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About SMaRT CiTY

Our Future is Smart

We are building the future together. The Smart City program is a new initiative that will help prepare Mississauga to be future ready and resilient. 

Mississauga’s Smart City is part of the City of Mississauga’s Information Technology (IT) Department. We work across all city divisions to advise, support and implement innovation. We work with external communities, insitutions, businesses and governments to learn, collaborate and work together to help build a better future.

The outcomes we are looking to achieve are ambitious – to enable a sustainable and desirable city, where people feel empowered, safe, healthy and happy. At the core, Mississauga’s Smart City initiatives are about creating  A Smart City for Everybody. We believe that when everyone wins we all win.

How Did We Get Here?

Mississauga has been a Smart City for many years. We began with the creation of an extensive digital infrastructure including a publicly owned fibre network (PSN) and an Internet of Things (IoT) network that spans the entire city. Along with this we are continually expanding our online services, supporting the innovation community and bridging the digital divide with programs such as Laptop Lending, Maker Spaces and fully equipped Libraries accross the city. You can see the city’s digital city’s digital initiatives in the Smart City Assets section. 

With this digital base, we began to grow our Smart City initiatives. In 2018  Canada’s Federal Government launched the national Smart Cities Challenge to help communities across the country level up to prepare for smart cities technologies. Mississauga worked closely with our community and developed a submission based on eliminating commute times, preparing for the future of mobile work and ensuring equity across the city through a community based model of a smart city. You can see our submission here

After this submission we used the momentum to move forward and we developed the Smart City Master Plana 10 year plan that outlines the future of technology in Mississauga.The Smart City Program launched in 2019 with City Council approval of this Master Plan. This plan creates a framework that ensures Mississauga will use technology to help create vibrant, inclusive communities with a high quality of life so that people, businesses and the environment thrive, now and in the future.

Where are we going?

Understanding the difference between Information Technology (IT) and Smart City is essential for understanding this Smart City Master Plan. In a municipal context, IT has traditionally been a support for internal staff, along with a few forward facing projects such as websites and online services. Smart City shifts digital into the public realm including infrastructure, transit, street furniture, public facing services and programs. This is a fundamental change and is the driving force behind the Smart City movement globally.  Emerging technologies also require emerging policies. A Smart City Policy will be developed to guide decision making around digital initiatives. This policy will be built with Mississaugan’s to ensure their values and expectations are reflected in technology decisions.

Smart city Goals

Mississauga will harness the creative power of technologies and innovative ideas to enhance the quality of life in Mississauga. We will effectively integrate physical, digital and human systems in the built environment to deliver a sustainable, prosperous and inclusive future – a Smart City for Everybody!