Mississauga launches new campaign as hate crimes rise in the region

A new campaign launched in Mississauga this week uses eye-catching posters to call out common acts of racism and discrimination.

This comes a year after Peel Regional Police reported a rise in hate crimes related to race, sexual orientation and religion.

"Mississauga is a global city and so every time there's global conflicts, it sort of has impacts here," said local councillor Dipika Damerla, chair of the city's committee combating racism, discrimination and hatred.

The One Mississauga campaign also wants to highlight the rich diversity of Mississauga and aims to foster curiosity, promote unity and build awareness. The posters show statements like "Speak Canadian I don't get you," with the response: "Sorry, English is my fourth language."

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Damerla says the campaign is meant to engage everyone, regardless of their background.

"It's really important to remember that no matter who we are, we all have biases," she said.

The city says One Mississauga isn't just a campaign, it's a call to action for residents, businesses and city staff to come together and shape the kind of city everyone wants to live and work in.

Hate crimes on the rise, stats show

According to an April 2024 Peel police report, there was a 32 per cent increase in reported hate-motivated crimes from 2022 to 2023. Of the 162 reported hate-motivated crimes, 35 resulted in charges.

"We need to open up dialogue, and I hope that that would happen within the city," said Angela Carter, a member of the leadership team at Metamorphosis, a network of non-profits in Mississauga. "How can we get people to help each other and understand each other?"

According to Statistics Canada, approximately 60 per cent of Mississauga's population identify as a visible minority and 53 per cent as immigrants. 

"The result of this is often rising tensions and conflicts among certain groups and potentially even leading to acts of racism, discrimination and hate," the city said in a statement.

In the coming weeks, it will be collecting public feedback on the campaign in an effort to continue making improvements.