2026 Mississauga Election Candidate Profile: Ward 9 - Anwar Knight

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 Ward 9 councillor?
Where do I begin? For years, I have been a strong community advocate, giving a voice to those who are often not heard. That’s my main motivator.

There is, regrettably, a disconnect between City Hall and the residents it is supposed to serve, and that disconnect has a profound effect on daily life in Ward 9. Families who are feeling unsafe, concerned and unheard. Homeowners are disappointed in the lack of leadership. I even had one elderly gentleman tell me, “We have no representation here.” Ward 9 residents deserve a strong voice at City Hall, one that asks the hard questions and acts on their priorities.

It’s sad, and it needs to change.

I want to ignite excitement about what is possible. I want residents and entire communities to feel empowered and to be part of a collaborative movement for change. As their elected leader, I want them to sit at the table with me, not on the other side of me.

I don’t believe the government should be something that happens to residents. It should happen with them.

There needs to be leadership that isn’t afraid of making waves. Leadership that is willing to take a stand. I’m proud to stand up and fight for what is right and to demand answers on behalf of residents. My record proves it. 

Residents in Ward 9 shouldn’t have to organize petitions and demand town halls just to be heard, like what happened with the Data Centre and the Condo Development at Erin Mills Town Centre. It’s a familiar pattern, questions go unanswered, decisions move forward without clear answers, and residents are left dealing with the consequences.

Ward 9 needs strong, accountable leadership. Together, we will set the benchmark for what is possible.

2. What makes you stand out over other candidates?
Experience, extensive, varied experience, is what sets me apart. As an award-winning journalist at CTV News for close to 20 years, I know how to get to the truth. I know how to demand accountability. I’m prepared to ask hard questions and make sure there are answers. I will scrutinize spending, challenge decisions that don’t make sense for residents, and most importantly, follow through.

I also think a councillor should be accessible and accountable. If residents raise an issue, they deserve to know what happened to it, not have it disappear into City Hall.

I’m also not afraid of a challenge. For the past several years, I’ve been fighting for safer schools. I founded a province-wide movement, called the Hold Schools Accountable Parent Network. Together, with families across Ontario, we have exposed the shocking harm happening to children, along with rampant noncompliance with mandated policies in our publicly funded schools.

I’ve called on both municipal and provincial governments to demand action, speaking as a delegate at both Peel Regional Council and Queen’s Park. Thousands of Ontario families have signed our petition to amend the Education Act, and countless educators, teachers, and administrators have come forward as whistleblowers, reporting exclusively to my organization.

A strong leader acts, not just reacts. That’s the leadership Ward 9 deserves.

3. What are your key campaign priorities?
First and foremost, residents must be heard  and they must be given the opportunity to be active partners in shaping the future of our community. One of the first things I will launch if elected is the Ward 9 Community Action Hub, a resident-led forum where neighbours set the agenda, identify the issues that matter most, and we work together to find solutions to the challenges facing our neighbourhoods. 

On community safety, it means stronger attention to school zones, proactive bylaw enforcement, and advocating for community policing and proven technologies that can help prevent and respond to crime. I will also build on my extensive community safety work with targeted initiatives to protect children and seniors. 

On respecting your tax dollars, it means scrutinizing spending and contracts, asking for measurable results before major expenditures are approved, and supporting an independent Auditor General for Mississauga. If we can’t track it, we shouldn’t spend it.

On smarter, more responsible growth, it means making sure development is matched with the infrastructure and services our neighbourhoods need and giving residents a meaningful opportunity to have their say before shovels hit the ground. No development should put long term strain on the neighbourhood we call home. I will also create a Transparency Dashboard that is always available online, tracking major development and infrastructure applications in plain language showing where they stand, what happens next, and how residents can weigh in. An “I’m Listening” portal will give residents a direct way to provide input on projects that affect their neighbourhoods. I strongly opposed the proposed data center. It is unacceptable that the current councillor did not ask any questions. Instead, it was enthusiastically endorsed.

And when it comes to protecting our environment and community wellbeing, it means protecting the parks, trails and natural spaces that make Ward 9 special, while finding practical ways to strengthen climate resilience and expand community spaces.

4. What budget item is the most important for Mississauga?
I think the most important part of any budget is making sure residents are getting real value for the dollars they’re being asked to pay.

Mississauga is a growing city, and we absolutely need to invest in infrastructure, roads, community facilities and the services residents rely on. But growth and investment have to come with accountability.

Before approving major spending, I want to know: What are we getting for it? What problem are we solving? What will success look like? And is there a better way to achieve the same result?

