The Role of a Councillor

The City of Mississauga is governed by a City Council made up of the Mayor, who is the head of Council and 11 Councillors. Council members are elected every four years by the citizens of Mississauga.

For the purpose of governance, the City is divided into 11 wards, and each Councillor serves a ward. The City of Mississauga ward map can help you find the ward you live in and who your Councillor is.

What City Council does

Your Ward Councillor represents you. You are encouraged to contact them with City related concerns or offer feedback on issue that matter to you. Mayor and Council make key decisions related to various aspects of the City including passing local bylaws, create policies, approve budgets and provide programs and services to make the city a better place to live in.

How Council makes decisions

City Council receives requests and recommendations for new by-laws, projects, services or programs from members of Council and from reports submitted by advisory committees, City staff or citizens who speak at Council meetings during a deputation or public question period. When a request is received, Council will discuss it and make a decision or ask for more information.

Committees

Mayor and Council participate in both standing and advisory committees at the City and Regional levels.  Standing committees collect feedback from the public on important issues like road safety, crime and governance. Recommendations made by city staff and committee members are then presented to Council for review and final decision-making.

Advisory committees, which citizen members sit on, make recommendations related to specific topics or areas of interest. Their recommendations are considered by Council at General Committee, and then sent to Council for final decisions. If you are a Mississauga resident and wish to apply to sit on an advisory committee, you can apply here

By-laws and policies

Once Council has decided on a request, they set either a bylaw or a corporate policy. Bylaws apply to Mississauga and govern items including animal control, litter, noise, parking, forestry and more.  Click here to view the city’s City bylaws.