Mississauga takes first step to protect tenants from summer heat!

Peel ACORN was at City Hall today showing up in support of a motion by Councillor Damerla that would get us one step closer to securing a victory on ACORN’s municipal Beat the Heat campaign!

Mississauga-Cooksville Chair Marcia Bryan took the microphone at council and laid out exactly what she and her neighbours are facing. She reminded councillors that indoor cooling is not a luxury. It is about basic human survival.

Marcia exposed the harsh reality of living in older apartment buildings during the climate crisis:

• Dangerous Temperatures: Our apartments act like heat traps, keeping rooms hotter than 30°C day and night.
• No Relief: Tenants are forced to stop using their ovens, go days without sleep, and struggle to breathe in high humidity and poor air quality.
• No Choice: Many low income families cannot afford to buy AC units, and tenants do not have the power to install central air on their own.

Low-to-moderate income tenants did not cause the climate crisis, but we suffer the most. ACORN told council that they cannot wait for preventable deaths to happen in Mississauga before they act.

With unanimous support, the motion to ‘Expand Cooling Requirements and Cooling Amenity Spaces in Apartment Buildings’ PASSED! 

Next Steps: We Won’t Stop Until We Win!

The motion to start the review process has passed, but this is just the beginning. Peel ACORN is keeping the pressure high to make sure this is a priority before next summer (and for the upcoming election). As a result of this city review, ACORN wants to see implemented:

1. A Maximum Heat By-law: Landlords must be legally required to keep apartments below 26°C all summer. We have rules for winter heat, so we need rules for summer cooling.
2. A Local Free AC Program: Mississauga must follow other cities and set up a program to get free cooling units directly to tenants who need them.

Click to read Peel ACORN’s submission to council.

Click to read the motion that passed.