5 most read news stories in Mississauga in 2022
Published December 28, 2022 at 12:40 pm
As we entered 2022 still dealing with the pandemic, Mississauga residents looked forward to getting back to normal life.
But the easing up of lockdown restrictions came with some issues. When it came to travel, people faced difficulty getting travel documents. And as people returned to work hundreds got rid of their so-called “pandemic pets.”
The most-read news stories reflect what Mississauga residents were concerned about as we slowly emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here are the most-read news stories on insauga.com in Mississauga for 2022 (not including police and Pearson Airport stories – they have their own lists):
5) Hundreds of people are returning their pets in Mississauga
As pandemic restrictions eased this year, people started to go back to activities and events. This meant, for some people, less time for the pets that kept them company during lockdowns.
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In July, the City of Mississauga said pet surrenders “dramatically increased in the last few months.” Rabbits were a particular issue with “an uptick in rabbits being abandoned outside or dropped off at the Mississauga Animal Services shelter.”
The Mississauga Humane Society also saw about a 50 per cent increase in calls to surrender compared to pre-COVID time. While some people surrendered their pets because they are no longer working from home, others were struggling with rising costs.
4) Mississauga is the 2nd most expensive city in North America to live in
As people across Canada and beyond faced high inflation this year, a study in June found Mississauga was the second most expensive city in North America to live in.
Canadian insurance provider PolicyAdvisor, looked at the 10 most populous cities in each of Canada and the U.S., comparing the average cost of eight common necessities, items and services: a restaurant meal, a bottle of water, a cinema ticket, a cappuccino, one-month gym membership, a one-way transit ticket, a monthly transit pass and one month’s rent.
What makes Mississauga so unaffordable, the study suggested, was the average net salary of residents in Canada’s seventh-largest city.
3) Mississauga issues $2 billion in building permits as new housing construction hits 30-year high
The number of new housing units under construction across Mississauga hit the highest it’s been in 30 years.
City officials issued 4,120 building permits in 2021, with a total construction value of $2.09 billion. That dollar figure represents a 36 per cent increase from 2020, the onset of the pandemic, when 3,709 permits worth $1.4 billion in construction value were delivered.
2) Massive passport lineup wraps around the entire mall in Mississauga
After more than a year of travel restrictions due to the global pandemic, people were anxious to start travelling again. But Passport Canada wasn’t quite ready for the influx of people looking to get out of the country.
Huge line ups at Mississauga’s lone passport office were a daily event shortly after the Canadian government lifted COVID-19 air travel restrictions on April 1.
1) PHOTOS: The storm’s path of destruction in Mississauga, Brampton and Hamilton
On May 21, a fierce storm ripped through Mississauga and southern Ontario splitting trees in half and downing power lines. Thousands went without power.
Sadly six people died during the storm, including a Brampton woman in her 70s who was killed after a large tree fell and struck her as she was out walking in the Belmont Drive and Birchbank Road area of Brampton.
The storm also caused property damage to homes and vehicles.
