Mississauga will not hire an independent auditor general for now. Instead, General Committee voted Wednesday to expand the city's existing internal audit division so it can carry out value-for-money audits.

The decision followed deputations from about 10 residents and community representatives, most of whom spoke in favour of an independent watchdog. Speakers from the Lisgar Residents Association, the Applewood Hills and Heights Residents' Association, the Park Royal Community Association and MIRANET, a network of resident groups, were among those who urged the city to create the role or delay the vote.

What the committee approved

Mayor Carolyn Parrish moved what the staff report called Option 2, with several additions. The motion:

  • adds two full-time positions to internal audit to conduct value-for-money audits, starting no later than Sept. 1, 2026

  • raises the internal audit budget for 2026 by $120,000, drawn from the city's fiscal stability reserve

  • adds two volunteer citizen members to the audit committee, to be appointed before the end of this term of council

  • lets members of the public file reports through the city's whistleblower portal

  • puts internal audit in charge of the whistleblower program, with reports to the audit committee on activity and savings

Staff are to report back by September 2026 on how the public-facing whistleblower program will work. The motion carried 7-0. Councillors Sue McFadden, Alvin Tedjo, Martin Reid and Brad Butt were absent.

Bids to delay fail

Ward 7 Councillor Dipika Damerla moved to defer the decision to an evening meeting on April 8 to allow for public consultation. That motion failed, as did a second Damerla motion to support a different option in the staff report.

Ward 6 Councillor Joe Horneck said the city should wait and see how Peel Region's new auditor general works before creating a similar role locally. Damerla told the meeting that Stavro Polis started as Peel's auditor general on March 2, and that the region's auditor could not be shared with the city.

Mayor Parrish, Ward 5 Councillor Natalie Hart and Ward 3 Councillor Chris Fonseca spoke in favour of the internal audit option. Ward 1 Councillor Stephen Dasko backed adding citizen members to the audit committee.

City manager Geoff Wright told the committee that an outside review of the options, as some speakers requested, would cost several hundred thousand dollars. Asked about savings, he said there are potential savings and avoided costs, but the exact amounts are not known.

The staff report came out of a motion by Fonseca that council passed on Jan. 28. Several speakers pointed to growing public interest in financial oversight during the 2026 budget process. The committee's recommendation still needs council's endorsement.