Issues Facing our City

Mississauga Summit 2007 as a Catalyst for Action

This one-day, invitation-only conference is designed to be a catalyst for problem solving to addressthe economic, sustainability and social issues facing our increasingly complex urban landscape and to create a more sustainable city. It will bring together CEOs and senior executives of Mississauga companies and leaders in government, labour, non-profit agencies, and the volunteer sector across Peel.

The Mississauga Summit will feature thought-provoking information from international, national and local speakers as well as providing opportunities for participants to discuss issues with leaders from other sectors in small discussion forums.

The Summit was inspired by the growing range of issues impacting our community including:

• Addressing Mississauga’s fiscal gap by building a strong, sustainable human and health services infrastructure
• Fostering economic development through partnerships, clusters and research
• Planning sustainable growth and development in our community
• Making the most of environmental business opportunities
• Embracing our social diversity and integrate newcomers into the economy and society
• Enhancing our arts, culture and the heart of the City
• Building a vibrant downtown, waterfront and public parks
• Addressing congestion, transit and transportation infrastructure needs

Economic Track

• Mississauga has enormous corporate capacity from which to draw expertise on how to get things done
• More than 52,000 businesses
• Over 50 Fortune 500 Companies Head Offices
• 40 of Canada's top 500 companies
• 425,000 employee
• Mississauga is one of the most business-friendly communities in Ontario
• Mississauga has established a world class reputation for providing leadership on community issues
• Mississauga’s Healthy City Stewardship Centre won the 2006 World Leadership Award from the World Health Organization
• Mississauga is home to The University of Toronto at Mississauga and the Richard Ivey School of Business and within a very short commute of Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning

Despite these significant attributes, Mississauga's future prosperity is at risk:

• There is insufficient capacity and funding to expand service delivery to meet diversity issues and encourage faster community integration
• Transportation limitations impedes the integration of people into the work force as well as limiting their access to services
• The fiscal gap between needs and resources is widening

Reports to support this theme:

Growing Pains

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Social Track

• 38% of the population is 20-44 years of age
• 82% of the population has some post secondary education and 59% are post secondary grads
• Average household income is 20% higher than Ontario and 38% higher than Canada
• Mississauga is one of Canada’s most ethnically diverse communities
• 42% of Mississauga’s population have a mother tongue other than English or French
• We are home to 93 different ethnic groups speaking 60 languages
• Cultural diversity opens markets for economic opportunities locally and abroad

Despite these significant attributes, Mississauga's future prosperity is at risk:

• Rapid population growth has strained community capacity to meet the health and social services needs of our residents
• A local community program providing postpartum home visits has capacity to serve only 11% of new moms with babies at risk as compared to the provincial standard of 75%
• Parents with developmentally delayed newborns wait 18 months for assessment
• Children in need of mental health services wait 18 months and adults have limited access at best
• Seniors needing supportive housing wait 12 months
• Poverty rates and other indicators of vulnerability (rates of special needs, complex illness and disability) are increasing
• Violence is increasing in our schools and neighbourhoods and poses a growing concern for community safety
• Mississauga’s economic, environmental and social capacity is dwindling

Reports to support this theme:

Portraits of Peel

PricewaterhouseCoopers Report
 

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Sustainability Track

Reports to support this theme:

Vision 2020 Report

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 Other Reports on Issues:

   Speakers:

Ric Young, President of E.Y.E.

Joe Berridge, Partner, Urban Strategies Inc.

Derek Burleton, Associate Vice President and Director of Economic Studies, TD Bank Financial Group

Robert Johnson, President and CEO, Purolator Courier Ltd

Mark Jones, President and CEO, AstraZeneca Canada

Dr. Ulli Krull, Professor of Analytical Chemistry, University of Toronto Mississauga; AstraZeneca Chair in Biotechnology

Paul Lucas, President and CEO, GlaxoSmithKline Inc.

Rob MacIsaac, Chair, Greater Toronto Transit Authority

Lloyd McCoomb, President and CEO, Greater Toronto Airports Authority

Ratna Omidvar, Executive Director, The Maytree Foundation

Linda Kuga Pikulin, President and CEO, The Pepsi Bottling Group Canada

Yves Poisson, Director, Special Projects, Public Policy Forum

Martin Powell, Commissioner of Transportation and Works, City of Mississauga

Ed Sajecki, Commissioner, Planning & Building, City of Mississauga

Pat Spadafora, Director, Sheridan Elder Research Centre

Kim Warburton, Communications & Public Relations Leader, GE Canada

Shelley White, CEO, United Way of Peel Region