City of Mississauga – Municipal Government – How it Works

Four levels of government provide different services to people and businesses in Canada.

The municipal level of government is closest to residents, their daily lives and quality of life.

The City of Mississauga is at the municipal level of government and oversees various municipal level services for Mississauga residents and businesses.

The City of Mississauga is responsible for delivering, planning, providing and paying for these services.

City Council’s Role

Mississauga City Council represents and serves the people and businesses of Mississauga at the municipal level of government.

To do this, Council follows rules set by the Provincial Government called the Municipal Act. The Municipal Act sets out rules and gives municipalities (cities) the ability to pass by-laws (local laws for Mississauga) and govern within their boundaries.

The Mayor is the Head of Municipal Council and Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation that presides over Council meetings and provides leadership to Council.

Ward Councillors represent residents from their Wards on Council and other Committee meetings. Any member of Council can be contacted with city-related concerns, ideas or feedback.

Council also make key decisions related to various aspects of the City, pass by-laws, create policies, approve budgets and direct/approve the types of programs and services the City will provide.

How Council Makes Decisions

City Council receives requests and recommendations for new projects, services or programs and by-laws, reports submitted by advisory committees, City staff and/or residents who speak at Council meetings during a deputation or public question period. When a request is received, Council will discuss it and make a decision or ask for more information.

Municipal by-laws are local public regulatory laws which apply in a certain area or the entire city. City of Mississauga by-laws are laws that apply only in Mississauga and govern many areas like traffic, taxes, fees and charges, building, zoning, business licensing, noise, parking, trees and much more. A current list of by-laws is available on mississauga.ca.

Council gets its authority (a form of delegated legislation) to pass laws through the Municipal Act that specifies what things the City may regulate through by-laws. Once Council has made a decision about a request, they implement their decisions through the enactment of as either a by-law or a corporate policy.

How You Can Participate

Residents can make a difference and have a positive impact in their community. Residents have knowledge of daily issues and concerns as they live, work or volunteer in Mississauga and receive services.  Changes to policies, by-laws and services can be requested to improve the quality of life in Mississauga.  Requests can be made to Council through committee meetings, petitions, community meetings.  At meetings, residents can appear before Council to be heard, make requests and have an impact on how decisions and policies are made. When making requests it is important to clearly state what the request is and why it is important. It is helpful to give concrete examples of the problem and/or proposed solution. The City has various committees to address various matters of City business and operations.

Council and Committee Meetings 

Council Meetings: Council Meetings are a committee of the whole, meaning all members of Council sit on Council.  At City Council meetings Council is responsible for setting the policies of the Corporation. Council considers, finalizes and approves recommendations made by various committees (including General Committee). Methods of ratification or confirmation are by-laws and resolutions. Special Council meetings may be called by the Mayor or upon the request of the majority of members of Council when they are needed. Special meetings of Council have been held for matters such as the Ice Storm and other time sensitive items requiring Council approval.

General Committee: General Committee is a committee that meets regularly and is made up of members of Mississauga City Council. As the name implies this committee considers matters of business presented from all City departments and/or advisory committees of Council, with the exception of planning matters that are covered by the City’s Planning and Development Committee. Recommendations made by General Committee are forwarded to Council Meetings for final consideration, adoption and implementation. The role of chair of General Committee meetings is rotated amongst all Councillors. This committee meets on a two-week interval. Please refer to Council and Committee Calendar for dates.

Planning and Development Committee: Planning and Development Committee is made up of 10 members of Council and its main responsibility is to fulfil the requirements of the Planning Act by providing an opportunity for the public to express their views on planning-related policies and development applications. The Committee also considers planning related policies and conditions under which site-specific development can occur. Recommendations made by the Planning and Development Committee are forwarded to Council for consideration and adoption.

Other Committees: The Mayor and City Councillors are members of various committees that are formed to get feedback from the appointed members of the public on important specific issues such as accessibility, public vehicles and traffic safety. Recommendations made by committees are presented to City Council to discuss and make a decision. Advisory committees have Council members and citizens as members. Citizen members on committees have the same four-year term as the Mayor and Councillors. If you live in Mississauga you can apply to join an advisory committee as a citizen member and get involved with the City and make a difference.

How to make a request or present information

You may choose from various ways ask questions or make requests or present information to Mississauga City Council.

Public Question Period

The public may attend a meeting in person to ask a question about an item on the current agenda during the Question Period portion of the meeting. Each speaker has a five-minute speaking limit.

Deputation

If you wish to address Council or a Committee of Council and make your views known on a particular issue, you may request the opportunity by completing a Request To Speak at Council and Committees of Council Form Any person wishing to address Council or General Committee on a matter shall submit a request to the Clerk by 4  p.m. eight business days prior to the meeting at which the person desires to be heard, stating the nature of the business to be discussed.

Petition

Petitions are used to express public opinion to City Council. A petition is a written request signed by residents of the City of Mississauga which is presented to City Council. Petitions that meet all the legislative requirements can be used to request City Council to take action on a specific issue. Each petition must be submitted to the City Clerk no later than 4:30 p.m. on the Monday of the week preceding the Council meeting; otherwise the petition will be included on the next available Council agenda. Download Form

Correspondence

The public may submit a letter to the Clerk’s Office: city.clerk@mississauga.ca  or City Clerk’s Office, Mississauga Civic Centre, Office of the City Clerk, 300 City Centre Dr. Mississauga, ON, L5B 3C1 for potential inclusion on the public agenda regarding an agenda item. Written comments are considered with the same weight as verbal submissions.

Council and Committee Videos

Watch videos of Council, General Committee, Budget Committee, Planning & Development Committee, Audit Committee, Governance Committee and Committee of Adjustment meetings, when in session or as archived on the City’s website.

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