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We’ve switched to biennial data gathering for the city profiles — The data available here was collected in early 2022 and originally published in last year’s Canadian City Parks Report.
City Profile
Mississauga
2022
Ontario
Population: 717,961
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  • Mississauga is one of 53% of cities with a park system master plan updated within the last 10 years.
  • Mississauga is one of 70% of cities with a community park group program.
  • Mississauga is one of 57% of cities that has a seniors strategy that includes parks.
  • The city recently approved a new Parks Plan that will guide parkland acquisition, ensuring that parks and recreation amenities are provided where it is needed most.
  • In 2021, the city began to develop an Urban Agriculture Strategy with a range of stakeholder input from schools, urban growers, food banks, Indigenous and equity-deserving communities. The final strategy will seek council approval in 2022 and will work to support “corporate and community efforts to increase urban-scale food production across Mississauga.”
  • The city's outdoor natural ice rink program provided 50 rinks in 2021, tripling the amount of rink space available to residents as a response to Covid-19.
4.1
The City of Mississauga uses different parkland definitions than this report. Contact the City of Mississauga or consult the Parks Plan for more information on how parkland categories are defined.
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ha of parks & green space / 1000 people
Total parks and green space

Total hectares of parkland and green space that is publicly accessible and owned, leased, or under a management agreement by the municipality. This number should capture all parks and green spaces that are perceived/used by residents similarly to parkland.

Specifically, it should include:

  • Actively managed parkland
  • Natural parkland/areas
  • Other municipally owned, managed, or leased open spaces that are used as public green space

Excludes:

  • Golf courses
  • School yards, if owned/maintained by the municipality
  • Active (open) cemeteries
  • Sports stadia
  • Parking lots
  • Institutional and other publicly owned green space
  • Other parks/green spaces that are not owned, managed or leased by the municipality (e.g. privately owned public spaces)
Click to view full definition →

2,950 ha total

39%
of parkland is natural area
Natural parkland

A natural area is a green space which receives a relatively low level of maintenance and supports natural or naturalizing vegetation. Natural areas may be publicly accessible (e.g. via trail networks) or areas with limited/little public access.

Natural areas may include:

  • trails or walkways
  • washrooms
  • environmentally sensitive/protected areas
  • stormwater ponds/water bodies located within natural areas

Excludes:

  • parking lots
  • actively managed parkland
Click to view full definition →

1,140 ha total

61%
This total differs slightly from the City of Mississauga's official total for 'actively managed parkland', as the City's definition sometimes includes parking lots and natural areas.
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of parkland is actively managed
Actively managed parkland

Total hectares of parkland that is actively maintained by the municipality for community use. These parks often contain built and natural amenities such as: park furniture, planted trees/beds, sports fields, playgrounds, and mown grass.

Includes:

  • plazas and “grey” spaces used for public recreation, when maintained by the parks department
  • small ponds/water bodies located within actively managed park spaces

Excludes:

  • natural areas
  • hazard lands
  • school yards
  • active (open) cemeteries
  • golf courses
  • sports stadia
  • parking lots
Click to view full definition →

1,810 ha total

10%
of total city land is parkland

29,243 ha of total city area

8
Dog parks
Off-leash dog areas

Includes both standalone dog parks and off-leash dog areas within parks.

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10
10 additional gardens on private lands (school board, churches, etc.).
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Community gardens/urban farms
Community gardens/urban farms

Community gardens/urban farms are food-growing gardens available for the public to use that may require membership. This includes community orchards.

Click to view full definition →
267
Playgrounds
Playgrounds

A playground refers to an area with purpose-built children’s playground equipment present, and may have just one single item of equipment or several items located together.

Click to view full definition →
36
Public washrooms
Public washrooms

Total number of permanent public washrooms in parks that are open year-round or seasonally. Excludes portable toilets.

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14 winterized public washrooms

Mixed
Refer to the Parks Plan for more details on the City of Mississauga's parkland provision goals.
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Parkland provision goal (distance to park / ha per 1000 people)

1.2 ha / 1,000 people and within 10 minute walk 12% of gross land area for parkland in the Urban Growth Centre and Major Nodes Playgrounds within 800 metres of residential areas or 400 metres in areas of intensification

$50
Parks operating expenditures / person
Operating expenditures (actuals)

Direct operating expenditures (not including revenues) for 2021 for maintaining parks and natural areas. This number will be used with your current year population to understand operating budget spent per person.

Includes:

  • planting and maintenance of trees in park/natural areas
  • graffiti & vandalism repair
  • management, administration & operational staff salaries
  • consultant/contractor costs
  • parks horticultural plantings
  • maintenance of closed cemeteries if carried out from the parks operating budget
  • parks litter pickup & waste disposal
  • inspection and maintenance of splash pads, playgrounds & outdoor fitness equipment
  • maintenance & replacement of park furniture
  • public toilets where maintained from parks budget
  • sports field maintenance
  • snow clearing and ice control for parks & natural areas
  • any other parks/green space maintenance costs except cemetery costs where the cemetery is "active"

Excludes: golf courses, swimming pools, indoor recreation facilities/halls, forestry, and zoos.

Click to view full definition →

$36,051,000 total

$60,860,064
Parks capital expenditures
Capital expenditures (actuals)

Capital expenditure for all capital items related to land improvement works completed during the 2021 financial year.

It includes:

  • Both new and renewal work
  • Capital items carried forward from previous years
  • Salaries and wages for all staff involved in the design, planning and delivery of capital projects.
Click to view full definition →
$100,624
Total philanthropy/sponsorships
Total philanthropy/sponsorships

Total amount donated to the city through philanthropic sources or corporate sponsorship in 2021 to fund park-based projects.

Excludes:

  • general revenue generated by the city (e.g. through user fees, park bench dedication programs, etc.)
  • provincial/federal government grants
Click to view full definition →
2.1
Volunteers / 1000 people
Volunteers

Includes only volunteers who have worked directly with the municipality (not external organizations). Programming refers to publicly accessible activities and events (e.g., yoga classes, nature walks, park cleanups, farmer's markets, festivals, celebrations, etc.). Programming does not include any large commercial activities, such as a private party.

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1,500 total park volunteers

14
Volunteer hours / 1000 people

10,000 total park volunteer hours

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