Malton residents want their voices heard during Mississauga election campaign

Mississauga has seen considerable growth over the last several years, with the population expected to surpass one million people within the next decade. But in the city's northeast neighbourhood of Malton, community members say hardly anything has changed in decades.

"Malton, if you look at it, it seems like it's been frozen for the last 30 years," said Ravishankar Kamalachandra, a longtime resident.

"It's not really part of the development curve that's happening in the rest of Mississauga."

Malton sits between the city of Toronto to the east and Brampton to the north, and has a population of more than 35,000. It's a diverse community — with census data showing more than 50 per cent of the population are immigrants. And while it's a part of Mississauga, often, the people who live there say it doesn't feel that way.

"A lot of people don't know Malton is in Mississauga. It feels like it's a separate community, but it shouldn't," said Mehwish Javed, director of the Malton Women's Council.

Residents say some of the issues they want to see discussed throughout the election include safety, transit and the need for more affordable housing. But one of the biggest problems in Malton, is a lack of grocery stores.

Currently residents say there is only one major grocery store in the community after several others shut down.

""It's hard for us to do groceries, especially on the weekend. Sometimes there's no stuff on the shelves because of the crowds," Javed said, adding it's difficult for people to feel motivated to contribute to their community, when it often feels forgotten by the politicians that serve them.

The hope is that the new mayor can help shift the area's reputation. Voters will be watching closely in the coming weeks to see whether issues that are important to their community are addressed on the campaign trail.

"Whether they will be an active participant in changing Malton, we'll have to wait and see," said Kamalachandra.