Top 5 Biggest News Stories of 2018 in Mississauga

A lot has happened this year in Mississauga. The city began construction on the $1.4 billion Hurontario Light-Rail Transit project (better known as the LRT), cast votes for its mayor and councillors and saw a popular restaurant fall victim to what appears to be a deliberately-set explosion. 

We were even chosen as one of Canada’s best places to live.

It’s true that Mississauga has seen both good and bad news in 2018. 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 2018:

5) Mississauga Breaks Ground on the LRT…But its Future Seems Uncertain

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While construction has been proceeding to make way for the LRT as planned, the future of the provincially-funded project became less certain in the fall. On Nov. 13, troubling speculation about the future of the Hurontario LRT emerged when Jessica Bell, the NDP critic for transit, announced that the ruling PC government would not comment on whether or not the project will be completed. When asked by multiple media sources (including insauga.com), PC representatives said the government was looking into “efficiencies.” The LRT, a project being carried out by Metrolinx, will span 20 km and run from the Port Credit GO at Lakeshore Rd. in the south to the Brampton Gateway Terminal at Steeles Ave in the north. On Dec. 10, Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie met with Premier Doug Ford to discuss the business case for the LRT. As of now, construction is still ongoing. 

4) 14-Year-Old Boy Found Murdered in Mississauga

Every murder is tragic, but the world is even more horrified when a homicide victim is a child. On Dec. 7, the lifeless body of 14-year-old Riley Driver-Martin was located around 8:00 a.m. at a park in the Lewisham Drive and Truscott Drive area. That same day, 20-year-old Mississauga man Nicholas Mahabir was arrested and charged with second degree murder. On Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018, an arrest warrant for second degree murder was issued for Mark Mahabir, a 20 year-old man from Mississauga and the brother of the other suspect (the brothers are part of a set of triplets). He later turned himself into police. The possible motive for the crime has not yet been disclosed, and no one has yet to be convicted in a court of law. 

3) Explosion Rips Through Building in Mississauga

In early 2018, an explosion ripped through a commercial building in Mississauga. Peel police said they were called to the scene of an explosion in a commercial area in the Hurontario St. and Agnes St. area around 7:28 a.m. on Feb. 13. In the immediate aftermath, three people were transported to hospital with minor to moderate injuries. The blast prompted authorities to close a huge swath of one of the city’s busiest streets, as well as multiple businesses. Even TL Kennedy Secondary School was briefly closed in the wake of the incident.

You can see a video of the aftermath of the explosion, courtesy of The 4K Guy, below:

2) Mayor Bonnie Crombie–And Almost All Incumbent Councillors–Re-Elected in Mississauga

Crombie has often said that Mississauga is working, and it looks like voters agree. The Oct. 22 municipal election saw incumbent Mayor Bonnie Crombie sail to an easy—and expected—landslide victory. In fact, Mississauga’s race largely unfolded as expected (no incumbent councillors were unseated and the mayor, running on a strong and commendable record against a slew of low-profile candidates, easily retained the city’s top job). The only mysteries in Mississauga centered around who would win in Wards 1 and 7. Ward 1 was left in the care of interim councillor David Cook after Jim Tovey passed away unexpectedly in 2018. Stephen Dasko beat out seasoned politician Brad Butt for the seat, receiving close to 4,500 votes. Long-term councillor Nando Iannicca announced that he would not be running for re-election in Ward 7, leaving the seat open for the first time in 30 years. Former MPP Dipika Damerla has now been declared Ward 7’s new councillor. Iannicca is now chair of the Region of Peel. According to the city, the 2018 municipal election in Mississauga had an eligible voter turnout of 27 per cent.

 1) Suspects Set Off Explosive Device in Popular Mississauga Restaurant

On May 24, 2018, one of Mississauga’s busiest and most bustling neighbourhoods was rocked by something truly unprecedented: the detonation of an improvised explosive device (IED) in a popular restaurant. The explosion, which damaged the long-standing Bombay Bhel restaurant—an Eglinton and Hurontario mainstay—sent emergency crews racing to the scene. Peel Paramedics transported 15 patients to hospital, three of which were initially taken to a Toronto trauma centre. All injuries were later reported to be minor in nature. Peel Police Chief Jennifer Evans said there’s no indication the attack was a terrorist act or hate crime, but six victims are currently in the process of suing the restaurant for damages in connection with the incident. Over six months later, an investigation into the blast is still ongoing and two suspects are still at large. Fortunately for Bombay Bhel and the diners who love it, the resto didn’t stay closed for long. In fact, it has been open and serving customers since late September.

Bonus:

Jollibee Finally Opens in Mississauga

After months of waiting, the super popular Filipino fast food franchise finally–finally!–opened its doors in Seafood City in Heartland Town Centre in Mississauga.

One of the GTA’s Tallest Buildings is Coming to Mississauga

M City (a massive eight-condo community that’s taking shape near Square One), broke ground relatively recently. Designed by acclaimed the Canada-based IBI Group, M3 (phase 3 of the development) will soar to a whopping 81 stories, making it the tallest tower in Mississauga by a significant margin, and one of the tallest buildings in the GTA.

Massive New Addition Coming to Square One

When Target pulled out of Canada, multiple shopping centres were left with vacant real estate. Now, Square One is filling the Target void with a number of exciting stores and an incredibly exciting Food District. According to Square One, the district will focus on offering local, handmade and high-quality foods in a setting that embraces both new- and old-world food emporiums. The expanded portion of the shopping centre also welcomed a Uniqlo, and will soon to be home to both Indigo (the Chapters on Rathburn is closing and moving into the mall) and the highly-anticipated Rec Room.