Former Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie has officially entered the race to get her old job back.
Crombie left the mayor’s office in 2024 to become the leader of the Ontario Liberal Party. She ran in the 2025 provincial election in Mississauga East—Cooksville and lost, later resigning as Liberal leader in Jan. 2026.
Now she’s back. “I’m staying, and I will see it through. This is the job that I chose over any other, and I’m going to complete it. And I have something to prove,” said Crombie shortly after officially registering to become a mayoral candidate in the October municipal election.
She said during the process of leaving to join provincial politics that she learned that “everything I care about is right here.”
When asked what makes it different this time around, Crombie said she was just looking ahead and not backward.
“I know that last time I ran here in Mississauga for mayor, I received 78 per cent of the vote. I know that I’m not the incumbent. I know that I’m not the front runner. But what I do know is that I have the experience and the leadership, and I’m going to work very hard to earn people’s trust,” Crombie shared.
She was the mayor of Mississauga from 2014 to 2024, succeeding Hazel McCallion who was the city’s longest serving mayor.
Carolyn Parrish won the byelection to replace Crombie in 2024 and is running for relection.
Since Crombie’s annoncement, Parrish has shared a video taken from the night she was elected of Crombie, showing Crombie state she would be “a formiable mayor.”
“Bonnie Crombie announced today at a community BBQ, that Mississauga needs stable leadership. I agree! I believe in fact we have that now! No aspirations to other levels of government. Total dedication to our city,” read Parrish’s post on X.
In response, the former mayor said she had hoped for the best in the beginning. “You want to set up your successor for success, but unfortunately, the city has been adrift and lacking in direction since that time,” said Crombie.
Crombie was also asked about her relationship with Premier Doug Ford who she traded barbs with repeatedly during the Ontario election, saying they both have the same goals.
“The premier and I have had our differences in the past, but we have also proven that we can work very collaboratively together,” said Crombie. “I want a strong, prosperous, affordable Mississauga, and he wants the same for the province of Ontario, and so we have aligned interests.”
Parrish and Crombie will also be up against Ward 7 Councillor Dipika Damerla and Ward 2 Councillor Alvin Tedjo.
The municipal election is scheduled for Oct. 26.
Add CityNews Toronto as a trusted source on Google to see more local stories from us.
