I think the mistake is to think there is one Mississauga identity. It is just an administrative unit. Do you think people in Streetsville or Port Credit give a fig about Malton or whatever? No one swells with pride about Square One or Celebration Square.
Just 5 years ago I would have agreed. But in the past few years, especially since the pandemic as more folks started to work from home, there's a real buzz growing in the city.
I rarely go into Toronto these days. There are countless events year-round at Celebration Square, Streetsville Village Square, Port Credit, Riverwood park, and more. In the summer, we sometimes have trouble deciding what to do on a weekend as there are often multiple events happening at the same time.
In terms of food, Mississauga is getting more impressive every day. Certain cuisines Sauga does even better than Toronto. Anecdotally, this is something folks from Sauga take a lot of pride in.
We also have beautiful parks, especially along the lake and and river valleys. Fantastic gardens at places like Riverwood, Kariya, Brueckner. Again, something I’ve heard folks take pride in.
I think the transit improvements like the LRT and the significant growth of the downtown area is really inspiring confidence in the city and getting people excited.
One thing i will add though is that most people who are excited and optimistic about the city are families with kids. I think most things are geared towards families so younger people won’t find as much of a community.
