2026 Mississauga Election Candidate Profile: Mayoral - Mike Matulewicz

With the upcoming 2026 Municipal elections happening on Monday, October 26th, Modern Mississauga Media has reached out to all candidates inviting them to answer the same questions so voters can familiarize themselves with them.

With the 2022 Mississauga election having a paltry 21.84% voter turnout, this series is to educate the community and hopefully increase voter turnout for 2026.
Low voter turnout means that the voices of a few make decisions for all.

Candidate’s were also asked to provide at least four images and their answers are unedited.

Click here to read all candidate profiles and check back often as responses will be posted within 72 hours of receipt.

Click here to learn how to vote in the 2026 Mississauga Election.

1. Why are you running for Mayor?
I've lived in Erin Mills for over forty years.  After 34 years in policing, I know what keeps a community safe and what quietly wastes its money. I'm running because Mississauga can be safer, healthier, and more affordable, and I have the  experience and plans to get the job done.

2. What makes you stand out over other candidates?
Real world experience ! With 15 years of corporate budget, audit and program development at the Toronto Police Service, the largest city police service in Canada, gives me insight and practical experience in community safety and police governance required to address the serious issues of crime, poverty and affordability that other candidates lack. 

I can read a city or police budget like a McDonalds menu knowing where the beef or fatty fries are. City elected officials are unqualified to assess the operational value of a police  budget. I am! 

I can speak with experience and confidence to Peel Regional Police Services Board, the Chief and Command Officers. I speak their language, I know their issues and have years of operational police governance experience to speak with credibility and authority that the other candidates simply do not have. I will be a valuable contributing member of the Peel Regional Police Service Board representing Mississauga residents with an expertise that only decades of experience brings.

3. What are your key campaign priorities?
Safe, healthy, and affordable communities.  Augmenting Peel Regional Police capabilities  through the Community Response Unit, helping our fire department to meet national standards of emergency response time ensuring community safety. Mitigating the pending $200 million dollar annual increase  to the Peel Regional Police Budget  that will substantially increase every home owner and business’s annual property taxes for decades to come.

Donating 100% of the Mayor’s salary to charity helping to feed the 14,000 plus children who are relying on our food banks every day.

4. What budget item is the most important for Mississauga?
I will commence a full program review of the City's budget, with the goal of having every service clearly costed. This ensures vital safety programs, like fire and emergency response  are fully funded, while non-essential services are reduced or ended. The review covers only what the City controls, not Peel Regional Police. Deferrals will not count as savings. Every dollar will be justified from the ground up and reported openly, program by program. Savings return to taxpayers or pay down deferred infrastructure.  My target is five per cent cut of the operating budget with greater focus on improved essential services.

5. What are your three favourite aspects of Mississauga?
The people, you hear a dozen languages at any plaza and see the joy and warmth of family and friends gathering around familiar food stores and services. The green space, Luke my golden retriever  and I enjoy the waterfront to the Credit River trails.  And the quiet decency, neighbours who still check on each other.

6. How will you be actively supporting our locally owned businesses if elected?
By making it easier and cheaper to run one. Faster permits, no surprise fee hikes. Providing support of the city services during these challenging economic times.

7. What does Mississauga currently excel at?
Running a big, growing city while staying clean, green, and safe, that's not easy, and we do it well. Our diversity is a genuine strength, our parks and libraries are first-rate, and MiWay keeps the city moving. Good bones. Now let's build on them.

8. How would you communicate with residents and what communication standards will you be setting and following?
My whole campaign is documents anyone can read , no jargon, no spin. As Mayor I'd hold to a simple standard: explain every big decision in plain words, show its real cost, and answer questions promptly. City hall should be accountable and  transparent to the tax payers who fund it.

9. How do you plan to actively involve and include residents in decisions?
My Declaration Rule would require the city to give a written, costed answer whenever residents or council raise a concern, no more silence. Add regular neighbourhood meetings, plain-language budget summaries. Decisions should be made with residents, not just announced to them. It is the duty of the city to give residents the big picture of pressing issues so they can judge issues in context. If services cannot be provided they should be told why.

10. Please provide your campaign website.
N/A.