Top 5 Biggest News Stories of 2017 in Mississauga
Published December 28, 2017 at 4:59 pm
A lot has happened this year in Mississauga. The ever-growing city moved forward on massive redevelopment projects affecting huge swaths of land in Lakeview and Port Credit, watched modest houses sell for tens of thousands of dollars over asking and learned that it would home to a brand new Rec Room location.
We were even chosen as one Canada’s best places to live.
It’s true that Mississauga has seen both good and bad news in 2017. That being said, a mix of different news stories managed to pique your interest this year. But which stories were the most popular in Mississauga from the beginning of January all the way until the end of December?
New developments, wild moments and breaking news all made the list of Mississauga’s biggest news stories this year!
Here were the five biggest news stories in Mississauga in 2017:
5) Mississauga House Sparks Unbelievable Bidding War
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There’s never a dull day in real estate, but Mississauga residents might recall how absolutely insane the market got in the winter of 2017. Back in February, a house on Glen Hawthorne Blvd. sold for $900,000—$261,000 over asking price. The modestly sized, two-story detached home in the Hurontario and Eglinton area was listed quite competitively for $638,800 and generated 24 offers and over 400 showings—200 of which occurred over a two hour period during an open house.
“In 14 years in real estate, that was the first time I ever saw that many people at an open house,” Milosov Lukaroski, the listing agent with Sutton Group Signature, told inSauga.com. The province has since been working to cool the 905 and 416 markets, but houses remain a hot–and expensive–commodity in Mississauga and beyond.
4) Mississauga Named Third Most Expensive City in Canada
While everyone knows that Mississauga can be an expensive place to live, some people were surprised be surprised to hear that Expatistan, a website that compares cost of living expenses across international cities, identified Mississauga as the third most expensive city in Canada (based on data quality). According to Expatistan, Mississauga residents pay $16 for a basic lunch, $10 for a combo meal at a fast food restaurant and $60 or more per grocery shop. The site also points out that rental rates range from $1,170 to $2,526 (this, of course, depends on neighbourhood and apartment type). The site pegs average utilities at $215 a month and internet costs at $62 a month. In terms of entertainment, a basic pub dinner for two typically costs $46, while two movie tickets tend to run consumers about $28. A cocktail can cost up to $11 and a cappuccino can be priced at around $6.
So, there you have it—Mississauga appears to be one of the most expensive cities in the country. That fact isn’t surprising given its proximity to Toronto, but it does make one wonder how the city will look as the cost of living continues to rise.
3) Seafood City Opens First Canadian Location in Mississauga
After months of waiting and some delays, Mississauga’s Filipino community finally welcomed Seafood City to its neck of the woods (and don’t worry, the Jollibee is coming soon). Seafood City, the wildly popular American grocery store that specializes in Filipino products (and, more importantly, the Filipino lifestyle) opened its first Canadian location in Heartland Town Centre in Mississauga in the fall. The massive supermarket boasts everything from popular Filipino, Asian and American meats, fish, produce and snacks to five (yes, five) fast food and takeout service areas.
The fresh, bright and airy space is indeed unique. Full of both local meats and seafood (with a huge selection of fish, shrimp and squid laid out on enormous tables full of ice) and imported Filipino snacks and dry foods, Seafood City truly offers Mississauga’s sizeable Filipino community something of a home away from home.
2) One of the Mississauga’s Oldest Restaurants Could be Displaced by a Condo Development
Even though it’s become necessary for cities to grow up rather than out, sometimes new and proposed developments fundamentally alter and affect the lay of the land and displace some establishments that we can’t imagine being gone. In the summer, we found out that old school family restaurant Wally’s—one of the oldest restaurants in Mississauga—could be displaced by a new condo development.
If you’ve walked by Wally’s recently, you might have noticed some signage indicating that a development has been proposed for the area. The City of Mississauga confirmed that the development, should it go forward, will require the demolition of the restaurant. According to the City of Mississauga, an application has been submitted to change the official plan and zoning by-law to permit a 40 storey condominium building with 360 units and 577 m2 (6,210 ft2) of retail commercial space on the ground floor at 3480 Hurontario Street. At this juncture, it’s unclear whether the resto will relocate in the event the project proceeds.
1) Rec Room is Coming to Square One
If you’ve been looking for a brand new gaming and sports bar, you were probably thrilled to hear that one is slated to open in Mississauga in 2019. Back in the spring, Cineplex announced that it plans to open a brand new Rec Room location at Square One. If you haven’t heard of The Rec Room, Cineplex defines it as “Canada’s newest hotspot for ‘Eats and Entertainment.’” The Rec Room is a major entertainment complex that fuses food and activities and the upcoming location will boast food, live entertainment and gaming experiences. The Square One location will take shape in the north end of the complex (where Target was located) and will occupy about 44,000 square feet of space and two full floors.
