City of Mississauga and MHBC, Streetsville Heritage Conservation District

Nominated for the Carlos Ventin Award for Municipal Heritage Leadership

Known as ‘the Village in the City,’ Streetsville is a historic and founding town of Mississauga. Heritage advocates have recognized Streetsville’s heritage district potential since at least the 1970s and by 2005, the City listed most of the properties as a Cultural Heritage Landscape; however, only 6% were designated.

As a walkable community with easy GO train access, Streetsville is desirable for redevelopment. In 2018, the community expressed concerns that the character was at risk. As such, City Heritage staff compiled a business case for a Heritage Conservation District Feasibility Study. Delayed by the Covid pandemic, the initiative finally commenced in 2023. The City hired MHBC to conduct the study to determine if Streetsville, or part of it, met the criteria. MHBC quickly and adeptly identified character areas and therefore a potential HCD of two hundred properties.

The Ward Councillor and the local Business Improvement Association advocated for the project, and the majority of the community was in favour. However, as the project reached the final stretch, an affordable housing advocacy group vociferously opposed it, accusing the City of using the HCD to block housing. Education was key to combating this claim. The City and consultant team had to make it plain that heritage designation does not freeze properties in time, that it is a tool for managing change. Development and heritage conservation can coexist. The community’s interest in conserving this special area, supported by the steadfast Ward Councillor, ultimately prevailed and the Streetsville HCD was designated in December 2024.

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