George Carlson

COUNCILLOR WARD 11 NEWS

SPRING SUMMER 2015

george.carlson@mississauga.ca

905-896-5011

georgecarlson.ca

ActiveAssist Program Expanded

Mississaugas ActiveAssist Fee Assistance Program has been expanded to allow
2,500 more low-income households to register and participate.
ActiveAssist provides eligible low-income households a fee credit of $275 per
person, per year. The credit can be applied to activities such as swimming, skating, fitness, and summer camps. Participants have one year from the date of
activation to use their fee credit. To be eligible for fee assistance, you must meet
the Low-Income Cut Offs (LICO) established by Statistics Canada and be unable
to pay for recreation programs and services. Highlights of the ActiveAssist program since its inception include:
More than 42,000 residents have been approved to access the program
80 per cent of participants are children and youth, three per cent are older
adults
During five years of the program, 63 per cent of all subsidies were used for
registered programs and 37 per cent were used to purchase memberships
and visits
In fall 2014, the program was expanded to provide access for Children in
Care (Peel Childrens Aid Society)

Applications for ActiveAssist may be made in person at any City of Mississauga

Community Centre or the Customer Service Centre located at Mississauga Central
Library, Ground Floor. For more information and a complete listing of all recreation programs, visit www.mississauga.ca/activeassist or call905-615-4100.

New Investments in Public Transit

I am pleased to report that the City of Mississauga and
the Government of Canada have invested a total of
$110,400,000 in improving public transit services, as
part of the Gas Tax Fund. This investment was used to
increase the MiWay fleet with new buses featuring state-ofthe-art transit technologies.
Since 2009, the City has purchased a total of 168 new
buses, replacing 112 older vehicles and increasing its
fleet to meet the demand and growing needs of residents
and visitors. The new accessible, low floor, kneeling buses
are equipped with ramps that allow passengers to board
and exit the bus with ease. Voice and visual stop announcement systems call out and display pre-recorded
stop information onboard, alerting passengers of the next
stop. Meanwhile, buses also feature external audio-visual
displays announcing the route name, number, and direction, to help ensure that all customers have access to the
information they require. These features are especially
beneficial for riders with visual or hearing impairments.
For more information about MiWay transit, please visit
MiWays customer website at www.miway.ca.

SPRING SUMMER 2015

COUNCILLOR WARD 11 NEWS

2015 City and Region Budgets

The 2015 City and Region budgets have been approved by
Budget Committee and Council. This year, residents will see
a 2.2 per cent increase on their total tax bill. This means an
increase of $92 on a home assessed at $479,000 or $19.30
per $100,000 of assessment. The 2015 City budget includes
a $694.8 million operating budget, which is used to deliver
services like transit; parks; forestry; recreation; roads and
stormwater management; and fire and emergency services.
The 2015 City budget also includes a $195.2 million capital
budget, which supports transportation projects like the new
Transitway; road and bridge rehabilitation; and other infrastructure projects, like park facilities and storm drainage. The
City budget ensures that services will be improved and important investments will be made in public transit, recreation
centres, and neighbourhood safety. Some highlights of the
2015 budget include:

Transit services are increasing to meet the growing demand. MiWay will add 41,000 service hours and new
express routes along the Mississauga Transitway.
Capital projects like the Meadowvale Community Centre
renovation will continue to improve recreation and community services.
The Mississauga Library system will receive increases in
funding for library collections.
An Advanced Transportation Management System
(ATMS) will make the Citys traffic control system more
efficient and responsive to changing traffic conditions.
The two per cent Capital Infrastructure and Debt Repayment Levy will help the City pay for its infrastructure.
The City needs about $128 million per year. Current
sources of funding, including property taxes, reserve
funds, and gas taxes, will still leave the City short about
$60 million.
City staff identified $6.2 million in savings for 2015
through efficiencies. These savings have ensured that
costs to maintain existing service levels remain below the
rate of inflation.

New Standards for Leash

Free Zones in Mississauga

City Council recently approved changes to Mississaugas Leash-Free

Zones to keep them safe for users. Anyone walking more than four
dogs at one time, up to a limit of eight dogs, in one of Mississaugas
Leash-Free Zones, will need to apply for a permit from the City of
Mississauga. This permit must be visible while using any Mississauga Leash-Free Zones. The Dog Walker Permit Fee will be $250,
with a $50 charge for each additional dog walker. The new Dog
Walker Permit Fee will take effect this spring.
Leash-Free Zones in City parks began in 1997. There are presently
7 Leash-Free Zones in Mississauga. Leash-Free Zones are maintained by Leash-Free Mississauga (LFM), a non-profit organization
established in 1997. To find a dog park in your area, please visit
www.mississauga.ca/parks.

