Two weeks before voters head to the polls, CityNews will live stream a mayoral debate featuring some of the top candidates for Mississauga mayor.
The debate, which is being organized by Food Banks Mississauga, is scheduled for May 23 at 7 p.m. on CityNews 24/7 and will be hosted by CityNews reporter Mark McAllister.
Dipika Damerla, Alvin Tedjo, Stephen Dasko and Brian Crombie have confirmed their participation. Carolyn Parrish, currently the presumed frontrunner for the election based on recent polling, has said she will no longer be attending any debates.
Food Banks Mississauga says the debate will ensure that poverty alleviation along with housing and food security are key platform issues for all the candidates. Their participation criteria for candidates are those who have a platform on poverty alleviation and who have received a minimum of five per cent support as determined by polls conducted to date.
Those top four candidates spoke with CityNews last week to discuss why they believe residents of Mississauga should vote for them.
Damerla, Tedjo, and Dasko are close behind Parrish in the polls with 25 per cent of voters still undecided.
Parrish resigned her city council seat to run for mayor while the other three are still on Mississauga council.
The mayoral byelection to replace Bonnie Crombie, who has assumed the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party, is set for Monday, June 10. The election to replace the vacancy in Ward 5, a seat left open by Parrish, will be held on the same date.
You can watch the debate live here.