Mississauga highlights 2025 progress and award-winning work on equity, diversity and inclusion

Today, the City of Mississauga shared an update on its equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) work. This was presented to Council at General Committee through the 2025 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Progress Report.

The report details the key results and achievements from the past year to help build a more welcoming and representative community and workplace. It also outlines next steps and planned work for 2026 to further integrate equity into City services, policies, and processes.

The EDI progress report focuses on four key themes:

1. Driving change across all City initiatives
2. Supporting a culture of learning and development through training and tools
3. Implementing EDI policies and governance activities to redesign City services
4. Finding and removing systemic barriers through dedicated tools and resources

In 2025, the City achieved several important milestones, including:

• The launch of the first corporate EDI Strategy: “Empowering Change: A Comprehensive Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (2026-2031).”
• The development and launch of the award-winning anti-hate and anti-discrimination public education campaign: “One Mississauga.”

Highlights from the report

The report also highlights key achievements, some of which include:

• Expanding Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) with the launch of a sixth group, the Women’s ERG, joining Indigenous, Black, Able, MiPride, and Diverse and Multicultural groups.
• Partnering with an EDI-focused executive recruitment firm to attract more diverse candidates and remove systemic barriers to leadership opportunities.
• Strengthening psychological health and safety in the workplace for diverse employees through an Employee Family and Assistance program and related mental health programming.
• Continuing to deliver EDI learning to employees across the City.
• Advancing accessible design and building of City facilities and public spaces that adhere to provincial and federal standards.
• Introducing a comprehensive Document Standards policy and procedure to support the creation of accessible documents.

Looking ahead to 2026, the City has made a commitment to advancing numerous EDI priorities, including:

• Developing a new Equitable Engagement policy and framework for public engagement.
• Strengthening relations with Indigenous Nations across Turtle Island and preparing to host the prestigious National Elders Gathering in 2027.

Through this work, the City of Mississauga continues to build a community and workplace where everyone feels respected, safe, and included.

Quotes

“The 2025 EDI Progress Report highlights the meaningful steps Mississauga is taking toward building a community where everyone feels they belong, are respected, and are celebrated for who they are. We are proud of the actions we have taken to ensure an equity lens is applied to every decision we make to keep Mississauga a vibrant and diverse city that we are all proud to call home.” – Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish

“2025 was a pivotal year for advancing equity, diversity and inclusion and was marked by several important milestones, including the launch of the first corporate-wide EDI strategy (Empowering Change: A Comprehensive EDI Strategy) and the One Mississauga public education campaign. These achievements demonstrate our commitment to creating more inclusive experiences, reducing barriers, and expanding opportunities for all.” – Geoff Wright, City Manager and Chief Administrative Officer, City of Mississauga

Tags

• Equity Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)