The Regions budget includes an operating budget of $2 billion and a capital budget of $0.4 billion. The current budget
provides resources to support day-to-day operations. The
capital budget provides resources to acquire, improve or maintain land, buildings, roads, watermains, pumping stations,
machinery and equipment; to install computer software; and
to conduct studies relating to corporate assets. The 2015 Region of Peel budget provides funding to support the following
regional services:

17,000 Ontario Works cases per month

583,000 accessible transportation trips
20,716 social housing units/beds/homes
7,800 subsidized child care spaces provided annually,
1,427 which are reserved for children with special needs
1,655.5-lane kilometres of roads, 172 structures and 452
signalized intersections
More than 500,000 tonnes of waste managed per year
Provide 703 beds, including four temporarybeds, in five
long term care homes
50,000 children are offered dental screening annually,
11,000 of whom are in need of urgent treatment
663 million litres per day of wastewater collected and
treated
608 million litres per day of municipal water treated,
transmitted, and distributed
19,500 more Regionally controlled trips for accessible
transportation services
Additional 2,555 paramedic service hours to address an
increase in 9-1-1 calls
300 additional child care subsidies
100 additional housing rent subsidies

For more information about the 2015 City and Region budgets, please visit www.mississauga.ca/budget, as well as
www.peelregion.ca.

Mississauga among
Safest Cities in Canada
Mississauga has been named one of the safest cities in Canada
for the 15th consecutive year, based on research conducted by
Safe City Mississauga. Mississaugas communities and neighbourhoods are among the safest in the country, which makes
our city a great place in which to live, raise a family, or start
a business. I routinely work with City of Mississauga By-law
Staff, Peel Regional Police, and Safe City Mississauga to keep
our parks, streets, and schools safe for everyone, and I am very
proud that Mississauga has been recognized yet again as being
one of our countrys safest cities, said Councillor George Carlson.
Each year, Safe City Mississauga releases its Safest Cities
Report, which provides information about crime and safety
within Mississauga. The report looks at crime rates and statistics; analyses of crime rates and the severity of crimes in Mississauga; and comparisons to other Canadian cities. The Safest
Cities Report looked at crime data from 2013 and revealed
that Mississauga continues to have among the lowest crime
rates among large cities in Canada and a crime rate lower than
that for the nation as a whole. In 2013, Mississauga had an
overall crime rate of 2,270 per 100,000 people, which represented a 12.1% decrease from 2012s crime rate of 2,582 per
100,000 people. The majority of these incidents fell under the
category of property crime (68.5%) followed by crimes against
persons (18.9%) and other Criminal Code offences (12.6%).
2013 represented another year of declining crime rates and a
decrease in the severity index for Mississauga. Mississaugas
comparatively low rate of crime indicates that it remains one of
the safest cities in Canada when compared to other high-density cities. If you would like to view the Safest Cities Report,
please visit www.safecitymississauga.on.ca.

SPRING SUMMER 2015

2015 Bread & Honey Festival

Spring is here, and I know you and your family are excited for the
one and only Bread & Honey Festival! The 2015 Bread & Honey
Festival will be held during the weekend of June 5th to June 7th. The
43rd annual festival promises to be the very best yet, with a spectacular lineup of performers and exciting activities for the whole family.
There is so much fun to be had at this years festival, so be sure to
head over to Streetsville Memorial Park to join in on the fun, including the Bread & Honey parade, carnival rides, games, and the delicious bread and honey. This year, the parade takes place on Saturday, June 6th, from 10am to 12pm, along Queen Street South, from
Britannia Road down to Church Street, so be sure to catch the great
floats, characters, and costumes. Highlights of this years festival include the petting zoo, magicians, carnival, beach volleyball, as well
as phenomenal entertainment and band performances on the main
stage!

While you are at the Bread & Honey, dont forget to check out the
Streetsville Rotary Consumer market at Vic Johnston Community
Centre, with over 100 vendors. The Streetsville Rotary Clubs annualPancake Breakfast will take place on Sunday, June 7th in the
Banquet Hall ofthe Vic Johnston Community Centre, and all funds
raised will support Easter Seals. Across the bridge--on the island-explore a wide variety of craft vendors while the kids can enjoy pony
rides, face painting, inflatable bouncers, free train rides, and the
entertaining performers on the Busy Bee Childrens Island Stage.

