Protecting residents and commuters must come first during construction of new Mississauga Hospital

The new hospital at Hurontario and Queensway is one of the most important projects in Mississauga’s history. It will deliver state-of-the-art care and expanded capacity for decades to come. But for both the residents who live near the site and the thousands who rely on these roads every day, the years of construction ahead will bring noise, congestion and disruption that must be managed with honesty and accountability.

We have seen this story before. During the ongoing LRT construction, residents were assured problems would not arise, yet they did. Trucks idled on residential streets at 5:30 in the morning. Subcontractors operated outside permitted hours. Noise barriers turned out to be plywood sheets that did nothing for condo and apartment dwellers above ground level. Bylaw enforcement was reactive at best, and traffic management often meant nothing more than a couple of flaggers overwhelmed by real world conditions, and police officers idling in their cars.

The same mistakes cannot be repeated here.

Residents and Commuters Will Both Be Hit

Residents near the site will face years of noise, dust, and blocked access to their homes. But the disruption goes beyond them. Hurontario and Queensway are lifelines for commuters, transit riders, and local businesses. Daily traffic jams and poorly managed detours will affect people trying to get to work, get their kids to school, or simply move across the city. Construction management is not just about protecting immediate neighbors, it is about ensuring the entire community can still function.

Close the Loopholes, Do Not Widen Them

Construction hours are already set, 7 AM to 7 PM, Monday to Saturday. No Sundays. No holidays. Yet with every major project we see exemptions and special permits that erode those limits. Truck staging is not supposed to occur on residential streets, but subcontractors often park where they please. This time, there must be a three strikes rule, repeated breaches by contractors or subcontractors must mean removal from the project.

Round the Clock Construction Is Not Acceptable

Normally, construction in Mississauga is limited to 7 am to 7 pm, Monday to Saturday. No Sundays. No holidays. But not here. For this project, full 24 hour construction has been approved, all day and all night. That is not an inconvenience, it is a direct assault on the livability of this community. Families will lose sleep. Condo and apartment dwellers will be subjected to nonstop noise. Commuters will face detours and congestion at every hour. Residents are being asked to shoulder disruptions that go far beyond what the City’s own rules usually allow. If the City is prepared to throw its own by-laws out the window, then it must also commit to equally extraordinary protections and compensation for those affected. Anything less is abuse, not progress.

Compensation Must Be Part of the Plan

Residents and commuters deserve recognition for the sacrifice being asked of them. Compensation does not always mean cash. It can mean proper engineered noise barriers, funded community amenities, free transit passes to offset road closures, guaranteed driveway and business access, upgraded pedestrian routes, or investments in local parks and libraries. If quality of life is reduced in one area, it should be raised elsewhere.

Traffic and By-Law Enforcement Must Be Real

Two or three flaggers are not a traffic management system. Police sitting in parked cruisers do nothing for gridlock. Active traffic direction must be written into the job description and audited for performance. And by-law enforcement cannot rely on the usual complaint process when council approved projects are exempt from noise by-laws anyway. The City must commit to hiring additional by-law officers dedicated to this project, with real authority to act in real time.

Shared Accountability

It is not fair to place the weight of these problems on a single city councillor. City Hall was one of the authorities that agreed to this development. Every councillor has one vote out of twelve, and every councillor has a responsibility to ensure this project is managed properly. The same number of emails and phone calls residents direct to their ward councillor should also go to their MP, their MPP, and to all members of council. If the squeaky wheel gets the grease, then squeak loudly and often, or accept poor project management as the default.

A Written Commitment

If the City and Trillium Health Partners believe these problems will not arise, then they should have no hesitation putting protections in writing. That means the Construction Management Plan, the Traffic and Staging Plan, the Noise and Vibration Plan, and the Community Communications Protocol with a 24 hour hotline and weekly look ahead notices. Without enforceable documents, residents and commuters will once again be left with promises instead of protections.

The Bottom Line

Everyone wants this hospital built. But it cannot come at the cost of eroded quality of life for nearby residents or daily chaos for commuters. If leaders believe loopholes, exemptions, and flexibility are necessary, they should admit it now so the public knows what to expect. If they believe residents and road users deserve protection, then they should lock those protections in writing and enforce them.

Mississauga can build a world-class hospital without sacrificing the very community it is meant to serve, but only if accountability is non-negotiable and residents are prepared to hold every level of government to their word.

 

George Tavares is a long-time resident of Mississauga who ran for mayor in the city’s byelection last year. 

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