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One Mississauga

One Mississauga encourages everyone to face and understand the racism, discrimination and hatred experienced in our community.

In Mississauga, we all belong to one community. We want to create a city that doesn’t tolerate racism, discrimination or hate.

When we focus on awareness, education and working together, we can have important conversations that help us recognize and celebrate our differences and shared values.

Hate-motivated incidents and crimes

What are hate-motivated incidents and crimes?

There is a legal distinction between incidents and crimes, but it doesn’t mean that one is less harmful than the other.

According to Peel Regional Police, hate-motivated crimes and incidents are acts driven by bias or hatred toward a person’s race, national or ethnic origin, language, colour, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, age, mental disability, physical disability or sexual orientation.

  • Hate-motivated crime: A criminal act committed against a person or property because of who they are, like hate-motivated graffiti, online threats, intimidation or property damage
  • Hate-motivated incident: An act that is not criminal but is still harmful, such as discriminatory, disrespectful or hostile speech or action

To learn more about the difference, visit the Hate and Bias-Motivated Crime page on the Peel Regional Police’s website.

Hate-motivated experiences can be traumatic for victims and witnesses. They have serious and lasting impacts for everyone who lives in, works in and visits the city.

Events happening around the world often affect our residents deeply because of their identities. According to the 2021 census, 62% of Mississauga residents identified as racialized and 53% as immigrants.

In May 2024, Peel Regional Police reported an increase in hate crimes related to race, religion and sexual orientation in 2023.

We all have a role in keeping Mississauga a safe and welcoming place. This looks like:

  • Not staying silent and speaking up against all forms of hatred
  • Reporting hate-motivated incidents or crimes when we see them
  • Educating ourselves and each other on how to recognize hate incidents or crimes
  • Helping connect victims to support

Get help and support

You’re not alone. If you have experienced discrimination or even hate, there’s support available. You don’t need to suffer in silence.

Safe City Mississauga and community partners work together to create resources and services, such as:

  • The community directory, connecting individuals and families to trusted, community-based supports that can help with reporting, accessing care and healing
  • Social services and mental health support, accessed by calling 211
  • Valuable educational resources that promote safety and civic responsibility and spark meaningful conversations, such as the Countering Hate in Our Community guide

Along with collecting and acting on reports, the Peel Regional Police also provide crime prevention services like early intervention to assist in reducing and stopping hate incidents.

What the City's doing

To foster a more inclusive community, we continue to develop and deepen our partnerships across the city.

Resolutions

Starting in 2020, City Council passed resolutions to acknowledge and address racism, discrimination and hatred in Mississauga, such as:

Combating Racism Discrimination Hatred Advisory Committee

City Council formed the Combating Racism Discrimination Hatred Advisory Committee (CRDHAC) in 2022. This group of community members and City leaders help advise the City on strategies to address racism, discrimination and hatred. It works to ensure all groups in our community are treated fairly.

In February 2024, the Public Campaign on Anti-Hate and Racism report suggested the CRDHAC work with City staff to create an awareness and education campaign about racism, discrimination and hate.

Countering Hate Committee

The City joined the Safe City Mississauga Countering Hate Committee (CHC) in 2024, which includes over 20 community groups. This committee created the Countering Hate Curriculum to build awareness and resilience around hate.

In July and September 2024, the CHC trained all CRDHAC members on how to recognize hate incidents and how to access resources.

One Mississauga campaign

We are shining a bright light on the daily acts of racism and discrimination faced by many in our community. Our campaign is meant to make people stop and think about the words they use, the actions they take and how they affect others.

Together, we can make Mississauga a safer and more inclusive community for everyone. We want to foster curiosity, promote unity and build awareness so all Mississauga residents feel safe and respected.

Contact us

Share your concerns, suggestions and feedback by calling 311 (or 905-615-4311 outside city limits) or emailing us at public.info@mississauga.ca.

For feedback about the Community Directory, you can contact Safe City Mississauga at 905-615-4155 or email info@safecitymississauga.ca.

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