6 reasons why Downtown Mississauga is the future of urban living

Once known as a suburb next to Toronto, Mississauga has transformed over the years into having its own unique downtown core, with exponential growth on the rise for urban living. 

The plan for Downtown Mississauga is the largest mixed-use downtown development in Canadian history, and the transformation has already begun.

From business opportunities to local hidden gems, Downtown Mississauga attracts over 25 million annual shopping visitors and is home to over 1,100 businesses (and growing). The population is expected to grow, along with the number of buildings, by 2 times the amount within the next 20 years.

Here are six reasons why Downtown Mississauga (1) is urban living and (2) is bringing residents and businesses a future of unlimited possibility.

1. It’s a place of celebration 

With amazing amenities and event spaces already available, the downtown core will continue to up the ante around these spaces. 

Celebration Square: Attracting over 750,000 visitors each year, Celebration Square is known for hosting a variety of events, concerts and more – most of which are free. Each year, from June to October, Celebration Square hosts a large farmer’s market, and in the winter months it offers a massive space for outdoor skating.

Theatre & Cinema: The Living Arts Centre is Downtown Mississauga’s arts and culture facility welcoming more than 400,000 visitors and hosts annually. It offers three theatres, seven visual art studios, 12 meeting rooms and a restaurant – perfect for booking meetings and company events. Close by is Cineplex Cinemas, a movie theatre offering great family entertainment through 13 big screens.

Public art and galleries: Find vast amounts of temporary and permanent public art collections scattered throughout Downtown Mississauga, bringing public facilities and spaces to life. There is also the Art Gallery of Mississauga which hosts work from regional, national and international artists. 

2. It’s a place you can learn and grow 

Downtown Mississauga is home to more than 6,200 students and offers more than 40 programs relevant to many different industries with two post-secondary campuses. Not to mention, both institutions are close to amenities and transit for students. 

Sheridan College (Hazel McCallion Campus): One of Ontario’s leading post-secondary institutions. Nationally and internationally recognized for excellence in business, digital media and communications, performing arts, visual arts and design, applied computing and engineering sciences, and community service studies.

Mohawk College (Mississauga Campus): Offers students a broad range of post-secondary, continuing education, apprenticeship, community based, and online programs. Partnered with triOS College, they plan to deliver future ready programs at the Mississauga Campus.

3. It’s a place you can gather

With Square One Shopping Centre easily accessible, and a variety of parks surrounding the Downtown area, there is no shortage of places to get together. 

Square One Shopping Centre: Canada’s 2nd largest shopping centre, attracting over 25 million shopping visits annually. Taking a lunch break, or running errands after work has never been easier with over 300 stores and eateries available.

Parks and trails: There is more than 3,100 hectares (12 miles) of parkland and other open space within the downtown core, attributing its uses to leading edge sports facilities, beautiful gardens, multi-use trail and pathway systems, significant natural areas and heritage sites. One of Mississauga’s hidden gems is Kariya Park, a Japanese garden popular for its blooming cherry blossoms in the springtime.

Restaurants and eateries: People can find food from any culture in Downtown Mississauga, as there are over 140 restaurants and cafes to choose from… Including the Food District! There are also many places that offer a great atmosphere through patios, live music and happy hour specials. 

4. It’s a central place with connections to get you across the region

Getting to where you need to go has never been easier with Mississauga’s robust transit system.

Light Rail Transit (LRT) Hazel McCallion Line: One of the largest and most anticipated projects; the new 18-kilometre LRT will begin operating in Fall 2024 and benefit many communities. This line will ensure a smooth, fast, convenient ride between Mississauga and Brampton, by-passing traffic and connecting major transit systems (GO Transit, the Mississauga Transitway, Brampton Transit, ZUM and MiWay).

City Centre Transit Terminal / Square One GO Bus Terminal: The City Centre Transit Terminal and Square One GO Bus Terminal are the busiest terminals in Mississauga. Over 900 buses and 40,000 customers pass through these terminals every day, connecting riders to destinations in and out of Mississauga.

Highway access: Downtown Mississauga offers quick access to seven major highways. People can hop on Highway 403 that connects Highway 410 and the QEW with Highway 401, all of which provides an east/west highway link through Mississauga.

Walking/Cycling: There are numerous amenities within walking or cycling distance across the Downtown core. With a walkability score of 84 and an extensive cycling network, the City continues to make improvements to ensure optimal accessibility through different safety protocols, dedicated lanes, pathways and facilities.

5. It is a place of innovation

Downtown Mississauga is home to a cluster of innovation assets to support entrepreneurs and scale-up businesses. Combined with an education and industry presence, the Downtown is an ideal place for entrepreneurs and high growth businesses to transform and grow

IDEA Square One:  The City of Mississauga will open its first innovation hub, IDEA Square One in February 2022.  Located in Square One Shopping Centre, the innovation space will include co-working space, along with rentable or bookable offices, boardrooms and event spaces. Business experts and mentors, staff and representatives of other innovation programs will offer a range of services to support business start-up and scale-up.

Sheridan EDGE: A facility aimed at helping purpose–driven entrepreneurs and social enterprises. Sheridan EDGE provides mentorship, co-working space and funding to launch and accelerate social ventures.

Mississauga Board of Trade (MBOT): Through advocating on different policies and business-related issues, the MBOT is an association dedicated to helping Mississauga’s business community by listening to their concerns and giving them a voice. 

The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC): is another asset in the downtown for innovators in Mississauga. BDC is responsible for assisting small-medium sized enterprises in securing financing – one of the most difficult parts of the innovative process.

Maker Mississauga (Makerspaces): Scheduled to reopen in 2023, the newly renovated Hazel McCallion Central Library system will offer Makerspaces throughout the city, and in the library itself. These spaces are designed to support small business, innovative endeavors, and creative projects through giving people access to 3D Printing, Handicraft, Digital Filmmaking, Coding and Robotics and more.

6. It is a place for business investment

With growth happening at an exponential rate, the population of Downtown Mississauga is expected to grow by 118% in the next 30 years.

Office development and commercial opportunities: Currently there are over 1,150 businesses employing over 23,500 people, making the downtown core home to a large business community that is continuously growing. Looking ahead, the City has over 18 million square feet of development planned and expects the number of office and commercial buildings to grow by twice the amount.

As the City continues to undergo its major transformation, it will soon become the number one spot for people and businesses to thrive. With so much to see and do in Downtown Mississauga, there is a place for everyone to celebrate, learn and grow, gather, connect, innovate and invest. 

For more information about the new Downtown Mississauga and its plan, please visit their website. You can also follow the City’s social channels – Twitter and LinkedIn, and subscribe to the e-newsletter for more updates.