Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie is stepping down. Here's what happens next

Now that Bonnie Crombie has announced her departure date as Mississauga's mayor, the city, which has only had two mayors since 1978, is preparing for a by-election in the new year.

After winning Ontario's Liberal leadership race at the start of the month, Crombie, who has held the mayor's office for nine years, told her colleagues this week that she will step down on Jan. 12.

"I'm going to continue to work with our CAO (chief administrative officer) and our council to ensure a smooth and orderly transition," Crombie said in a tearful address Wednesday. That transition will include passing the 2024 budget  and "ensuring the city is set up for success until the new mayor is elected," she said.

But electing a new mayor could take some time. The city's CAO, Shari Lichterman, says although Crombie is leaving in January, it could be June before a byelection decides her replacement.

And although there's lots of speculation, it's still too early to tell who will be running to lead Ontario's third largest city.

How it will shake down

Mississauga is likely to go without a mayor for a large chunk of the year, says Lichterman.

Until the byelection, councillors will take bi-monthly turns serving as acting mayor, as they've done since September, when Crombie took leave to run for the Ontario Liberal leadership.

After Crombie steps down in January, council will pass a bylaw at its next meeting on Jan. 17 to declare her seat vacant, and the city clerk will report on the "process for a by-election," Lichterman said.

Crombie delivers a victory speech after being elected as the new leader of the Ontario Liberal Party on Dec. 2. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press)

The nomination period will follow, when candidates will officially enter the race.

Crombie's replacement process will look very similar to what happened in Toronto this year after Mayor John Tory stepped down there in February, when a by-election was held four months later. But the wheels won't get in motion until after Crombie's final day in office.

"It takes several months to plan the election," Lichterman said.

Candidate nominations still a ways out

It's unclear yet, even unofficially, who might be part of the byelection race, but at least one of Crombie's colleagues has already informally said she'll run.

Ward 5 Coun. Carolyn Parrish informally said this week she'll run for the office when the time comes, but declined an interview before the race begins, saying only that her leadership style and priorities would differ from Crombie's.

Mississauga ward 7 Coun. Dipika Damerla is pictured at city hall. (Sara Jabakhanji/CBC)

Ward 7 Coun. Dipika Damerla says she'll make an announcement one way or the other, but feels it's too early to tell who might replace Crombie.

"There's all sorts of rumours, right?" she said. "With the holidays coming, people are going to give this serious thought and I think in January, we'll know who's running and who's not."

Once nominations close and the candidates are known, a byelection must be held within 45 days, which Lichterman says could happen as late as June.

Pressing issues will face replacement

Whoever eventually takes the office, Damerla says they'll have to prioritize three key issues: a housing crunch, a high property taxes and how to sort out the province's decision to only partially dissolve the Peel Region, meaning Mississauga won't be completely independent from Caledon and Brampton, as was expected to happen in 2025. Dissolution was  a long-time goal of both Crombie and her predecessor, 36-year mayor Hazel McCallion.

Gaya Nagendra, a community services worker who says she's lived in Mississauga since she came to Canada about 40 years ago, agrees that the rising cost of living is the issue where most people in Mississauga will be looking for leadership.

Mississauga City Hall will have new leader next year, but we're still months away from discovering who and when. (John Lesavage/CBC)

Even as the population continues to grow, she says it's important that life remain livable for families who want to maintain roots in the community.

"Rent is very high. And people are not able to get housing," she said. "We want the youth that have invested their lives in Mississauga, that have gone to school here…we want them to come back in Mississauga and work here because they are the next generation."

"We need somebody that's strong, that's going to work for the small people."