BRAMPTON, ON (November 7, 2024) – We are pleased to announce that Ontario Health Central has named Peel Region as the Behavioural Supports Ontario Lead Agency for the Central West geography. Behavioural Supports Ontario (BSO) provides services for older adults in Ontario with, or at risk of, responsive behaviours associated with dementia or complex cognitive impairments.

This move aligns perfectly with Peel Region’s 2024-2029 Seniors Services Strategic Plan, which includes a strategic goal of facilitating integrated care through purposeful internal and external collaborations, and with Health Services’ vision of “building a healthier community, together”. Peel Region has developed specialized dementia expertise and is eager to share with the broader health care system, including the acute care and community care sectors.

Peel Region was chosen as the successful agency based on its knowledge and expertise in system leadership, integration and coordination, as well as their experience as a provider of long term care and services in the community support sector, including BSO initiatives. As the BSO Lead Agency, Peel Region will provide clinical leadership, planning, and operational oversight for integrated behavioural support services for seniors and looks forward to working with the community, acute and long term care sectors in close collaboration with Ontario Health.

Being selected as the BSO Lead Agency for Central West recognizes Peel as a system leader and innovator, and better positions the Region to further advocate and improve quality of care for people living with dementia and other complex cognitive conditions.

Quotations

“Seniors are the fastest growing age group in Peel Region and currently 93% of new admissions into Peel Region’s long term care centres have been diagnosed with dementia. We are committed to supporting a fast-growing senior’s population with increasingly complex care needs, in both Peel Region and the broader Central West Region, ensuring these people receive the right care in the right place close to home.”

Nando Iannicca, Regional Chair & CEO, Peel Region 

“As a leader in innovative, high-quality seniors care, Peel Region is well positioned to take on the BSO Lead Agency role. This role will allow Peel Region to collaborate with system partners to advance care for people living with dementia and complex cognitive impairments, and ensure continuous improvement in the long term care, community, and acute care sectors across the broader Central West geography.”

Nancy Polsinelli, Commissioner of Health Services

Note that Peel Region’s Seniors Services, comprised of the Long Term Care and Seniors Services Development divisions, launched its 2024-2029 Strategic Plan on October 10, 2024, to help it stay focused on priorities as it supports a fast-growing senior’s population. Learn more here.

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About Peel Region
In 2024, Peel Region marks its 50th anniversary. Peel Region works with residents and partners to create a healthy, safe, and connected Community for Life for approximately 1.5 million people and over 200,000 businesses in Brampton, Mississauga and Caledon. Peel’s services touch the lives of residents every day. For more information explore peelregion.ca and follow us on X @regionofpeel and Instagram @peelregion.ca.

The City of Mississauga’s winter maintenance program helps keep the city safe and accessible for everyone travelling during the winter.

 Mayor Parrish joins Councillor Tedjo, Councillor Horneck, Councillor Hart, Councillor Kovac and Works Operations and Maintenance staff for the launch of Mississauga’s winter maintenance season.

What the City clears

The City is responsible for clearing snow and ice on City-owned infrastructure, including roads, on-street bike lanes, priority sidewalks, bus stops, pedestrian crossings and roadside multi-use trails.

City staff also provide winter maintenance at City facilities including community centres, libraries and select park parking lots, paved pathways and trails. Peel Region is responsible for clearing most regional roads in Mississauga, which are main roads with higher speeds and more traffic than local residential roads.

City service levels

The City plows snow when five centimeters or more accumulates. If there is less than five centimetres of snow, infrastructure is salted.

The City’s snow-clearing operations follow a priority route system – priority infrastructure is cleared first. This includes:

• Priority roads: routes for emergency vehicles, transit and high traffic volume.
• Priority sidewalks: sidewalks located along major roads and bus routes and outside of schools, hospitals and long-term care homes.
• Bus stops, roadside multi-use trails, pedestrian crossings and on-street bike lanes.
• Parking lots and entrances connected to community centres, arenas and libraries.

Depending on how much it snows, it can take 12 to 24 hours to clear this priority infrastructure after the snow has stopped.

City crews then move on to clearing residential roads, park trails and pathways that serve as transportation links for local communities (e.g. walkways, easements to schools). This infrastructure is cleared within 24 to 36 hours after the snow has stopped. It may take longer if the city has back-to-back storms, or if there’s a winter storm that brings more than 30 centimeters of snow.

Residential roads are not cleared to bare pavement but are cleared to be safe and passable for vehicles. Some snowpack may be left on the road.

