work is already underway around the city. Works operations crews have been providing maintenance work and repairs to infrastructure (e.g., roads, sidewalks) such as pot hole/asphalt repairs, debris clean-up, catchbasin and drain cleaning and more. Street sweeping is scheduled to begin next month.

In addition, the City’s parks and forestry crews have continued to care for City parks and natural areas, as well as responding to emergency and high priority service requests for tree clean-up.

“I would like to thank our staff for ensuring our city’s roads and sidewalks continue to remain among the best in the GTA even during these challenging times,” said Mayor Bonnie Crombie. “Their work ensures Mississauga stays running, whether that’s continued protection and restoration of our green spaces or making our roads safe and accessible for those who need to travel on them. Mississauga continues to work for residents.”

Mickey Frost, Director, Works Operations and Maintenance added, “We have a dedicated team responding to emergency and priority service requests to ensure the City’s continued responsibilities to the public. At the same time, we’re following all public health safety protocol when out in the field for the safety of our work crew and the public.”

As spring clean-up work is done around the city, works operations crews will focus primarily on major roads and in commercial/industrial areas where physical distancing from the public is more likely. Work in residential areas will only occur if there is a safety or emergency need.

Residents can also help keep their neighbourhood and street clear of debris by not sweeping any yard waste onto the road. Yard waste should be bagged for regular yard waste collection.

For the safety of frontline staff and contractors, physical distancing rules apply for the public and will be enforced by the City’s Security Officers. Residents should also respect all barricades and signage at work sites.

April 22, 2020

The City of Mississauga’s beautiful cherry blossoms in Kariya Park are expected to be in full bloom in the coming weeks and while residents won’t be able to visit in person, they can admire the blossoms from afar via the City’s new blossom webcam.

“Kariya Park is an important part of our city as it honours Mississauga’s special relationship with our twin city – Kariya, Japan,” said Mayor Bonnie Crombie. “Although residents can’t admire the beauty of our cherry blossoms up close this year, they can still use their phones to do so from the comfort of their own homes. This is a temporary but necessary closure that will ensure the health and safety of our community during these unprecedented times. I look forward to seeing the blossoms in person next year.”

The City is offering a live feed where residents can view the cherry blossoms online beginning today until their petals start to fall, as the trees only stay in bloom for approximately two weeks.

“To avoid the spread of COVID-19 and limit the amount of visitors during the cherry blossom period, the City has made the decision to close this facility entirely,” said Jodi Robillos, Director, Parks, Forestry and Environment. “We know this park is special to our residents, so we were able to find an innovative way to help residents and visitors enjoy the blossoms, while protecting our community.”

As one of Mississauga’s most popular parks, Kariya Park attracts many visitors this time of year to see the blossoms in bloom. The park features 65 beautiful cherry blossom trees of different varieties and colours, and were a gift from Kariya, Japan. To view them bloom live, visit mississauga.ca/cherryblossomwebcam.

Robillos says, “We remind residents to stay home. However, if you need to get some fresh air, use one of our City trails for walking, biking, rollerblading or taking pets out. Don’t hang around, play or use parks as you normally would. Failure to comply with the Provincial Order can result in a fine up to $1,000. The community is also reminded to not litter on public or private property including waste, dog waste, recycling, disposable masks, gloves or other protective materials. If the waste or recycling bins are full, please take it home.”

To learn more about the latest updates on actions taken by the City, visit mississauga.ca/coronavirus or follow @CityMississauga on Twitter.