FAQs

MTSAs refer to “Major Transit Station Areas” that will support future development around transit stations on existing or planned transit corridors (such as Light Rail Transit (LRT), Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), GO rail corridors).  They are required under the Province’s “A Place To Grow 2019” as amended, and are intended to encourage higher density, mixed-use, transit-supportive neighbourhoods that provide easy access to local amenities, jobs, housing, and recreation opportunities.

The Region of Peel is working with the City of Mississauga in defining and locating MTSAs to manage this growth.  The Regional work will comprise of delineating boundaries of MTSAs,  prioritize them for transit supportive growth and development and include such policies in the Regional Official Plan. The City of Mississauga will then develop detailed area level policies for these MTSAs in the City’s Official Plan to align with the Regional work. 

Currently the Region of Peel is proposing 64 stations within the City of Mississauga.  The stations are along existing transit corridors such as Hurontario, Highways 403 and 407 as well as the Kitchener, Milton and Lakeshore West GO Rail lines.  They are also located along future transit corridors along Lakeshore East and Dundas Street.

The proposed boundaries and locations of the MTSAs are publicly available on the Regional website and any comments on the proposal should be directed to the Region through their website.

MTSA policies are intended to strengthen existing policies already in the City Official Plan.  This can range from encouraging higher densities and intensification of under developed lands to support the transit stations in proximity.  It can also mean that for some MTSAs the existing lower or medium density characteristics of the neighbourhood are maintained and protected from over development and inappropriate densities.  Generally the MTSAs support non-motorized connectivity (bicycles and pedestrians) to ensure equal access to transit stations for the public. 

MTSAs will emphasize uses, densities, and heights that are already approved or endorsed by Council, most of which are already in affect within the City’s Official Plan.  Any new land uses densities, or heights that may be proposed within MTSAs that aren’t already approved, will go through a detailed study process and will entail an appropriate public consultation process before the changes are implemented.

Once the Region of Peel implements the MTSA policies into the Regional Official Plan, the City will implement the same through amendments to the City's Official Plan. The public will have an opportunity to provide input at various stages of implementation.

The City is targeting a staged approach for the implementation of MTSAs with the first Group of MTSAs expected for late Q1 or early Q2 of 2021.  This will be subject to the approval of the Regional MTSA policies first.  A second Group of MTSAs are expected to follow shortly after in Q3/4 2021.

There may be additional MTSAs that will be defined and delineated as additional transit stations and transit corridors get developed.  This will require the Region to amend their Official Plan first before the City can add any other MTSAs.  Future City initiated studies, in collaboration with the Region, will determine if any other MTSAs should be delineated. If there is a need for additional MTSAs,  a future public engagement process will be organized.

For more information about this project, please contact Bashar Al-Hussaini, Planner, bashar.al-hussaini@mississauga.ca.

To learn more about the work the Region of Peel is doing, please contact Duran Wedderburn, Principal Planner, duran.wedderburn@peelregion.ca.