Tune in May 29: Together Mississauga: Our City, Our Voice

Dear Friend,

Mississauga. One of the vibrant communities that makes up our region. It’s been 50 years since its incorporation — and the city has a lot to celebrate. It’s become one of Canada’s major urban centres. And from Clarkson to Dixie, Erindale to Streetsville (and all the neighbourhoods in between), it’s a region filled with diversity and strength.

But like so many of our communities, as Mississauga has grown, so have the issues facing its residents. Homelessness rose by 48% between 2018 and 2021. Hunger affects more than one in ten people in Peel Region. Right now, unemployment is sitting at 13.5% in Peel, well above Ontario’s average.

But your support is making sure United Way Greater Toronto can be on the ground, tackling these challenges head on. We’re connecting thousands of residents to safe shelter, settlement support, food programs and more. We’re working with community partners to ensure everyone benefits from the region’s growth. Like in Cooksville, where development is bringing together three major transit lines in this densely populated pocket. We’re leveraging this period of heavy construction to create training and employment opportunities — stable jobs — for locals, including bringing youth, newcomers and women into the trades.

And like everything we do, our work in Mississauga is informed and led by community. We are committed to empowering residents to identify the issues affecting their neighbourhoods and we’re working hand in hand with them to develop innovative, effective, local solutions.

That’s why we are co-hosting Together Mississauga: Our City, Our Voice, a debate for candidates in Mississauga’s upcoming mayoral by-election. To focus on the key issues facing the city. To ensure residents have a voice. To make certain that our neighbours can ask the candidates about the big things that impact them — affordability, housing, transportation, settlement. To ensure our neighbourhoods continue to be a welcoming and vibrant place for all.

On May 29, I invite you to watch the Mississauga mayoral debate on CP24 at 7 p.m. or livestream it on their website. Together, we can shape a vision for our community — for the next 50 years and beyond.

Daniele Zanotti
President & CEO
United Way Greater Toronto

Join us at our virtual 2024 Annual Meeting of the Members on June 19 as we present The Next 10 Years: How do we build a GTA for all? Our President & CEO Daniele Zanotti will moderate a panel of experts as they examine some of the critical challenges awaiting us in the next decade and explore how we can work together to protect community space and access to local services. Register now.

On May 3, 20+ people joined Alex Dow, our Director of Neighbourhood Solutions, and Bill Sinclair, CEO of United Way-funded The Neighbourhood Group, for a walk through the Spadina and Kensington Market neighbourhoods as part of Jane’s Walk, an annual festival of free, community-led walking conversations inspired by urbanist and activist Jane Jacobs. Those who joined were able to hear about several United Way-supported agencies in the neighbourhood and learn more about the fascinating history of this storied area.

Residents are already getting their plots ready at Ecosource’s community gardens in Mississauga. This United Way-funded organization runs eight in the city, providing 500+ people, half of which live on a low income, with fresh, culturally appropriate food. We spoke to the organization’s executive director, Britt, about how the gardens contribute to the health and well-being of local residents — and play a key role in United Way’s fight against food insecurity.

May is Leave a Legacy month, the perfect time to consider making a gift in your will. This is one of the easiest ways to build a future that supports the values that are most important to you. Gifts of every size enable United Way to continue our work supporting communities today while we build a better future for the next generation. Learn more about legacy giving and how to leave a gift to United Way Greater Toronto in your will.

Calling all bookworms! Do you enjoy discussing a great book with others who share your love of reading? Then you’re going to love the new United Way Book Club: Between the Lines. Meet once a season to dive deep into some outstanding books that touch on the issues facing our community, then join a dynamic conversation with an issue expert from United Way. Register now to save your spot and learn more about our first meeting happening virtually on May 23!