Mississauga's mayoral race centers on property taxes and affordability as 1 in 17 residents use food banks

Mississauga's mayoral race sharpened around property taxes and cost of living Thursday in a 90-minute CityNews debate, with candidates offering competing visions on how to address a deepening affordability crisis in the city.

Incumbent mayor Bonnie Crombie faced off against former three-term mayor Dipika Damerla, councillors Alvin Tedjo and Carolyn Parrish, moderated by CityNews' Mark McAllister. The debate came as a Canada Pulse Insights poll commissioned for reporting found affordability and cost of living topped residents' priorities at 45 per cent — far ahead of other issues on a list of 22. The urgency is real: 1 in 17 Mississauga residents is using a food bank, and more are relying on food bank support for prolonged periods.

Crombie pointed to her record on taxes. She noted that under her administration, taxes rose 15 per cent over two years but broke down the increases: 10 per cent last year and 5.5 per cent this year. "All three of them — all three [current councillors] — voted for the budget. They voted for 1.7 per cent at the city level," Crombie said, defending the city's spending decisions. She cited an average tax increase of 3.4 per cent annually over her nine years in office, and outlined plans to create more purpose-built rental properties at affordable rates. Average rent in Mississauga now sits at $2,700.

Damerla campaigned on freezing property taxes next year and keeping them as low as possible afterward. "City hall directly controls property taxes and user fees that residents pay," Damerla said. She also proposed creating an ecosystem of startups and new businesses to attract investment and protect jobs from tariff impacts.

Tedjo emphasized direct support for vulnerable residents. As a councillor, Tedjo introduced free transit fares for children and new utility rate cuts for seniors and low-income households. His plan includes freezing property taxes for a minimum of two years, extending the freeze longer if possible, and permanently deferring seniors' property taxes until the sale of their home.

Parrish acknowledged the competing pressures but was incomplete in the provided remarks. She noted it would be nice to freeze taxes across the board and flagged rising fuel costs and increasing city operating expenses.