A New Mosque Could Be Coming to Mississauga

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Published June 26, 2019 at 2:55 am

muslimprayer

If you’ve driven east down Eglinton in Mississauga, you might have noticed a small, discreet single detached home as you approach the intersection with Tomken Road. The house doesn’t look like it’s occupied, but in front, there is a sign saying “Bab Ul Ilm – Bani Hashim Society”.

Located at 900 Eglinton Avenue East, the Bani Hashim Society is an Islamic centre that has been around since 1982 with hundreds of members, mostly migrants from Southeast Asia, Africa and other parts of the world who perform congregation, commemoration and celebration of various religious festivals.

The current site is also next to a Mr. Lube, the Battle Arts Academy martial arts school, various restaurants and other services. An amendment to the zoning bylaw would be required to permit a place of worship in this area.As seen in an application submitted to Mississauga’s planning committee, Bani Hashim is looking to expand their existing facility’s use. The development application submitted for the June 24 planning meeting is requesting permission to build “a place of religious assembly” as well as other employment uses.Bani Hashim also has a quick summary showing what they hope to put on the site. The area consists of 25,000 square feet spanning three floors with over 150 parking spots. The organization is asking for 1,000 families to donate $1,000 each for its construction, estimated to cost about $3.4 million.Other services Bani Hashim plans to provide include the following:The flyer also outlined how much was needed for specific rooms and amenities inside the new facility, such as:

  • $100,000 for a semi-circle roof top

  • $100,000 for two minars (the two tower like structures)

  • $150,000 for a cold storage room for dead bodies

  • $200,000 for an air conditioning system

  • $250,000 for two dining halls

  • $500,000 for a ladies hall


During the planning meeting on Monday, June 24, a woman named Martine cited her objections for the development application: increased traffic, safety concerns and congestion, saying that the traffic light at Tomken’s intersection with Canadian Place defaults to red, making it more difficult to enter and leave. 

She was also opposed to how “buildings were going up at an accelerated rate,” saying she also didn’t understand the rationale for another application for commercial buildings at the Eglinton intersection with Maingate, close to the Bani Hashim site.“People are getting meaner in Mississauga. There’s too much traffic; it’s too many buildings, so why more?”, Martine said. Andrew Whittemore, Mississauga’s chief planner, explained that provincial growth targets are passed down to municipalities and then from there the city has to decide where that growth within the city goes. 

Ward 3 Councillor Chris Fonseca questioned city staff about traffic, about access for children from the nearby Montessori school and raised some concerns about building happening on a flood plain. Fonseca said she was willing to meet with the resident and staff as no final decisions were going to be made yet.

What do you think of this new mosque possibly coming to the Tomken and Eglinton area of Mississauga?

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