Streetsville (pop. 47,327)[1] is a neighbourhood located in the northwestern corner of the city of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, on the Credit River. Although Streetsville occupies the west and east banks of the river, the majority is located on the west bank of the river.
A town prior to the 1974 amalgamations that formed the City of Mississauga, it seeks to keep a "small town" charm by retaining a variety of historical buildings and streetscapes. As part of this attempt to maintain a separate identity from the larger city, the names of two main Mississauga streets, as they pass through Streetsville, retain the names they had when Streetsville was an independent village: Mississauga Road and Bristol Road, which remain as Queen Street and Main Street respectively. Other main thoroughfares that pass through or near Streetsville include Britannia Road, Creditview Road, Eglinton Avenue, and Erin Mills Parkway.
History
Before 1800
The area surrounding the Credit River was populated by the Iroquois people up until the early 18th century, when it was taken by the Ojibwa. European settlers came to know them specifically as the Mississaugas, which eventually became the name of the area itself. By 1805, the Natives had either ceded or sold most of this land over to British governance.
Settlement
The Timothy Street Home was built by the founder of Streetsville in 1825.Montreal House, the first general store in Streetsville, was founded in 1821Franklin House, built in the 1850sCredit Valley Railway station. A new station was built in 1914, and the original building was moved to a different location in Streetsville.
The beginnings of Streetsville are interwoven with the history of its founder, Timothy Street. Street was born in 1778 in the American colonies to a British Loyalist family. At the age of 23, he moved with his family from New York to St. David's, a settlement on the Niagara River in Upper Canada (as Ontario was then known).
In 1818, the British made a second purchase of 648,000 acres (2,620km2) of land from the indigenous Mississauga peoples. Before it could be opened for settlement, the land had to be surveyed, and as was usual for the time, surveyors would receive a grant of land from the parcel that they surveyed as compensation for their work. Timothy Street, along with Richard Bristol, a qualified surveyor, applied for a contract to survey parts of the newly available land. As they did their work, Street quickly began to appreciate the immense potential for settlement along the Credit River, and made plans to erect both a saw and grist mill once his work was finished.
In April 1819, the surveyed land was opened for settlement, and the first settler in the area, James Glendinning, settled on a parcel of land along Mullet Creek. Timothy Street did build his saw and grist mills, using stones from Glendinning's land.
A large quarry of red clay lay on the west side of the village, encouraging the use of brick for construction.
In 1821, Streetsville's first general store, now known as Montreal House, was built, and still stands. Another landmark, Timothy Street's house, was built in 1825 and is one of the oldest brick houses in Peel Region.
In 1855, William Graydon and Peter Douglass built a large brick building, and sold it in 1859 to Bennet Franklin, a partner in Barber Brothers Toronto Woollen Mills. It became known as Franklin House. In 1910, under new ownership, the name was changed to the Queen's Hotel. Although it ceased to operate as a hotel when its public room was closed with the enforcement of the Canada Temperance Act, it continued to be used for commercial purposes. At present, it has been designated under the terms of the Ontario Heritage Act and protected by a heritage easement, and now houses a restaurant and a variety of small businesses and offices.
In 1858, Streetsville was incorporated as a village, with a population of 1500 people. The primary work was found in grist mills, sawmills and tanneries. Timothy Street's son, John, was the first reeve. For the next century, Streetsville largely existed as a long narrow village with all of its shops, three churches, the cenotaph and the library located on Queen Street, which ran between the Credit River and the railway track.
A century later, in 1951, the population of Streetsville had declined to 1,139 people. Then in 1953, two of the first suburbs in Canada, Vista Heights and Riverview, were built to the southwest and northeast respectively. Vista Heights was notable because the town council made the unprecedented decision to require the developer to build a K-6 (kindergarten to Grade 6) elementary school. These suburbs and Vista Heights Public School opened in 1955, presaging the future rapid growth of middle-class suburbs in the area. Another suburban area that grew as a de facto expansion of Streetsville (not as development reaching out to it from the main urban area of Mississauga) is River Grove, which is centred along Bristol Road east of the Credit River and extends to Creditview Road; although this area was developed in the late 1980's, well after Streetsville's amalgamation into Mississauga.
1962 incorporation and 1974 municipal reorganization
As families moved into the new suburbs, the town's population grew rapidly. By January 1962, Streetsville's population reached 5,000, and it was incorporated as a town. The first mayor was Frank Dowling.
In 1968, the Town of Mississauga was created from Toronto Township absorbing the police village of Malton. Although Streetsville and Port Credit were excluded from this amalgamation, they were amalgamated in 1974 when Mississauga became a city.