The festival wouldnt be complete without the Bread & Honey booth,
so dont forget to stop by to sample the fluffy white or whole-wheat
bread coated with local honey. For the fishing enthusiasts out there,
head down to the banks of the Credit River on Sunday (south of the
Island Bridge) from 9-11am for my annual FREE Fishing Derby.
The derby is open to children 16 and under. Please bring your own
fishing gear, and get ready to fish for great prizes! For more information about the festival, visit www.breadandhoney.com. I look forward to seeing you and your family at the Bread & Honey this year!

COUNCILLOR WARD 11 NEWS

2015 Streetsville Canada Day

Celebration

The 2015 Streetsville Canada Day celebration will be held on

Wednesday, July 1, 2015. This is the 23rd annual Canada Day
celebration in Streetsville, and it will feature an amazing fireworks
display and fun activities, games, and performances for everyone!
The Streetsville Canada Day celebration is FREE of charge, and will
begin at 6pm on the brand new Streetsville Village Square, so make
sure you and your family dont miss the spectacular 2015 celebration!
Children can enjoy fun and exciting activities, including balloon
animals; face painting; carnival games; mascots; clowns; craft
tables; painting and artwork stations; and more! Check out the
spectacular live musical and dance performances on the main stage
and make sure you grab a delicious bite to eat at the Rotary BBQ. At
7pm, join in for the Lions Club Cake cutting and greetings from our
local politicians. At 9:30pm, catch the Streetsville Pipes and Drums
as they march everyone down to Streetsville Memorial Park for an
outstanding fireworks display at 10pm.
The success of Streetsvilles Canada Day celebration can be attributed to the great work of our community volunteers. They contribute so much to the success of the event each year. If you would like
to volunteer at the 2015 celebration, please contact the Streetsville
B.I.A. at 905-858-5974 or e-mail info@villageofstreetsville.com.
For more information, please visit www.villageofstreetsville.com.
See you on July 1st!

Lets Play in the Park

Program Returns to Ward 11
I am very pleased to report that the Lets Play in the Park recreation program will be returning to Ward 11 again this summer. The
Lets Play in the Park program will give children between the ages
of 6 and 12 the chance to play in the park with trained leaders each
weekday during the summer. Children will be able to participate in
a variety of organized games, sports, arts, drama, crafts, and nature
skills activities. This program will be offered across Mississauga, in
City parks where children can easily walk or cycle and that have sufficient green space for recreation activities.
Last year, this recreation program was offered at Neebin Park and
was very popular in the community and greatly enjoyed by all of the
children who participated. There were 800 visits to the program
throughout the summer last year, and even more visitors are expected again this year. This is a great program that is free of charge
and will get your children moving, so dont forget to bring them over
to Neebin Park for some fun this summer! Neebin Park is located
at 635 Kaiser Dr. For more information about this program, please
visit www.mississauga.ca/play.

SPRING SUMMER 2015

COUNCILLOR WARD 11 NEWS

Village Square
Official Opening
Celebration

Natural Ice Rink at Pathfinder Way Park

I am very pleased to share with you a Ward 11 communitys great experience with the Citys
Natural Ice Rink Program. Last December, the families who live near Pathfinder Way Park,
close to Falconer Drive, thought about how great it would be for their community to have
a natural ice rink in the park for everyone to enjoy and decided to participate in the Citys
Natural Ice Rink Program.
The Citys Natural Ice Rink Program works with community volunteers to provide safe and
well-equipped natural ice rinks to promote and support outdoor recreation opportunities in
Mississauga. The City provides rink boards, rink hut, and shovels to assist with creating a
natural ice rink, while volunteers flood the rink and provide day to day maintenance. The
community was able to participate in the program and worked with City Parks Staff to create
a safe and enjoyable natural rink for everyone in the community to enjoy.
This past winter, the community really put their great new community ice rink to good use,
and the kids even enjoyed 2 hours of skating every day, after their homework was finished
of course! Next winter, consider bringing some great outdoor recreation to your community
by participating in the Natural Ice Rink Program. For more information about this great
program, please call 3-1-1.

New Energy Conservation Plan

As a municipality, the City of Mississauga is
committed to being a leader in green initiatives that conserve and protect our environment. To this end, the City just released its
most recent 5 Year Energy Conservation Plan
(2014-2019), which includes new ways to
conserve energy, and help reduce our electricity and fossil fuel related emissions. This years
plan targets a 1% reduction in energy use and
Greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) per year for
facilities, over the next five years. Under the
5 Year Energy Conservation Plan, the City will
meet its conservation targets by:

Re-commissioning facilities (i.e. ensuring

that the design and operation of a building are in sync and working efficiently);
Performing a City-wide energy audit (visiting the majority of facilities to review
equipment, such as HVAC and lighting,
and determine where energy efficiency
can be improved);
Implementing newer and broader energy
efficiency measures; and
Increasing and promoting energy awareness.

