Mississauga loses one of its ‘greatest champions’
Councillor masterminded the city’s waterfront redevelopment
Mississauga councillor and visionary behind the city’s waterfront redevelopment, Jim Tovey, has died.
“Mississauga has lost one of its greatest champions today,” Mayor Bonnie Crombie said in a statement issued Jan. 16.
The Ward 1 councillor passed away suddenly on Jan. 15 at the age of 68.
A former Citizen of the Year in 2009, Tovey was the mastermind behind the Lakeview waterfront redevelopment. Working with residents in his ward, he drafted a vision to reclaim access to the city’s waterfront and establish sustainable, mixed-use communities for those living within Ward “1-der-ful,” as he called it. “Jim was a community builder whose legacy will live on through the growth and redevelopment of the waterfront, in particular the revitalization of Port Credit and the development of the Lakeview lands,” Crombie noted.
Born in Malton, Tovey was a vocalist for 15 years before beginning a career as a carpenter and heritage restoration specialist. He moved to the southeast corner of Lakeview in 1989.
In 2008, he became president and founder of the Lakeview Ratepayers Association, which became the first citizen group in North America to create a community-driven master plan for the Lakeview neighbourhood. His work on the Lakeview redevelopment has received two national awards for urban planning.
Tovey was also instrumental in ensuring the Ontario government did not build a gas plant along the eastern waterfront in Mississauga.
“He has been a strong advocate for so many great initiatives in the city,” said city manager Janice Baker.
Tovey was elected Ward1councillor in 2010. He also served as Region of Peel councillor. In 2012, he received the Queen’s Jubilee Medal for his commitment to championing a sustainable waterfront and serving his constituents.
An ardent defender of the Great Lakes, Tovey also took on the Donald Trump administration after it sought to eliminate funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). Tovey, alongside Crombie, moved a resolution to reinstate funding for the GLRI to ensure residents across the province would have access to clean drinking water.
“It is a shock to all of us to learn about the passing of Coun. Tovey,” Baker said. “Coun. Tovey worked together with staff to make this city a more livable, vibrant and connected community.”
Tovey leaves behind his wife, Lee, and his son, Daniel, as well as a grandson.