Politics
Municipal
Streetsville is a member of the Ward 11 within the city of Mississauga, which was created from Ward 6. Representing the ward is Councillor George Carlson, who was elected Councillor of the eleventh ward in 2000 and was re-elected in 2003, 2006, 2010 and 2014. Carlson is a direct descendant of one of Streetsville's founders, Henry Rutledge (1797–1875) who also served as a local Councillor.[3] Prior to the annexing of Mississauga, Hazel McCallion was the mayor of Streetsville (1970–1973) and was the township's last reeve (1967–1970). She was the fifth mayor of Mississauga and lived in Streetsville until her death on January 29, 2023 from pancreatic cancer.[4]
Provincial
Streetsville resides in the provincial electoral district (riding) of Mississauga-Streetsville. The riding was created in 2003 after Mississauga—Erindale and Mississauga South were divided up. The riding was represented by Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament Bob Delaney. Delaney was elected in the provincial election of 2003, by defeating Progressive Conservative Nina Tangri by over 7,000 votes. In 2006, Delaney was appointed the Parliamentary Assistant to Minister Responsible for Seniors. He was re-elected in the provincial election of 2007 again, defeating Tangri by 11,155 votes. On January 25, 2010, Delaney was named Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Revenue.[5] As of July 26, 2023 this riding is represented by Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament Rechie Valdez, Minister of Small Business. (https://www.ourcommons.ca/members/en/rechie-valdez(110538))
Federal
Prior to 1993, Streetsville favoured the Conservative party with Progressive Conservative Bob Horner being elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) in the 1984 and 1988 federal elections. Since then Streetsville voters swayed towards the Liberals with the party winning the riding consecutively to this date. In 2000, Liberal MP Steve Mahoney defeated Alliance candidate Philip Leong in the Federal Mississauga-Streetsville riding and remained in office until 2003. Wajid Khan then took the riding in 2004 by beating Conservative Nina Tangri by 8,481 votes and continued onto a second term after defeating Conservative challenger Raminder Gill by 5,792 votes in 2006. During his second term, Khan served as a consultant to Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party on issues concerning the Middle East. Based on an ultimatum established by the Conservatives, Khan switched parties in 2007 and ran as a Conservative candidate in the 2008 elections. Liberal Bonnie Crombie defeated Khan in the election by 5,000 votes.[6][7][8]
Demographics
As of 2009, Streetsville's population (whose census boundary includes surrounding areas such as East Credit and Erin Mills Central) stood at 47,327 with a 9.9% population increase between 2001 and 2006 and a subsequent 20% increase from 2006 to 2009. From 2006 to 2009, households also increased in number from 12,178 to 13,722. The majority of Streetsville residences own their own homes (85%) with more than 51,000 residents holding a university or college degree. Also the majority of residences work within grey or white collar jobs versus only 27% of the population consisting of labour workers . Furthermore, the average household income of Streetsville residents amounts to $124,255 with only a 5.6% unemployment rate. In relation to religion, 41.4% of residents are Roman Catholics while religious populations such as Muslims (6.9%) and Anglicans (6.3%) are continuing to grow. Also nearly 48% of Streetsville residents are identified as visible minorities including predominantly East Indians, South Asians and Chinese. Subsequently, 53% of the population's main language is English while the region boasts many non-official languages such as Chinese, Arabic, and Urdu. With homes averaging around 3.4 bedrooms, the average family consists of three people per home and has around 1.4 children. Streetsville's population has an average age of 38 with 33% of the population being between ages 25–44, 23.1% of the population are between the ages 45– 64 and 14.5% of the population being between the ages of 15- 24. Also among the population, 61.4% of residents are married while 29.1% are single and 9.5% are widowed or divorced.[9][10][11]
Community
Streetsville Village Square
Streetsville as a Community Node
Streetsville is one of Mississauga's largest and most identifiable historical communities due to its suburban surroundings, which makes it stand out to a greater degree than former towns in older urban areas and is likely the reason for its nickname "The Village in the City". It still retains its historic main street and is home to many historical buildings. Streetsville is known as a Community Node, and therefore provides various resources applicable to a Community Node[when defined as?]. The city of Mississauga focuses on Streetsville's urban structure to grow in existing and proposed services and the community infrastructure[clarification needed]. As a Community Node, there are many things in Streetsville that are used on a day-to-day basis. This includes: local shops, restaurants, community facilities, entertainment, schools, parks, and an impressive housing stock that meets the requirements of new residents.[12]
Bread and Honey Festival
Streetsville Memorial Park
In 1973 Streetsville held the first Bread and Honey Festival. This was an acknowledgement to the town's history and its involvement with milling as Kraft Canada and ADM Milling had well-established flourmills in the area. The festival become an annual event being held on the first weekend of June.[13] The festival is held at Streetsville Memorial Park. Some of the events include live musical performances, a carnival run, a consumers market, a pancake breakfast, and parade.[14][15][16][17][18] The festival went on hiatus in 2020.[19] It came back in 2022 as the Bread and Honey Street Festival and returned as a full festival in 2023.[19]
Canada Day
Every July 1 at the Memorial Park dedicated to F.B. McFarren, the neighbourhood holds a local Canada Day celebration. There are various activities occurring throughout the afternoon, ranging from face-painting to dance performances. Local businesses sponsor and execute various performances throughout the evening and is then finished with a firework display occurring around 10pm.[20]
Santa Claus Parade
The annual Mississauga Santa Claus Parade now takes place in Streetsville. The parade starts on Queen Street at Britannia Road and travels south through the village to disperse at various locations after the Church Street junction. The parade was founded in 1974.
