Mississauga defers another charge in wake of COVID-19 pandemic

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Published March 26, 2020 at 1:39 pm

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In a bid to ease the pressure on residents to keep up with routine financial obligations during the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Mississauga has voted to defer stormwater charges for residents for 90 days. 

Council voted for the deferral at a virtual city council meeting on March 25. 

The latest deferral comes just days after council voted to defer all property tax payments for 90 days in response to the immense fiscal and economic uncertainty created by the pandemic. Last week, the city said the April payment will not be due until July; the May payment will be due in August; the June payment will be due in September. 

The deferral applies to residential and commercial properties.

All property taxes will still need to be paid before the end of the year.

The stormwater charge, which residents will also get a temporary reprieve from, is a dedicated source of funding that appears on the Region of Peel water bill. The charge was implemented to manage the rain and melted snow flowing from properties on to streets and down into more than 51,000 storm drains. 

Much like property taxes, the city says the charge will need to be paid before the end of the year.

According to the city, the Region of Peel bills this service on behalf of Mississauga and will action the deferral through their billing system. 

At the March 25 council meeting, councillors also discussed scheduling another tele-town hall for early April. In a video posted to social media, Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie said that the city’s first tele-town hall, which was held last week, attracted 24,000 participants. 

Crombie said details on the new town hall will be released shortly.

Council also discussed potentially suspending metered parking in certain areas (as of now, people who park in areas where payment is required must continue to feed the metres) and looking at the unique challenges faced by hospitality businesses. 

Council also brought forward the notion of convening working groups that serve seniors, businesses and social services to discuss ways to help them navigate the crisis. 

At the same meeting, council also amended the sign bylaw and Portable Signs on Road Allowances corporate policy to provide additional advertising opportunities for businesses and community groups during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

This provision will be in place as long as the state of emergency is in place, or until June 30, 2020 (except for community groups who will have this provision until December 31, 2020). 

As for how it will work, the city says three additional portable signs per street front can be added without a permit.

The maximum display period for signs has been extended from 21 days to 30 days and the number of permits per group was increased from 10 to 15 per year.

Businesses and community groups can access portable sign applications online using eSigns.

Cover photo courtesy of @idris.yyz

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