Jobs, crime, housing and immigration top of mind for Mississauga voters who cast an early ballot Friday

Concerns surrounding the future of the economy and jobs, violent crime, the ability to support the increasing number of immigrants entering the country and the affordability of housing were all issues that were on the minds of first-day advance polling election voters in Mississauga. Residents of Canada’s sixth largest city flocked to the 18 advanced polling stations on Friday.

Joanne Colangelo, a 68-year-old resident who lives in the Hurontario Street and Eglinton Avenue East area, participated in the advance polls at Mississauga Valley Community Centre and Library. Although housing and the need for infrastructure to support newcomers coming to Canada are important to her, there is one issue that stands above them all for Colangelo. “I'm very distressed about the guns and gangs issue in our community and all over the city for that matter. It's not just in our community,” she said. The NDP, Conservatives and Liberals have all made public safety a central issue in their national platforms, as communities such as Mississauga deal with a spike in violent crime in recent years. 

One of the 18 advance-voting stations across Mississauga

The violent crime severity index, measured by Statistics Canada, using data from police forces across the country, worsened by 51 percent in Mississauga and Brampton (the data from both cities is combined by Peel police, making it difficult to distinguish crime rates in one neighbourhood from another) between 2014 and 2018, while the national rate increased by 17 percent over the same period.

Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie, who sits on the Peel police board, has demanded that federal funds to help address violent crime already tied up at the provincial level, be released more expediently, as parts of the city have been shaken by violence in recent months. 

Colangelo highlighted her concern next to the advance voting station. “It’s an issue because of the danger factor,” she said. “Like right now, when you’re looking at the news...Mississauga, Greater Toronto, there’s just no place that’s safe from it.”  

She also noted immigration as a federal election issue she’s keeping tabs on. “I’m very much a supporter of helping people that are looking to come to Canada, because they’re fleeing (as asylum seekers). But I have a strong a feeling that we need to have an infrastructure that can handle it,” she said. “Let’s not just open our borders and open whatever. We’ve got to have an infrastructure that can handle it.” 

A report by The Conference Board of Canada released in August showed that the GTA is home to 45 percent of Ontario’s population and welcomes 77 percent of immigrants coming to the province. The GTA welcomed 106,000 immigrants last year, while the rest of Ontario took in 31,000 newcomers. One of the salient points of the report, which pertains to what Colangelo referenced, is that the benefits of immigration, and the burdens as well, should be more evenly distributed. Last fall, the federal government announced it will increase annual immigration admissions to 350,000 by 2021. Some argue that Mississauga and Brampton, in particular, will bear the brunt of this due to its close proximity to Pearson International Airport and the draw of family and friends already in the area. Generous land-use policies also make each city a popular and welcoming destination for newcomers. Almost 382,000 residents in Mississauga are immigrants, according to 2016 Census numbers, out of a population of 715,475, roughly 54 percent of the city’s population. 

Asked what party she thinks is best positioned to address the issues of guns and gangs, and immigration, Colangelo did not go with the two front-runners, the Conservatives and Liberals, who are virtually tied according to national polls. “I'm actually going to vote for the Green Party because I have no confidence right now in who's running the Liberal [party], [or] Conservative [party]...This is the second time that I'm voting for the Green Party, instead of just spoiling my ballot. Because I'm not happy with anybody that's running right now.” 

Advance voting can be done today and tomorrow, October 13 and 14, between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.

There were a variety of reasons why Mississaugans casted their votes 10 days away from the election. Some told The Pointer they would be away that week. Others said they wanted to beat the lineups on October 21. “I want to vote before it gets too busy, and before I forget about voting later on,” Caroul Chawar, a McMaster University neuroscience student living in Mississauga Centre, said with a slight chuckle. Jobs, lower taxes and the environment are all issues that are important to Chawar during this federal election season. “I’m a grad student about to graduate soon,” she said. “I need to find a job...jobs are very sparse, especially having to do a graduate degree in order to find a job.” 

A June “State of the Labour Market” report by Indeed Hiring Lab Canada found that the jobless rate among those under the age of 25, with a university degree, is higher than prior to the 2008-09 recession. The report found that, in 2018, the unemployment rate among young graduates was 8.9 percent, which is down slightly from 2016, but above the 7.8 percent average from 2000 to 2008. 

Chawar said climate change, and the general state of the environment, is also a federal election issue that is significant to her. “Because it’s investing in the future...in a better environment.” She said she thinks the NDP is the federal party that best addresses those issues, and sounded somewhat confident that she had made up her mind. “I feel like they address all these issues in a very specific manner. I also feel like they target these issues efficiently.” Chawar attended the advance polling station at Mississauga Valley Community Centre and Library. 

At Erin Meadows Community Centre, in the riding of Mississauga-Erin Mills – another advance polling station that was open on day one – resident Amal Youssef said she wanted to avoid the busy election day, so she decided to cast her ballot on Friday. Of all the issues discussed in the federal election, for her, it comes down to the state of the economy in Canada and where it’s going. She noted the overall increase in the cost of living in Canada. “I’ve lived in Canada for 22 years, and I’ve found that I can't afford to buy stuff I used to buy,” she said. “The prices for everything [are] going high.” 

Mississauga resident Amal Youssef is concerned about the rising cost of living

Youssef also mentioned how the price of housing is “crazy.” According to the Mississauga Real Estate Board, the average price of homes sold in Mississauga in September was $763,451, which is up 3.9 percent from September 2018. The average price of a home in Canada, according to The Canadian Real Estate Association, was $493,448 as of August, up 3.9 percent, year-over-year. 

“I have three kids [and] they [have] all graduated from university and they have a nice job, [and] they can't afford to get a decent house.” Youssef said she hopes the Conservatives win. 

She noted how she’s not particularly happy about what she’s receiving in terms of her pension and what she perceives to be an increase in her taxes partly because, according to her, she’s paying more to support newcomers settling in Canada.  

Magad Ghebrial, 50, also voted at Erin Meadows Community Centre on Friday. He decided to vote early because he has “already made up [his] mind.” Ghebrial didn’t see the point in waiting 10 more days. “The economy is a big thing for me,” he said. “It’s top of mind, definitely.” Factors like Canada’s economic growth and the employment rate across the country are markers that are significant to Ghebrial. According to The Conference Board of Canada, an independent research organization, they forecast the Canadian economy will slow to a growth rate below two percent beginning next year, adding to widespread concerns of global economic stagnation. Many Canadian economists have pointed out that relatively healthy employment numbers do not tell the whole story, as wages have not kept pace with certain costs, such as housing, precarious work becomes more common and many have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet.   Ghebrial said he would like to see employment grow “with better jobs and better opportunities.” 

For Mississauga resident, Leon Chew, there is one predominant issue that’s most integral to him: climate change. “I think that’s the only one I’m really concerned about,” he said, outside the Mississauga Valley Community Centre and Library. 

“It’s about existence. I mean, if we don’t do something...humankind is going to disappear.” 

Advance polling stations are open again today (Sunday) and tomorrow, October 14, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (click here for more information on how to vote).

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Twitter: @dancalabrett