Vacuum Leaf Program is moving ahead
This has been a challenging season for the Vacuum Leaf Program with having three disruptive snow storms during the program. You would have received a colour coded notice card in the mail in the early fall with the pick-up dates for your area. Green and Yellow have now been completed. Crews have now moved into the Blue Zone, which included the Mineola’s and parts of Port Credit. They are working diligently to get the program completed.
I would like to thank our residents for their patience and understanding during this challenging season.
Stephen
Please be advised that staff are currently changing over the trucks to start up the Vacuum Leaf Collection Program (VLCP) tomorrow. Crews will continue their in the YELLOW zone and then move forward through as many zones as possible, depending on the weather.
The process will be slow due to possible frozen and wet leaves however, crews will do their best to collect as many leaves as possible.
I will provide an update to you indicating how the program is progressing during the week.
Stephen
Winter weather continues to interfere with the City’s Vacuum Leaf Collection Program (VLCP). The City has successfully completed the first sweep of collection throughout qualified neighbourhoods, but this weekend’s snowstorm has required us to postpone a second collection. At this time, equipment and staff must continue to be dedicated to snow clearing operations across the City.
The situation is challenging. We understand that managing yard waste on residential properties is difficult and arduous, but snow covered, frozen or excessively wet leaves will damage City equipment. This week and next, weather conditions are being closely assessed to determine if a second collection is at all possible.
We are hopeful for warmer temperatures and no additional precipitation in immediate days ahead, but in order for the City to conduct a second collection, weather conditions must be appropriate. If the weather conditions are right, the City will resume the VLCP.
Our Citizen Contact Centre continues to be available to residents for updates on the status of the VLCP. For information, please call 3-1-1.
At this time, please consider discarding leaves via the Region of Peel yard waste collection program, which continues until December 12 City-wide.
MiWay will continue to accept printed tickets until April 30, 2020 – four months longer than initially planned – in response to feedback from customers who requested additional time to use their remaining tickets. There are no refunds or exchanges on MiWay tickets.
In February 2019, MiWay launched a “Go Paperless with PRESTO” campaign to inform the public that
Tickets have been part of Mississauga’s transit system for decades so there may be many residents with small amounts that they’ve kept on hand. By extending the deadline to April 30, 2020, MiWay customers will have had 15 months to use up their remaining tickets.
Many customers have already made the transition to PRESTO, as it is the easiest way to pay a fare on MiWay. PRESTO is less expensive than the cash fare and you can buy or load a card online, by phone or at various PRESTO Service Locations across the GTA, including 29 Shoppers Drug Mart locations in Mississauga.
December 3, 2019
Please find below an update on our winter operations related to the event that began Sunday December 1, 2019:
- Based on the accumulations of 10-12 cm received across the City and the snow stopping at 1500 December 2, 2019, our service levels will be as follows:
- Priority Roads, priority sidewalks and bus stops – 0300 December 3, 2019
- Secondary Roads – 1500 December, 3, 2019
- Priority roads have been plowed and salted;
- Priority sidewalks have been completed at least twice with some touch up work continuing this morning;
- Bus stops have been completed at least once however, contractors are being called back in for works that have not been completed as outlined in the contract;
- Windrow program has been making good progress and should be completed this afternoon;
- Secondary plowing and salting has also progressed well and will be finished in advance of our above noted level of service.
Staff will be out today checking all routes to ensure they are safe for our residents. A reminder to our secondary road residents that the plowing may not achieve bare pavement, as per our Council approved service levels.
The forecast shows small amounts of snow for the next few days and then warming temperatures and rain Sunday and Monday. Staff will assess conditions later this week and early next week to see if it will be possible to restart the Vacuum Leaf Collection Program (VLCP).
November 22, 2019
This week, Mississauga City Council unanimously passed a resolution strongly objecting to the proposed demolition of the existing Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) heritage bridge that spans the Credit River just east of Mississauga Road.
“This was designated by the Province of Ontario as heritage. With one quick stroke of a pen they are disregarding not only this heritage structure, but are also opening the door where all heritage structures are at risk across the Province of Ontario. If this is the first, what is next? Are any heritage buildings or structures safe” said Councillor Stephen Dasko.
“Council was informed by the Ministry of Transportation without notice or consultation with the community, they have changed course on the Credit River bridge project. Instead of rehabilitating one Mississauga’s unique heritage features, the plan is now to demolish and rebuild from scratch. This bridge is an important part of our City’s history and we must preserve and protect it,” said Mayor Bonnie Crombie. I have sent a letter to Premier Ford to ensure the province is aware of our serious concerns. We want to work with them to find a solution that preserves this important piece of our City’s history. You can’t put a price on heritage.”
The bridge is currently listed on the City’s Heritage Register for architectural reasons and because it is part of cultural heritage landscape. It is also identified as a Provincial Heritage Property of Significance and included on the Ontario Heritage Bridge listing. It is 840 feet long, was originally constructed in 1934 and expanded in 1960. It is owned by the Government of Ontario, Ministry of Transportation. During a recent public information meeting, held on November 7, the Ministry of Transportation advised they are taking an alternative approach to life cycle asset management and will be replacing the bridge rather than rehabilitating.
“As Chair of Mississauga’s Heritage Advisory Committee, I am extremely disappointed at the direction the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure Ontario are taking in wanting to now demolish the QEW/Credit River bridge. It’s like saying, we know you’re old, we know you need work, but you’re going to take too much time, effort and money to fix so it’s easier if we just throw you away and start all over again. That’s shameful and it’s very frustrating,” said Ward 11 Councillor George Carlson and Chair of Mississauga’s Heritage of Advisory Committee. “This bridge has been identified as deserving of heritage preservation, why that is being ignored is baffling to me. There’s a reason we have heritage inventories – to preserve and protect our history. Once something like this bridge is gone, it’s gone forever – we can never get it back. That’s why we need to take a strong stance and ensure that we’re doing absolutely everything we can to preserve it.”