Residents can track the progress of the City’s plows and sidewalk-clearing equipment using the online plow tracker.

On-street parking during winter weather

When it snows, vehicles parked on the road can prevent crews from being able to safely and efficiently salt and clear roads. Please remove parked vehicles from residential streets when it snows to avoid a parking ticket or towing. During snow clearing operations, temporary parking permits will not be issued and current ones will be suspended.

Prioritizing safety and effective salt management

The City prioritizes effective salt management practices that maintain safety while minimizing the effect of salt on the environment. This includes pre-treating some priority roads and parking lots (i.e. community centres and arenas) with brine before oncoming winter weather, plowing more often and using the right amount of salt at the right place and the right time.

Stay updated

• Visit mississauga.ca/snow to learn more about snow clearing in the city.
• Use the online snow plow tracker to view a map of the City’s snow-clearing routes and track the City’s fleet as it clears streets and sidewalks.
• Follow @MississaugaSnow on X for timely snow-clearing updates.
• Find out if on-street parking restrictions are in effect and if temporary parking permits are suspended due to a weather event.
• Call 311 (905-615-4311 if outside city limits) for questions related to the City’s snow-clearing operations or to report a missed street after service timelines have ended.
• Follow @PeelPublicWorks on X for snow-clearing updates on regional roads.

Quotes

“When we get our first big snowfall, remember that we’re all part of one community. Let’s make an effort to lend a helping hand to support our hardworking crews. The critical work they do helps keep us safe and allows us to get on with our day – because we know life doesn’t stop when it snows. Remember to be alert and patient on our roads, give crews and equipment lots of space to work, and please treat our crews, and each other, with respect.” – Mayor Carolyn Parrish, City of Mississauga

“Winter weather will be here before we know it and the City has a comprehensive winter maintenance program in place to get the job done safely and efficiently. The City’s snow-clearing program prioritizes accessible travel for everyone, whether you travel by vehicle, transit, bike, foot or mobility device. In order for us to safely and efficiently clear and treat the roads, we’d like to remind residents to please remove their vehicles from their residential streets when we’re plowing. Parked cars create a real obstacle for our plows and can prevent us from being able to properly salt and clear roads for emergency vehicles, transit and residents. We appreciate your support and patience during this snow-clearing season.” – Helen Noehammer, Director, Works Operations and Maintenance

BRAMPTON, ON (November 4, 2024) – Regional Council has approved the proposed strategic priorities for Peel’s early years and child care system for 2025-2030. As the Service System Manager, Peel must develop a plan with system priorities for Peel’s early years and child care every five years.

Peel consulted with 1,800 parents and caregivers, 430 children, and service providers who identified key issues impacting families as: Access, Affordability, Quality, Accountability, and Diversity and Inclusion.

In presenting the strategic priorities to Council, staff reported on the key achievements made by Early Years and Child Care Services over the past five years. Since 2019 when the current system plan was launched, Peel’s investments and achievements have included:

• $107.3M to improve access to early years and child care programs including 4,000 new child care spaces and 47% increase in EarlyON program hours per week.
• $262.9M to support providers to continuously improve program quality, including enhancements to salaries for child care staff.
• $482.8M to improve child care affordability including the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) plan which reduced fees by 53 per cent for children under 6, a 50 per cent reduction in fees for children in before and after school programs, and child care subsidy for eligible families with children birth to 12 years.
• $53.4M invested in early years and child care programs to ensure that they are welcoming and inclusive to all children and families.
• $331.6M invested to support service provider viability and enhance accountability for the responsible use of public funds.

The current system plan ends on December 31, 2024. The new one will be released in 2025 and will address both gaps and opportunities to move Peel’s early years and child care system forward over the next five years.

Quotations

“Peel’s families are always at the centre of what we do in Early Years and Child Care.  Our system is on the cusp of a major transformation with the implementation of the Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care plan.

To successfully implement this transformation and achieve these positive outcomes for children and families, we require a shared commitment from all partners to build on existing strengths and move the recommended priorities forward.”

Nakiema Palmer, Director Early Years and Child Care, Peel Region

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About Peel Region

In 2024, Peel Region marks its 50th anniversary. Peel Region works with residents and partners to create a healthy, safe, and connected Community for Life for approximately 1.5 million people and over 200,000 businesses in Brampton, Mississauga and Caledon. Peel’s services touch the lives of residents every day. For more information explore peelregion.ca and follow us on X @regionofpeel and Instagram @peelregion.ca.

The City is reviewing ways to give residents more flexibility to build semi-detached and smaller detached homes in residential neighbourhoods.