Residents are making tough choices in their own household budgets. City Hall should be doing the same.

Every penny should have to earn its place in the budget. If we can’t track it, we shouldn’t spend it.

5. What are your three favourite aspects of Mississauga?
The three things I love most about Mississauga are its incredible diversity, its beautiful green spaces and its leadership in life sciences and innovation. 

First, it’s the people. Mississauga is truly blessed; it’s a city where you can celebrate so many different cultures. Festivals that offer authentic music, food and traditions, and welcoming opportunities to engage and understand each other. It’s one of the things that makes Mississauga feel like home.

Second, our green spaces. The Credit River watershed, for one, is a thriving ecosystem that supports not only wildlife but us, too. It’s home to well over 1,000 plant species and more than 240 bird species, including, more recently, bald eagles. How cool is that?

We have some incredible places to get outside and enjoy the city, and I think protecting those spaces is increasingly important as Mississauga continues to grow. A healthy watershed isn’t just green space; it’s also flood protection for our streets and homes.

And third, life science innovation. Mississauga is home to Canada’s second-largest life sciences sector. Companies like AstraZeneca run global clinical research right here in oncology and rare disease. Almost half of Canada’s foreign direct investment in life sciences over the last five years went into Mississauga specifically.

We have the best of both worlds here, a growing, diverse city with neighbourhoods that still feel like a community, alongside economic and scientific innovation. I love seeing neighbours come together to support one another, whether it’s at a community event, helping a neighbour or simply looking out for each other.

6. How will you be actively supporting our locally owned businesses if elected?Local businesses are a huge part of what makes our neighbourhoods strong, and in the current trade environment, supporting them has become more important than ever.

We’re seeing how quickly decisions made outside our city can affect local businesses, their costs, their supply chains and their ability to plan for the future. The City can’t control tariffs or international trade policy, but it can make sure Mississauga is doing everything within its power to help local businesses adapt, compete and grow.

As a councillor, I would work to make City Hall a partner, not another obstacle. That means reducing unnecessary red tape, making municipal processes easier to navigate, connecting businesses with available supports, and looking for opportunities to strengthen local procurement and keep more economic activity in our community.

I also want to see us think beyond simply “buy local.” We need to build a more resilient local economy, one where businesses have opportunities to grow, diversify their markets, adopt new technologies and weather economic shocks.

In a time of trade uncertainty, supporting local businesses isn’t just about supporting today’s businesses. It’s about building an economy that is strong enough to withstand whatever comes next.

7. What does Mississauga currently excel at?
Mississauga does a lot well. We have a strong and diverse economy, incredible cultural diversity, excellent parks and public spaces, and neighbourhoods where people genuinely care about one another.

I also think Mississauga has done a good job of growing into a major city while maintaining a strong sense of community. That’s not easy to do.

Our challenge now is making sure our growth doesn’t get ahead of the infrastructure, services and quality of life that made people want to live here in the first place.

8. How would you communicate with residents and what communication standards will you be setting and following?
Communication and transparency would be fundamental to how I serve Ward 9. That’s why accountability and transparency are built into every one of my priorities.

I want residents to have clear, plain-language information about what’s happening in their neighbourhood—from major development and infrastructure applications to decisions at City Hall and how their tax dollars are being spent.

That’s why, if elected, I will launch a Transparency Dashboard to track major development and infrastructure applications, where they stand, what’s next and how residents can have their say. And through the Ward 9 Community Action Hub, I want to create regular opportunities for residents to come together, identify priorities and work directly with me on solutions.

My standard will be simple: If residents are affected by a decision, they should hear about it before, not after, it happens.

9. How do you plan to actively involve and include residents in decisions?
I don’t want public engagement to mean sending residents a notice after a decision has been made. Residents should have an opportunity to shape decisions from the beginning. That is a must for me.

And that also means actively working to bring our community together. I am committed to launching several initiatives to celebrate collaboration.

That’s the thinking behind my Ward 9 Community Action Hub. I want to create a consistent, resident-led forum where we can identify issues affecting our neighbourhoods, set priorities together and work toward practical solutions.

That also means using different ways to engage people, community meetings, online input and direct conversations because not everyone can attend a City Hall meeting or a Tuesday evening community meeting.

And I want to be very clear about what meaningful engagement means: I can’t promise that every decision will go everyone’s way, but I can promise no one will fight harder for you than I.  That’s what I believe representation should look like.

10. Campaign website
voteanwarknight.ca