Who’s the mayor of Mississauga this month?
Published October 25, 2023 at 5:21 pm
With Mayor Bonnie Crombie off in pursuit of higher political ambitions, Mississauga councillors will take turns watching over things at City Hall for a while.
Crombie took a leave of absence from the mayor’s post effective Oct. 6 in order to devote her full-time efforts to becoming Leader of the Ontario Liberal Party.
In her absence, Mississauga councillors will assume the mayor’s duties on a two-month, rotating basis. Duties of the acting mayor of Canada’s seventh-largest city include chairing council and committee meetings and attending official events on behalf of the mayor.
First up is Ward 3 Councillor Chris Fonseca, who’ll serve as acting mayor in October and November. Under the Acting Mayor Bylaw, she’ll be followed by Ward 4 Councillor John Kovac in December and next January.
Other councillors will then be called upon beyond that, if needed.
Should Crombie, 63, be successful in her bid to become leader of the Liberals, which will be determined in late November, Mississauga would be looking at a mayoral byelection to determine her immediate successor for the remainder of the current term, a city official told insauga.com earlier.
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The next municipal election in Ontario takes place on Oct. 26, 2026.
In the meantime, Fonseca brings her 13 years of experience as Ward 3 councillor to the acting mayor’s post.
Prior to joining council in October 2010, Fonseca ran her own successful business in the health and wellness sector and has also worked extensively with not-for-profit organizations “that understand the importance of responsible fiscal planning and management,” her city bio reads.
A central focus of hers for years while on council has been work that provides safe, healthy and active environments for children and youth in various ways. On many occasions, Fonseca has led community bike rides that get kids, youth and adults out and active on Mississauga’s trails, at parks and in a variety of city neighbourhoods.
She’s also been described as an “enthusiastic promoter” of the city’s Swim to Survive Program in addition to numerous other youth-centered initiatives.
Fonseca also continues to be an active member on a number of city and Region of Peel committees in addition to other boards and groups covering a wide range of sectors in Mississauga.
Her husband is former athlete and longtime politician Peter Fonseca, MP for Mississauga East-Cooksville since 2015.
A runner, Peter Fonseca finished fifth in the 10,000-metre race at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, B.C. Also representing Canada at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, he was top Canadian finisher and 21st overall in the men’s marathon.
The Fonsecas live in Ward 3 in east Mississauga and the acting mayor says she enjoys running and walking on the many trails in the city in addition to taking her sons cycling and playing in the parks.
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