Christmas Market
In 2016, the Streetsville BIA and City of Mississauga held its inaugural 'Christmas in the Village' Market in the Streetsville Village Square on the last weekend of November. After a two-year Renovation in 2014, the Streetsville Village Square now includes a covered stage, the town cenotaph and outdoor seating for residents. The 'Christmas in the Village' Market includes food and gift vendors, live entertainment and the lighting of the towns Christmas Tree.[21]
Sports
Vic Johnston Arena
Ice hockey
The Streetsville and District Minor Hockey Association was established in 1946. Streetsville and seven other communities in the Toronto Township formed the Toronto Township Hockey League (TTHL) In 1962 the Streetsville and District Minor Hockey Association began to play in their new rink, Vic Johnston Community Centre. During the early years the Streetsville's Hockey team played under many names including, the Thunderbirds, Hounds, Tigers, Kings, and Panthers. In the 1967-68 season they left the TTHL. Streetsville iced five teams to play in the Tri-County A league of the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) at the start of the 1968-69 season. That first season Streetsville won two championships. In the late 1980s, the President and late Bill Mann embarked on a name search for the Streetsville Rep teams. The name chosen was Tigers, and from that date on the name and team colours were adopted into the Rules and Regulations. The Tiger logo was designed and adopted in 1990 and has been incorporated into all tiger equipment, sweaters, pants, equipment bags, hats and jackets. The Tigers moved to the OMHA Central AAA league in 1991-1992 where they competed for four years. Since joining the GTHL[clarification needed], the Tiger teams have been very competitive winning two Divisional Champions, one Carnation Cup and one City Championship. 2006 the Streetsville Tigers Celebrated 60 years of hockey in Streetsville.[22]
Streetsville had a successful Junior A hockey club the Streetsville Derbys which played in the Vic Johnson Arena. At the conclusion of the 2007 season, the Derbys moved to a new location, Westwood Arena, in Rexdale, Ontario. In 2011 with the Ontario Junior Hockey League's goal of contraction, the Derby's merged with the Cobourg Cougars.
Streetsville Thistles was a successful lacrosse club in the 1890s.[23]
Vic Johnston Arena
The arena opened in 1961, and is used for hockey, skating and other community events. It is an independent, non-profit arena. In 2008, the arena received an $8-million-dollar renovation.[24]
Brampton is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a lower-tier municipality within Peel Region. The city has a population of 656,480 as of the 2021 Census, making it the ninth most populous municipality in Canada and the third most populous city in the Greater Golden Horseshoe urban area, behind Toronto and Mississauga.
Mississauga is a large Canadian city in the province of Ontario, home to Toronto Pearson International Airport, the towns of Streetsville and Port Credit, and the tallest building in Canada outside of Toronto. Situated on the western shore of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, it borders Toronto (Etobicoke) to the east, Brampton to the north, Milton to the north-west, and Oakville directly to the west. Although Mississauga was initially a car-centric city, significant strides have been made to improve walkability and add cycling lanes, with most major arteries having bi-directional bike lanes. The city's downtown is home to several transit hubs, such as Square One Bus Terminal, and the City Centre Transit Terminal. With a population of 717,961 as of 2021, Mississauga is the seventh-most populous municipality in Canada, third-most in Ontario, and second-most in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) after Toronto itself. However, for the first time in its history, the city's population declined according to the 2021 census, from a 2016 population of 721,599 to 717,961, a 0.5 per cent decrease.
Oakville is a town and lower-tier municipality in Halton Region, Ontario, Canada. It is located on Lake Ontario between Toronto and Hamilton. At its 2021 census population of 213,759, it is Ontario's largest town. Oakville is part of the Greater Toronto Area, one of the most densely populated areas of Canada.
