March 21, MISSISSAUGA – Malton residents joined MPP Deepak Anand at Malton Community Centre on
March 14 for a town hall meeting to talk about local issues.
MPP Anand opened the discussion with an update from Queen’s Park and informed residents about the
provincial government’s initiative to cut red tape by 25%, the banning of cell phones from classrooms, the steps taken to prepare schools to help students with autism, and the new Go Transit benefit of kids under 12 riding free.
MPP Anand also discussed some of the projects undertaken and events organized in the riding over the
last few months including the Mississauga-Malton Youth Council, the Blessing Bags Project, Christmas
Day Open House and Family Day Paint Night.
MPP Anand also introduced the jobs portal, which he has developed to better connect employers andjobseekers in a riding where the youth unemployment rate is 25%. The soon-to-be-active portal also provides resume writing help and other tips to find jobs.
He was supportive of a resident–led initiative to re-open the Malton Community Police Station, whichwas shut down last year.
He then introduced the special guests for the evening – Fire and Emergency Services Chief Tim Beckett, Sam Kohli of the Malton BIA and representatives of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority. Chief Beckett focused on the department’s efforts to increase diversity in the ranks, and provided details about the summer firefighter leadership camp for young girls. Mr. Kohli spoke about the Digital Mainstreet program, a government of Ontario initiative, which will give Malton business owners the opportunity to have a digital presence. Kathryn Hanford of the GTAA provided insight into the company’s community involvement and outreach, while her colleague Siobhan Desroches provided an update on the plans for Pearson Airport as a transit hub.
The meeting concluded following an extended question and answer session, with questions on jobs,
facilities for youth, infrastructure updates, and affordable housing.
MPP Anand and his team would like to thank all those who attended the meeting. The next town hall
meeting is scheduled for May.
Our next event will be a Community Clean-up Day at Acorn Place in conjunction with the townhouse
residents of the area on Saturday, Apr 27 from 4pm-6pm.
Our office is located at 7895 Tranmere Dr., Unit 20, open Monday to Friday from 10am to 5pm for
anyone with concerns, ideas or a wish to volunteer and give back to the community. For any questions
about the town hall meetings or other future events, please call 905-696-0367 or email
deepak.anandco@pc.ola.org.