Since 2001, the City has implemented two

successful Energy Conservation Plans, which
have gone a long way towards preserving, protecting, and conserving our natural environment. In 2013, the City used over 206 million

equivalent kilowatt hours (e-kWh) of electricity and natural gas in facilities (e.g. City-owned
and operated buildings) and operations (e.g.
energy use in parks, street lighting, and traffic
signals). This was equivalent to the amount of
energy used in over 16,500 homes, and energy
consumption was down 6% from 2011 levels.
GHG emissions from City facilities and operations were over 27,500 tonnes in 2013, which
was down 8.7% from 2011. This decrease in
GHG emissions was equivalent to the emissions from approximately 5,400 cars!
In 2013, the savings from completed energy
measures reached 4,855 MWh of electricity
and 471,000 m3 of natural gas. By 2019, with
additional improvements, these annual savings are expected to increase to 9,100 MWh
and 749,000 m3. Reduced usage has translated into significant cost savings. From 2004
through 2013, the energy measures completed
have saved an estimated $3.9 million. By
2019, the total savings from energy measures
should exceed the total investments in those
measures. Also by 2019, the GHG reductions
from energy measures are expected to reach
2,290 tonnes per year, more than double
the Citys reductions from 2012 and almost
a fourfold improvement in 10 years (from
2009)! For more information, please visit
www.mississauga.ca/livinggreen.

Important Numbers
Aircraft Noise Complaints 416-247-7682
Animal Services
905-896-5858
City (after hours)
905-615-3000
Courtneypark Library
905-615-4745
Catholic School Board
905-890-1221
Enersource (Hydro)
905-273-9050
GO Transit
416-869-3200
Health Line Peel
905-799-7700
Ambulance 905-844-4242
Mississauga Fire
905-615-3777
MiWay Transit
905-615-4636
Park Lights (City)
3-1-1
Parking Control
3-1-1
Public School Bd.
905-890-1010

Peel Regional Police

Poison Control Centre
Recreation & Parks
Region of Peel
River Grove CC
Safe City Mississauga
Snow Removal
Streetlights (Enersource)
Streetsville B.I.A.
Streetsville Library
Transhelp
Vic Johnston CC
Waste Management
Water Billing

905-453-3311
416-813-5900
905-615-4100
905-791-7800
905-615-4780
905-615-6272
905-615-7669
905-566-2718
905-858-5974
905-615-4785
905-791-1015
905-826-3011
905-791-9499
905-791-8711

The City of Mississauga will be organizing

a special Official Opening Celebration to
mark the opening of the Streetsville Village
Square to the community. The Streetsville
Village Square Official Opening Celebration
festivities will be held during the weekend
of the spectacular Bread & Honey Festival,
which takes place June 5th to 7th. The Official Opening celebrations will begin with
a FREE two-hour performance by Johnny
Max at the Village Square on Friday, June
5th, from 7pm to 9pm.
The Official Opening Ceremony will be held
on Saturday, June 6th, at the Village Square,
from 12pm-12:30pm, following the Bread &
Honey parade. After the opening ceremony,
dont forget to catch the great live bands
performing at the Village Square until 3pm,
as well as buskers and entertainment for
everyone.
Please note that the following road closures
will be in effect to accommodate the weekend festivities:

Main Street, between Queen Street and

Church Street, Friday at 4pm to Sunday
at 5pm
Church Street, between Main Street
and Old Pine Street , Saturday 1pm to
3pm

I am also very pleased to report that City

Council approved a new events committee
and by-law changes that will bring Streetsville Village Square to life with community
programs and events.
Streetsville Village Square will attract many
new exciting activities and be a great location to expand and host our traditional
events such as Canada Day, Remembrance
Day, and the Bread and Honey Festival,
said Ward 11 Councillor George Carlson.
No matter what time of year, the new
square is a welcoming place, attractive meeting place and focal point for the Streetsville
community. We are looking forward to
celebrating our communitys diversity and
hosting fitness, music, art, dance activities,
and events for residents of all ages to enjoy.
The new community based committee, led
by the Streetsville Business Improvement
Area (BIA) and City of Mississauga staff,
is responsible for assessing and approving
event and activity requests. It also includes
representatives from the Streetsville Legion,
Main Street businesses, Peel Regional Police
and the not-for-profit community base in
Streetsville. For more information about
the Streetsville Village Square Event Committee, contact Angela Trewartha, General
Manager, Streetsville BIA,at 905-858-5974
or angela@villageofstreetsville.com.