Mississauga, July 4, 2012 - At today's Council meeting, the City of Mississauga's Forestry Section received approval to begin treatment to protect City-owned Ash trees from the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). Council also endorsed the 10-year EAB Active Management Plan in principle which will be subject to budget approval in the fall.
"By identifying and treating City-owned trees now, we are taking the first step in managing the spread of EAB throughout the City," said Gavin Longmuir, manager, Forestry. "With over 46,000 Ash trees located on City boulevards and in parks, our long-term plan addresses the need for ongoing management to preserve as many of our street and park Ash trees as possible."
The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is a highly destructive invasive insect that attacks and kills all species of ash trees native to North America. Since its introduction to North America in the early 1990s, EAB has quickly spread throughout southwestern Ontario and has been declared an invasive alien species by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and is therefore subject to quarantine.
The Toronto Star is reporting that "If Toronto says no (to a casino), Mississauga's eastern waterfront, along with Markham or Richmond Hill, has been identified by the OLG as the possible backup location, which would see a scaled-down version of what it's hoping to locate in Toronto."
"He (OLG Chair Paul Godfrey) visited me, it was just a friendly visit," McCallion said after the council meeting. "The explanation I got is it's not just a casino, it's a major, major entertainment complex to be operated privately."
According to the article,
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said she would leave it to the public, however did not feel a referendum was required.
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was quoted as saying "I can't imagine a worse idea than putting a casino on our waterfront."
MISSISSAUGA, May 9, 2012 - Today, City Council approved its first Communications Master Plan outlining how the City will communicate with its citizens over the next 10 years.
"This plan is about enhancing two-way communications with citizens who expect more and are engaged in new channels as never before, "says director of Communications Ivana Di Millo. "It not only establishes a new vision for how best to exchange information with the public, it also provides staff with a new communications framework and 40-action items that are aspirational and achievable."
Di Millo noted the Communications Master Plan was developed based on industry benchmarks, market research, and current communications trends, as well as substantial input from both internal and external stakeholders.
Based on the new framework, the Communications Division will be focusing on:
Public Relations - proactive corporate reputation building Citizen Engagement - interactive, two-way communications with stakeholders Business Intelligence - measuring the City's effectiveness in communications using formal research Communication Services - providing services the corporation needs such as creative design, writing, photography and video-graphy that is efficient and effective.
Deliverables include action items such as:
· managing more robust media relations and expanding into ethnic media relations;
· working collaboratively to develop a new brand strategy for the City;
· promoting accessibility and the use of plain language within the corporation to promote better understanding amongst all citizens;
· developing a Social Media Strategy;
· moving towards Government 2.0;
· developing a City App framework that includes a self-service 311 App for mobile devices; and
· developing a dashboard to measure communications effectiveness
"Citizens expect governments to be transparent and open in their communications. Our goal is to promote and enhance citizen participation in local government - both online and off and to develop a made-in-Mississauga communications plan that is aligned to the City's Strategic Plan, Business Plan and other City master plans," Di Millo said.
For more detailed information about the City's Communications Master Plan, please refer to the Executive Summary (see link) or contact Project Manager Sonja Banic at
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A draft of the new Port Credit Local Area Plan will be delivered to the community for review on April 25 at Clarke Hall. City planning staff will be on hand to explain the draft plan and the results of community consultations it includes. The policies included in the plan will protect and enhance Port Credit as an urban waterfront village.
"The draft area plan recognizes the unique characteristics of Port Credit," said John Calvert, Mississauga's director of Policy Planning. "The policies that are included in this plan reflect both good planning, as well as the needs and desires of the many people we spoke to in the community."
Local area plans have planning policies that address the needs of specific communities within Mississauga. They build on the Mississauga Official Plan, the collection of planning policies that apply to the entire city.
The draft area plan recognizes the need to protect and enhance the village character and the waterfronts of Lake Ontario and the Credit River while providing more diverse transportation options, parks and open spaces. Intensification will be focused in central Port Credit, along Lakeshore Road and in brownfield sites while ensuring stable neighbourhoods are preserved.
The Mississauga Official Plan and all local area plans support the City's Strategic Plan, a vision of Mississauga as a city of vibrant, connected communities.
Open House Information:
Date: April 25, 2012 Time: 2 to 5 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. (presentation at 7 p.m.) Location: Clarke Hall, 161 Lakeshore Road West (east of Mississauga Road)
MISSISSAUGA, March 7, 2012 - Mississauga's ninth accessibility plan outlines how the City will continue to improve services for people with disabilities from 2012 to 2017. The plan, which focuses on implementing a range of new provincial accessibility standards, was approved today by City Council.
"The City has been making great strides in improving accessibility over the past several years. Continuing this progress and meeting the new Ontario standards will be our focus for the next five years," said Diana Simpson, City accessibility coordinator. "Our goal has always been to continue to improve accessibility across the City."
The new accessibility plan was developed with the Accessibility Staff Working Group made up of staff from all departments, in consultation with the Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC). The AAC includes representatives from the disability community and stakeholder community groups, and two members of Council: Katie Mahoney, councillor Ward 8 and Pat Saito, councillor Ward 9.
The new standards, included in a new regulation made last year under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, include improvements to transportation, employment, information and communication activities as well as services the City delivers. It also requires updates to City policies to support the City's commitment to accessibility.
Background
On June 13, 2005 the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) was enacted. The AODA requires the development of accessibility standards with the goal of leading to an accessible Ontario by 2025.
Please visit www.mississauga.ca/portal/residents/accessibility for copies of the City's new accessibility plan. For more information please contact Diana Simpson at 905-615-3608, TTY 905-616-3411 or
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