Carolyn Parrish, a former federal member of Parliament and city councillor, won the mayoral election in Mississauga, Ontario, defeating 15 other candidates.
She secured a comfortable lead with 43,494 votes, while her closest challenger, city councillor Alvin Tedjo, trailed with 35,005 votes. Dipika Damerla, another city councillor and former Ontario MPP, came in third with 27,119 votes.
The mayoral race in Mississauga was a by-election, prompted by former mayor Bonnie Crombie’s departure to lead the Ontario Liberals. In her victory speech, Carolyn Parrish initially stuck to her prepared remarks but then declared that the region would benefit from cooperation among “three mayors that actually get along.”
“And we will be formidable when we go to Queen’s Park or to Ottawa to tell them we need our fair share of funding,” Parrish told supporters, adding that she can be both charming as well as forceful.
“We’re going to mix charm and force and we’re going to take over the world!”
In the mayoral race, Carolyn Parrish emphasized addressing housing availability and affordability by rezoning land for residential use in shopping hubs. Initially holding a significant lead, her decision not to participate in candidate debates led to a narrowing gap in recent polls, with challengers Dipika Damerla and Alvin Tedjo gaining ground.
The byelection winner will serve the remainder of the 2022-2026 term. Tedjo, despite coming close, acknowledged Parrish’s win and emphasized the importance of collaboration moving forward.
“She has spent her life fighting for our community and I look forward to continuing to work with her on council,” Tedjo said.
