Two byelections underway to choose new mayor, councillor in Mississauga

Mississauga residents will go to the polls on June 10 to elect not only their next mayor, but also a new city councillor.

City council decided on Wednesday to hold a Ward 5 byelection at the same time as the mayoral byelection that’s seeking a successor to former mayor Bonnie Crombie.

With the March 15 resignation of mayoral candidate Carolyn Parrish from the Ward 5 councillor’s seat, that position now also needs to be filled.

Given the length of time remaining in the current term of council, about two-and-a-half years until the late 2026 municipal election, Mississauga councillors chose to go the ward byelection route instead of appointing a new councillor to complete the term.

Under the Municipal Elections Act, city council was mandated on Wednesday to declare the Ward 5 seat vacant, as it did last month with the mayor’s seat.

As of early Friday afternoon, no candidates had registered to run in Ward 5. Those interested in doing so have until April 26, at 2 p.m., to submit their nomination papers, the same deadline as mayoral candidates.

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A six-week election campaign will then follow, culminating in the June 10 election of both mayor and Ward 5 councillor.

City officials say in order to qualify as a Ward 5 candidate, hopefuls must be:

• a Canadian citizen
• at least 18 years old
• a resident of Mississauga or the owner or tenant of property in Mississauga or the spouse of an owner or tenant of property in the city
• eligible to run under the Municipal Elections Act and not prohibited by law

Ward 5 byelection candidates must also pay a $100 nomination fee.

Meanwhile, Parrish and current city councillors Stephen Dasko (Ward 1), Alvin Tedjo (Ward 2) and Dipika Damerla (Ward 7) are among 13 candidates registered in the mayoral byelection as of Friday.

Others entered in the race are:

• Amir Ali
• Jamie Dookie
• Frank Fang
• Syed Jaffery
• Peter McCallion
• David Shaw
• George Tavares
• Peter Tolias
• Nathalie Xian Yi Yan

The winner will become the seventh mayor of Mississauga, following Robert Speck (1968-72), Chic Murray (1972-73), Martin Dobkin (1973-76), Ron Searle (1976-78), Hazel McCallion (1978-2014) and Crombie (2014-24).

Speaking in early December shortly after learning she’d won a race of her own to become the new leader of the Ontario Liberal Party, Crombie described the impending Mississauga mayoral contest as one that would likely attract a large number of candidates.

She added at the time she didn’t plan to endorse any particular candidate when the byelection to replace her came along.

Crombie left her post as Mississauga mayor on Jan. 12 to grab the reins of the Ontario Liberals. She had earlier taken a leave from the city back in October and councillors since then have been taking turns serving as acting mayor.