To prepare to become an independent city, Mississauga has hired Catherine Matheson as the new Interim Commissioner for Health and Human Services. In this new role, Matheson will bring her decades of experience and oversight of important health and human services portfolios to Mississauga and assist the City as it prepares to deliver these services by January 1, 2025, or sooner.
Matheson currently serves as the CAO of Nipissing District Social Services Administration Board and CEO of Nipissing District Housing Corporation. Prior to this, she served as the Commissioner of Corporate Services and Chair of the Peel Housing Corporation at the Region of Peel.
“I’m pleased to welcome Catherine to the Mississauga team,” said Shari Lichterman, CAO and City Manager. “She brings a wealth of critical experience to this role, including knowledge of Peel Region and will be an integral part of preparing our City to deliver the important services in the health and human services portfolio. I am confident that under Catherine’s guidance and oversight, Mississauga will be ready on or before January 1, 2025 to provide these important services to residents without missing a beat.”
Throughout her career, Matheson has also served as:
- General Manager for Community Development in the City of Greater Sudbury
- Senior Director of Health Care Integration and Transformation at the Northeast LHIN for the Ontario Ministry of Health
- Director Northeast Centre of Excellence for Seniors Health, Regional Municipality of Sudbury
- Director of Children Services, Regional Municipality of Sudbury
Matheson holds a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) and Bachelor of Social Work from Laurentian University, as well as executive certifications from Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Queen’s University, York University, and the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, to name just a few. She will begin her role as Interim Commissioner on October 23, 2023.
“She is absolutely the right person to take on this important role at this time,” added Lichterman.
As Mississauga works with the provincially-appointed Transition Board to negotiate the terms of the dissolution of Peel Region and the independence of Mississauga, Matheson’s decades of experience and expertise in health and human services will serve to prepare the City to take on these critical portfolios. She will be tasked with ensuring Mississauga has the right structure and resources – both human and financial – in place to deliver this portfolio starting January 1, 2025 or sooner, as directed by the Transition Board.
“I’m pleased to be joining the City of Mississauga at this historic time,” said Matheson. “I believe my decades of experience in health, housing and human services, as well as my time at the Region of Peel, have prepared me well for this important job. I know Mississauga is ready to be a single-tier city and I am confident that over the next year, the City will be ready to deliver these important services for residents.”
Background on Mississauga’s independence
Mississauga has long advocated to be an independent, single-tier municipality. There are currently 173 single-tier municipalities in Ontario. On June 8, 2023, Bill 112, The Hazel McCallion Act (Peel Dissolution) received Royal Assent. The Bill states the Region of Peel will be dissolved by January 1, 2025 and the Cities of Mississauga and Brampton, and the Town of Caledon, will become single-tier municipalities at that time. To facilitate these changes, the provincial government has appointed a Transition Board to work with the Region and the local municipalities.
Mississauga is the 3rd largest City in Ontario and the 7th largest in Canada, with a population approaching one million people. As the province’s second largest economy, Mississauga is proud to have a received a ‘Triple A’ credit rating from S&P for the last 20 years, as well as various financial awards for good governance and strong financial management. Mississauga has a strong identity and a unique history and long track-record of delivering excellent service. In the 2023 Citizen Satisfaction Survey, 79 per cent of residents said Mississauga had a good or excellent quality of life and well over 60 per cent believe they get good value for tax dollars. Mississauga is ready to be an independent City.
