Name that City uniform

As you go about your day in Mississauga, you’ll likely come across someone in a City of Mississauga uniform – and wonder who they are and what they do.

Here’s the scoop about the City staff you may see during your day-to-day comings and goings in Mississauga. While these City staff members may perform different duties, they all have one thing in common – they have a job to do which ultimately adds to the quality of life for residents and keeps us all safe.

So who are these uniformed City staff in our community?

Enforcement

Firstly, we have our valuable Enforcement staff, who work to educate all of us and ensure we follow the municipal by-laws that are so important in keeping us and our community safe, beautiful and liveable. Whether we realize it or not, those things are important to all of us.

Enforcement staff include Parking Enforcement, Animal Services, Mobile Licensing, Compliance and Licensing. While the name “Enforcement” may sound intimidating, these staff members are dedicated to our safety and well-being, even if that means issuing parking infractions to keep school zones safe for children.

Fire and Emergency Services

Mississauga Fire & Emergency Services staff are probably the most recognizable staff in uniform and they play a very important role in protecting life, property and the environment in Mississauga, sometimes putting their own lives at risk. They are always there when we need them, often at the most difficult times in our lives. Their service to the community is invaluable.

MiWay

MiWay is Mississauga’s transit service. MiWay staff are committed to providing safe and reliable transit to make it easier for people to get around the city or beyond, whether it’s to work, school and other important places like the doctor’s office, grocery store or the pharmacy. They work 24/7 to ensure that you can get where you need to go safely, conveniently, and efficiently. Let’s be honest – driving around all day isn’t always easy, especially driving in construction zones and in traffic – so let’s give them some leeway when they need to merge back in to traffic from a service stop – it’s the law. Be pleasant and kind to them if you’re taking transit. After all – a smile or a kind word makes everyone’s day better.

Parks and Forestry

Love heading to the dog park to let Sparky go for a run? Or taking your kids to the local playground or taking a long walk on a trail? None of that would be possible if these areas weren’t well maintained by our dedicated Parks and Forestry staff. They work outside (rain or shine) to make sure the grass is cut, the garbage is picked up, that parks are clean and beautiful, the paths are cleared and the playground equipment is in working order so we can enjoy the most of the outdoors.

Recreation and Culture

Our Recreation and Culture staff are the people who make sure that the programs you look forward to run smoothly – from staff behind the scenes making sure the ice at our rinks is smooth and cleared, to the lifeguards at our pools who ensure the swimmers enjoying a dip in the pool are safe, to the many instructors who lead our wide array of programs, and support for events, these folks make sure that our facilities and events are enjoyable and safe. Many of you participate in our recreation and culture programs and they add to the quality of life for Mississauga residents – we couldn’t run them without these important staff members.

Security Services

You might come across members of our Corporate Security team when you’re enjoying events or activities at City facilities, or using our MiWay transit system. This team of security professionals is committed to protecting staff, customers and our City buildings and spaces which taxpayer dollars pay for. They also patrol our MiWay system of buses and terminals, keeping these areas safe while conducting fare enforcement. Thanks to them for working to ensure the many fantastic City events and spaces are safe for everyone.

Works Operations & Maintenance

​​This uniformed team is out and about working on our roads, sidewalks, bridges and other infrastructure, ensuring the City’s important structures are in a state of good repair. Next time you’re out and you see them working hard on a hot sunny day or plowing the roads after a snowstorm, give them a wave. We’d all have a much harder time getting around the city without them doing the important work they do.

Let’s show some love to our people in uniform

It’s difficult to imagine, but many of our uniformed staff members, who play crucial roles in enhancing our quality of life and ensuring our safety, face abuse from individuals they encounter in the course of their duties. As much as we may not always appreciate the actions they’re taking in the moment (e.g. handing out tickets/violations or educating us on how to stay safe), it’s important to remember that they are human, like all of us, and they have an important job to do. They do what they do because they care about making and keeping our city safe and beautiful.

Please treat all City staff, whether they are in uniform or not, with courtesy and respect, and understand that without them, our community wouldn’t be as safe and great as it is. Their daily contributions help to make our day-to-day lives better!