Ninth Line Corridor - A Gateway Into Mississauga!

In one of my previous posts, I mentioned about new projects in Ward 10 in 2015. One of those long-awaited ones is the development project of the Ninth Line Corridor.

Since Mississauga annexed this strip of land from the Town of Milton in 2010—and even before, I have been working closely with our community and city officials discussing the needs of our residents, the expansion of our city vs. the lacking infrastructure, the best uses for these new lands, the process for zoning and amendments to the City’s Official Plan, and so forth. We held meetings, commissioned surveys and organized public forums and, most recently, started with the visioning workshops last spring.

I couldn’t have been happier when the project review study finally got started. Yes, the region is investing in this area, in its future and in our future! One of the reasons I’m very excited about this project is because of its strategic positioning. The Ninth Line Corridor Development Project presents us with a very wonderful opportunity of building a gateway into Mississauga from the west. It means so much for our ward residents in the context of increased open spaces, active and passive recreational amenities, jobs, some housing and… well… you fill in the blank! I’ve heard from residents who want bike paths, walking trails, off-leash dog parks, community gardens and picnic areas. Finally there’s a possibility to accommodate all these and much more including places of religious assembly. We have a chance to build something bold and beautiful on this edge of the city!

You will have ample opportunity to contribute your thoughts and ideas to the development process of these 865 acres of land, bordered by Ninth Line, Hwy 401 and Hwy 407 and at the Hwy 407/Ninth Line crossover in the southern point. It is important to have your voices heard to make it a success. Another public engagement session is planned for later this spring, following the review of the transitway alignment by the Province of Ontario.

In the meantime, I want to hear from you now. Tweet/DM me, post on my FB page, email me or leave your comments here. Let’s get involved. Let’s keep the conversation going.

Are you ready for the Bi-weekly Waste Collection Program?

As residents of Ward 10, we don’t always agree on everything, but I believe we all want a safe and enjoyable future for ourselves, our children and the generations to come.  One area where we are conscious of conserving the environment and ensuring long-term sustainability is to do with how we handle our waste. In the not-too-distant past, we have taken steps as individuals and as a community to manage our consumption and waste-collection. Peel pioneered in this direction in 1994 by rolling out a bi-weekly organics recycling program in Caledon. This was followed by the weekly organic recycling pilot project launched in 2002 to 1700 households in parts of Brampton, Mississauga and Caledon. Now it is time to get ready for the new bi-weekly garbage collection program to be launched in 2016 for more than 333,000 households in the Region of Peel.

One of the keys goals for moving to this new program is to divert a lot more of our waste from the garbage dump to recyclables. Many of us are still not using the green bins for our organics (compost). It is time that we learn about the waste we create, how it is collected and managed by the municipality and transformed into renewable energy; and how this waste impacts our immediate environment – our soil, groundwater, and other natural resources. And, of course, we know that waste collection has fiscal implications too. How much we collect and how we process eventually impacts the Region’s finances. The bi-weekly cart-based waste collection will help waste diversion, which in turn will reduce waste production and the expense incurred to manage it.

The new program will start in January 2016. In preparation, residents will choose the cart sizes appropriate for their needs. You can do this online at www.PeelRegion.ca/carts. If you want to physically see the carts prior to making your selection, visit an open house organized in your area – March 5 at Erin Meadows Community Centre or March 10 at Lisgar Middle School. These carts won’t cost you anything as long as you make your selection before March 31, 2015. There are many online resources available to find more information. Read more at the Region’s web page dedicated to this program. http://prd.app1.peelregion.ca/cart-confirmation/?utm_source=massmedia&utm_medium=direct&utm_campaign=biweekly

 You can also visit http://www.mississaugaward10.ca/ to find out more about the Open House in your area. Please don’t hesitate to call us, email us or even post your questions and comments right here.

A New Jaw

Having suffered continuous pain and discomfort for what's been years now, I still wonder if it is over. I will share my thoughts on my latest operation, the pain and recovery, but before I do, I must say a big “thank you” to all my friends, family and well-wishers who took the time to send greetings and show concern. At times like these, I am truly grateful and overwhelmed at the love and support that has come my way.

The issue I have been dealing with traces back more than two decades when I got a temporomandibular joint prosthesis - which is a device implanted into the jaw to replace the temporomandibular joint located just in front of the ear. It is like a hinge that connects your jawbone to your skull. Over the years, this prosthetic started deteriorating causing intense pain and the inability to carry on routine functions like talking and chewing. It also led to facial irregularities since the bones and muscles in the face and head all rest on the jaw.

I had an operation last year which was successful in some respects but uncovered further problems that prolonged my pain and discomfort. In late 2014 I was notified of subsequent surgery date, and suddenly I was under the knife again in the beginning of January at Mount Sinai Hospital, undergoing a double jaw joint replacement.

So far, the prognosis is good. My new titanium jaw fits like a glove and my face and mouth are adjusting slowly. I'm so grateful to the surgeons and all the medical staff who performed this nine hour operation so well. While I've been enduring the pain that comes with recovering from a major surgery like this, I am resting and recuperating as best as can be expected. It might be another couple of months before I can attend events and meetings as part of my regular work but I am looking forward to returning as quickly as possible - better than ever! Thanks to technology, I have already been able to communicate with staff and residents in a limited capacity by e-mail, over social media and other ways - like this blog.

This has been the worst pain I’ve ever experienced and I wouldn't wish it upon anyone. But it has taught me patience, endurance and determination to fight all odds, and to continue smiling as much as I can. I hope to exchange smiles, laughter and good conversation again with all of you very soon!

Exciting Priorities For 2015

A very warm hello on this cold and yet sunny day in Mississauga! As I initiate new efforts and activities in my third term serving as Councillor to the Ward 10 residents, I’m looking at new and better ways to communicate with you. This blog -- “Our ward, our future” -- is one step forward in that direction. I’m hoping that this platform will help generate more ideas and opinions about the progress required in our ward, and encourage participation from our social media-savvy youth.

Year 2015 is already shaping up to be an exciting one for our ward and our city. We have a number of priorities in mind and some key initiatives in the pipeline this year including the development of the Ninth Line corridor and resolution to the Lisgar flooding issues.

The Ninth Line Vision workshops held in the middle of 2014 were quite successful in gathering the community’s ideas and suggestions about land use along this corridor. By way of background, the Ninth Line Lands were annexed from the Region of Halton and the Town of Milton to the Region of Peel and the City of Mississauga in 2010 as part of a municipal boundary realignment. The City and Region are currently working to see how these lands will be developed. In November 2014, my City Council colleagues and I approved a report that pushes forward a review of the Transitway alignment along the 407 to take place within the first half of 2015. We will soon be announcing dates for Land Use Scenarios Workshop where I hope to see many of you come out and participate.

We ended 2014 with an important decision about the Community Centre slated for Park 459, west of Ninth Line opposite Tacc Drive. Rather than going ahead with a partnership model with the YMCA, market research indicated that a City built and operated facility is the preferred approach and plans, including necessary funding, are being put in place in the 2015 budget to move forward in this direction. You’ll hear much more about this in the weeks and months to come via this blog and other media.

On that note, I invite you to sign up to my eNews list to get helpful news and information about activities and events in our community. Go to www.mississaugaward10.ca to subscribe.

I look forward to a great year ahead with all of you!