In order to demolish the existing bridge, the Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries, the Honourable Lisa MacLeod, must provide consent. If consent is granted by the Minister, the City of Mississauga is requesting that an application for the demolition be submitted for review by the Heritage Advisory Committee. At this time, no application has been submitted.
Learn more about Heritage Planning and the City’s efforts to identify, protect, conserve and celebrate Mississauga’s cultural heritage.
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Media Contact:
Carley Smith
Supervisor, Media and Public Information
City of Mississauga
905-615-3200, ext. 4203
carley.smith@mississauga.ca
TTY: 905-896-5151
November 18, 2019
The City of Mississauga was recognized with two awards for its 2019-2022 Business Plan and 2019 Budget.
The City’s Finance Division has received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for excellence in financial reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). This is the 30th consecutive year for Mississauga to receive the award, the most received by a Canadian municipality.
Participants must meet nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation in order to receive this award. The GFOA assesses each budget submission for its merit as a policy document, a financial plan, an operations guide and as a communications device.
In addition, the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Canada awarded the City with a Silver Leaf Award in the Government Communications Programs category for the 2019 Budget Engagement Campaign.
The Silver Leaf is a national award that recognizes outstanding work in communications. The Silver Leaf for the 2019 Budget Engagement Campaign confirms that Mississauga has achieved communications excellence in Canada for how the City communicates to our residents about its budget.
The campaign featured communications tactics aimed at helping residents understand what they get for their property tax dollars. This was an important factor in helping decision makers prepare budgets in a transparent manner, ensuring responsiveness to residents’ needs and views.
“It’s an honour for the City’s Budget to be acknowledged for excellence with these two awards,” said Gary Kent, Commissioner of Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer. “These achievements reflect Council’s commitment to excellence and sets high standards among other municipalities. Our success is due to the collaborative efforts of a dedicated team of City staff who contribute their expertise every year.”
Background:
The Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) represents public finance officials throughout the United States and Canada. GFOA advances excellence in government finance by providing best practices, professional development, resources and practical research for more than 20,500 members and the communities they serve.
The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) is a global membership association with thousands of members from around the world. IABC serves professionals in the field of business communication, bringing together the profession’s collective disciplines. IABC delivers on the Global Standard in communication through its educational offerings, certification, awards program, resource library, online magazine and annual World Conference.
The City of Mississauga is recognized with the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for excellence in financial reporting for the 30th consecutive year from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA).
The City of Mississauga is recognized with the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Canada Silver Leaf Award for the 2019 Budget Engagement campaign.
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November 19, 2019
Time flies on the Mississauga Transitway bypassing traffic. This month, MiWay is celebrating five years of service delivery since launching the first phase of its dedicated 18 kilometre transit corridor in 2014 – the first of its kind in the Greater Toronto Area.
“As a growing urban city, we will continue to make smart investments to grow our transit service and make our fleet cleaner and greener. The transitway has helped our city tackle gridlock and has changed the way we move people across Mississauga and beyond,” said Mayor Bonnie Crombie. “By efficiently connecting customers to other transit services such as GO Transit and the TTC, we are making it easier for people to leave their cars at home and hop on MiWay to connect to where they need to be.”
Since the first four stations opened, MiWay’s annual ridership numbers have steadily increased along with new investments in service through the MiWay Five Transit Service Plan (2016-2020). In its operation, the transitway has seen an annual ridership of 5.1 million in 2019, providing searvice across 12 stations. Customers can access GO Bus services at several stations (since GO Transit also travels on the Transitway), as well as connections to Brampton Transit and the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) at certain stations.
“Through strategic investments in transit, we’re enhancing the customer experience on our transit system. Buses on the transitway are not impacted by traffic congestion, roadway delays, or construction allowing for faster travel times and greater reliability,” said Geoff Marinoff, Director, Transit. “Today, the transitway enables services for thousands of riders every day, allowing them to travel east and west across Mississauga in under 35 minutes.”
According to Marinoff, the Transitway has benefitted customers by:
- providing four express routes that travel on the Transitway
- reducing customer travel time
- ensuring reliable commutes with buses bypassing congestion
- providing easier connections to surrounding cities
The Mississauga Transitway is part of the City of Mississauga’s Official Plan, along with the MiWay Five Transit Service Plan (2016-2020), which aims to transition the system to a grid network, allowing for more frequent and direct routes. In 2020, MiWay will focus on integrating new transit hubs with the new construction of Kipling Station and the Churchill Meadows Community Centre and Park. The first MiWay Five plan wraps up in 2020 and MiWay is in the development stages of its next MiWay Five Transit Service Plan (2021-2025), which will improve MiWay services across the city, as well as to and through Mississauga’s transitway stations. To learn more, visit miway.ca/miway5.
Plan your trip by visiting miway.ca/planatrip or by calling 905-615-INFO (4636) for customized route and schedule information.Background
The Mississauga Transitway opened with the first four Mississauga-constructed stations, Central Parkway, Cawthra, Tomken and Dixie in November 2014. The new Square One GO Bus terminal, near the City Centre Transit Terminal (CCTT), opened in 2016. In 2017, the other Mississauga-constructed stations, Tahoe, Etobicoke Creek, Spectrum and Orbitor, and Metrolinx-constructed stations, Winston Churchill, Erin Mills Parkway and Renforth, opened.
The transitway is a key component of Ontario’s Smart Growth program for development of the Greater Toronto Area and connects to a 100-kilometre wide initiative that will create a dedicated bus corridor from Oakville to Pickering. For more information on the transitway, visit: miway.ca/transitway.