Etobicoke is an administrative district and former city within Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the city's west-end, Etobicoke is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the east by the Humber River, on the west by Etobicoke Creek, the cities of Brampton, and Mississauga, the Toronto Pearson International Airport, and on the north by the city of Vaughan at Steeles Avenue West.
Milton is a town in Southern Ontario, Canada, and part of the Halton Region in the Greater Toronto Area. Between 2001 and 2011, Milton was the fastest growing municipality in Canada, with a 71.4% increase in population from 2001 to 2006 and another 56.5% increase from 2006 to 2011. In 2016, Milton's census population was 110,128 with an estimated growth to 228,000 by 2031. It remained the fastest growing community in Ontario but was deemed to be the sixth fastest growing in Canada at that time.
Georgetown is a large unincorporated community in the town of Halton Hills, Ontario, Canada, in the Regional Municipality of Halton. The town includes several small villages or settlements such as Norval, Limehouse, Stewarttown and Glen Williams near Georgetown and another large population centre, Acton. In 2016, the population of Georgetown was 42,123. It sits on the banks of the Credit River, approximately 40 km west of Toronto, and is part of the Greater Toronto Area. Georgetown was named after entrepreneur George Kennedy who settled in the area in 1821 and built several mills and other businesses.
Halton was a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1988 before being abolished in an electoral district redistribution, and again from 1997 to 2015, when it was again abolished in another electoral district redistribution. When it was last contested in 2011, its population was 203,437, of whom 115,255 were eligible electors.
Bob Delaney is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was the Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2003 to 2018 who represented the ridings of Mississauga West and Mississauga—Streetsville.
Port Credit is a neighbourhood in the south-central part of the City of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, located at the mouth of the Credit River on the north shore of Lake Ontario. Its main intersection is Hurontario Street and Lakeshore Road, about 0.6 kilometres (0.37 mi) east of the river. Until 1974, Port Credit was an incorporated town. Its approximate boundaries are the Canadian National Railway to the north, Seneca Avenue to the east and Shawnmarr Road to the west. It had a population of 10,260 at the 2001 census.
Streetsville GO Station is a GO Transit railway station on the Milton line in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the community of Streetsville in Mississauga.
Wajid Ali Khan is a Canadian businessman and politician. Between 2004 and 2008, he was a member of the House of Commons of Canada, representing the riding of Mississauga—Streetsville initially as a Liberal and then as a Conservative Member of Parliament. In March 2018, he was arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and charged with three counts of fraud, three counts of false pretense and one count of uttering a forged document.
Mississauga—Streetsville is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2004. This riding is centred on the villages of Streetsville and Meadowvale.
Erindale is an historical neighbourhood located within the central part of the city of Mississauga, west of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Erindale is named in honour of the birthplace of the first rector of the village, Reverend James Magrath from Erin (Ireland).
The Streetsville Derbys are a Junior "C" ice hockey team from Streetsville, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Provincial Junior Hockey League assigned to the South Conference and in the Bloomfield Division. The Derbys joined the PJHL as an expansion franchise for the 2024–25 season.
For the defunct federal electoral district, see Mississauga West
Anthony Charles Sousa is a Canadian politician who has served as the Member of Parliament from Mississauga-Lakeshore since December 12, 2022. He previously served as the Minister of Finance for Ontario from 2013 to 2018. A member of the Ontario Liberal Party, Sousa was elected to represent Missisuaga South in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 2007. He joined the provincial cabinet as the minister of labour in 2010 and became Ontario's minister of citizenship and immigration in 2011. In 2022, Sousa ran as the federal Liberal candidate in the Mississauga-Lakeshore by-election which was held on December 12, 2022. Sousa won the election, defeating 39 other candidates.
Hazel McCallion was a Canadian politician who served as the fifth mayor of Mississauga. First elected in November 1978, McCallion was mayor for 36 years until her retirement in 2014, making her the longest-serving mayor in the city's history. She was a successful candidate in twelve municipal elections, having been acclaimed twice and re-elected ten times. She was nicknamed "Hurricane Hazel" for her outspoken political style with reference to the hurricane of 1954, which had a considerable impact. When the 1979 Mississauga train derailment occurred early in her tenure, she helped oversee evacuation of 200,000 residents from the resulting explosion, fire, and spill of hazardous chemicals.
Mississauga—Streetsville is a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 2007. This riding is centred on the villages of Streetsville and Meadowvale.
Gagan Sikand is a Canadian politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for the Greater Toronto Area riding of Mississauga—Streetsville from 2015 to 2021. He served as a member of the Liberal Party.
Nina Tangri is a Canadian politician who is currently Ontario's Associate Minister of Housing. She previously served as the Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction from June 2021 until June 2022. She was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2018 provincial election. She represents the riding of Mississauga—Streetsville as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.
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