Delay in transfer of regional roads to Mississauga would cost city $30M, mayor says

Mississauga’s mayor says the city will be out $30 million if the provincial government sticks with its plan to delay the transfer of responsibility for regional roads from Peel Region to the lower-tier municipalities by a year.

Mayor Carolyn Parrish expressed optimism last week the province might reverse course on a decision quietly made in mid-December to have Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon assume responsibility for regional roads and associated stormwater infrastructure on July 1, 2027 instead of this coming July.

She’d pinned hopes on a brief conversation with Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Rob Flack in which Parrish said he indicated he might revert to the 2026 transfer date given that Brampton was in agreement with Mississauga on the matter.

However, in a letter to Peel Region Chair Nando Iannicca dated Jan. 13, Flack said the province is sticking with its plan to delay the transfer by 12 months.

“I’m just so discouraged; I’m just not a happy camper,” Parrish said Wednesday at city council. “That whole thing about the roads that went so smoothly, Brampton agreed and then just because Caledon kicked up a bit of a fuss it’s going to cost us another … $30 million next year and Brampton, whatever they have to pay.”

The mayor added she won’t let go of the matter quietly and urged councillors to join with her in voicing opposition to the delay at the next meeting of regional council on Jan. 22.

Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish says she’s “not a happy camper” given the province’s move to delay transfer of regional roads by a full year.

The Ontario government’s Peel Transition Implementation Act (Bill 45, 2025) stipulates Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon will each assume responsibility for several key services — regional roads and associated stormwater infrastructure among them — previously delivered by the region.

The transfer of regional roads from Peel to the three municipalities was initially to take effect July 1, 2026. However, in a move City of Mississauga officials say caught them by surprise, the province revealed on Dec. 19 it was pushing back the implementation date by one year, to July 2027.

Anticipating millions of dollars in annual savings starting this year under the new plan, Mississauga in short order sent a strongly worded response to the province opposing the delay.

In a letter to Flack dated Dec. 22, Parrish said she was “disappointed” in the province’s decision. She added the city is “fully confident” it will deliver “more efficient operations and maintenance — key considerations in this legislation.”

The mayor also said the city was kept in the dark regarding the province’s desire to amend the deadline.

“Neither our council nor staff were consulted on this proposed and significant change,” Parrish wrote in the letter, adding “we request this recent decision be reconsidered.”

Last week, it appeared Mississauga might have gotten its way with word that the minister of municipal affairs and housing may have relented.

Parrish told councillors and senior city staff at the Jan. 7 general committee meeting she also approached Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown shortly after learning of the province’s intention in December.

She said Brown also responded to the province and in a subsequent conversation with the minister, Parrish was told the original transfer date for regional roads would remain.

“It wasn’t a hard promise, but … he didn’t see the point of doing all of this and then changing it if the two largest municipalities (in Peel) were objecting,” Parrish said last week. “So I’m optimistic that we’ll stick with the original date, which is important” because it means millions of dollars in savings in 2026.

Regional roads in Mississauga to be transferred to the city 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,” the city said earlier.