Mississauga is pressing the Ontario government to reverse its decision to delay, by a full year, the city's takeover of regional roads and related stormwater infrastructure from Peel Region.

Under the Peel Transition Implementation Act, 2025 (Bill 45), which received royal assent on Dec. 11, Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon are each to take over services the region now delivers. Regional roads and their stormwater infrastructure were originally scheduled to move to the three municipalities on July 1, 2026.

The province revealed the change on Dec. 19. In a decision notice posted on the Environmental Registry of Ontario on Dec. 23, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing said the minister intends to make a regulation moving the roads transfer to July 1, 2027. The same notice sets Oct. 1, 2027 as the transfer date for waste collection.

City says it was not consulted

In a Dec. 22 letter to Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Rob Flack, Mayor Carolyn Parrish said she was "disappointed" by the decision and that the city had not been asked for its views before it was made.

Neither our council nor staff were consulted on this proposed and significant change.

— Carolyn Parrish, Mayor of Mississauga, in a letter to Minister Rob Flack

Parrish wrote that Mississauga is "fully confident" it will deliver "more efficient operations and maintenance" once the roads are under its control, and she asked the minister directly: "we request this recent decision be reconsidered." Brampton and Caledon are affected by the same delay, since all three municipalities were set to take over their regional roads on the same date.

Which roads would change hands

The regional roads that would come under city control include Airport Road, Derry Road, Britannia Road, Dixie Road, Cawthra Road, Finch Avenue, Mavis Road, Winston Churchill Boulevard, The Queensway and Erin Mills Parkway.

With the transition of regional roads, the city will now maintain all roads within its boundaries. This change will create clarity for residents and streamline the maintenance of these roadways, saving taxpayers money.

— City of Mississauga

What happens next

The delay was expected to be discussed by councillors and senior city staff at Wednesday's general committee meeting at City Hall. Bill 45 does not separate Mississauga from Peel Region. Instead, it shifts specific services, including regional roads and waste collection, from the region to its three member municipalities, with the final transfer dates set by provincial regulation.