Major diabetes expo brings experts from all fields to Mississauga to fight the disease

Health experts, industry leaders, businesses and others will join forces Thursday in Mississauga for a day-long brainstorming session in an effort to reduce the rising number of type 2 diabetes cases in Canada’s seventh-largest city.

The City of Mississauga’s Diabetes Healthy City Expo takes place on Nov. 16 from noon until 8 p.m. at the Living Arts Centre in the downtown core.

“The expo brings together industry leaders, community partners and businesses to plan ways the city can help reduce rising cases of type 2 diabetes while also working towards decreasing the number of people at risk of getting type 2 diabetes,” city officials said in a news release, adding that free diabetes testing will also be provided at the event.

Specifically, the expo will welcome Mississauga residents, patients with diabetes and their family members, people at risk of type 2 diabetes, advocates and community leaders, primary care doctors/specialists, nutritionists/dietitians and diabetes educators.

Also part of the expo is a free children’s program (ages four to 12) that will be available from 4 to 5 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m.

The event is open to the public. Those who want to attend must register ahead of time.

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City officials say Mississauga’s Diabetes Strategy is in the process of being developed in efforts to prevent further cases. It focuses on risk reduction by improving daily living and promoting physical activity through active transportation.

“By creating healthy communities that are compact, pedestrian-friendly and transit-supportive, Mississauga residents will have access to more healthy choices,” city officials say.

In November 2021, Mississauga, which has among the highest rates of type 2 diabetes in Ontario, became the first municipality in Canada to join a global effort to fight the chronic disease and obesity. 

At that time, City of Mississauga officials signed on with the Urban Diabetes Declaration, marking a commitment to join the Cities Changing Diabetes program. The program is an initiative launched in 2014 in Denmark and England to address the growth of type 2 diabetes and obesity.