Presently our zoning bylaws do not prohibit short-term rentals, such as those found on Air BnB or Kijiji, as it is not defined in the regulation. The City is currently consulting on zoning by-laws and expect a report early in the Fall. 

We all love to be out and about during the summer, but it is important to remember tick safety whenever you are outdoors. Black-legged ticks (also known as deer ticks) can carry Lyme disease. While Peel does not have an established black-legged tick population at this time, ticks may be carried into the Region by migratory birds.

If you have been bitten by a black-legged tick, it has to be attached for at least 24 hours to transmit Lyme disease. If you develop symptoms such as fever, headache, fatigue, or a bulls-eye rash (which occurs in 70-80 percent of cases), contact your physician. Lyme disease is easily treated if caught early.

If you find a tick on you or your family, you can submit it to Peel Public Health for testing by:

• Putting the live tick in a small container with a tight fitting lid;
  
• Bringing the container to 7120 Hurontario St., Mississauga, from Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

You will be asked about where you likely picked up the tick. If the tick is a black-legged tick, Peel Public Health will conduct tick dragging in the area. 

There has been an increase in the number of ticks being submitted in Peel, likely due to the cooler, wet weather this year. 

There are many areas of Ontario that have established populations of infected black-legged ticks.  You can reduce the risk of coming into contact with a tick by avoiding places that are wooded, have leaf litter and long grass. If you do go into these potential tick habitats:

• Apply insect repellent containing DEET to skin and clothing
  
• Wear long-sleeved shirts that fit tightly around the wrist and long-legged pants tucked into socks or shoes or boots. Light-coloured clothing makes it easier to see if ticks land on your clothing
  
• Check regularly for ticks and remove attached ticks immediately
  
• Shower or bathe within two hours of being outdoors to wash away loose ticks
  

For more information on ticks and Lyme disease, call 905-799-7700. 

Lakeshore Road West, between Godfrey’s Lane and Benson Avenue, will be restricted to one lane per direction during upcoming construction.  Short term road closures will be required as well, specifically at the intersections of Lakeshore Road and Pine Avenue, Maple Avenue, and Ben Machree Drive. The road closures are necessary to safely complete sanitary sewer installation across the above mentioned side streets and are anticipated to take approximately 2 days per location.

 

Regrettably, the exact dates of each road closure are extremely difficult to predict at this point in time. The Region of Peel has received road closure approvals at the above mentioned side streets within the time frame between July 31 and September 23, 2017.

The Compass annually runs a back to school supplies program. In previous years, they have purchased all the supplies to distribute, but this year they are trying something new. From July 31st to August 11th, they will be collecting donations. They will be distributing through the Market (Food Bank) - August 21st to September 1st. 

Our Canada 150 Mississauga Bike Challenge is underway. It’s a challenge for residents to ride their bike, log their kilometres and help the city reach the 150,000 kilometre community goal by Sunday, September 17. 

“We want residents to enjoy the great outdoors and experience the 480 kilometres of cycling trails, bike paths and signed routes that Mississauga has to offer,” said Helen Noehammer, Director, Transportation & Infrastructure Planning. “For every 150 kilometres you ride and log, the City will reward you with a virtual tree and invite you to a tree planting.”

It’s easy to take part in the Mississauga Bike Challenge:  

• Step 1: sign up by creating an account on mississaugabikes.ca
• Step 2: get on your bike and ride on trails, to a local corner store, on an errand or commute to work
• Step 3: log every kilometre on mississaugabikes.ca

Noehammer added, “Every ride must begin, end or include a portion in Mississauga and every kilometre counts toward reaching the 150,000 community goal. If you are looking for ideas on where to cycle in Mississauga, view, download or order a copy of the 2017 Mississauga Cycling Map . 

I've had some inquires with respect to drone use in the area. I would like to advise residents of the following regarding drone activity:

• The rules and regulations which currently govern the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in Canada are contained in the Canadian Aviation Regulations. Police Services in Canada are not currently authorized to enforce the regulations set out in this act.  However, should a member of the public observe a UAV being operated in a manner which he/she considers to be an obvious threat to public safety they should contact Peel Regional Police communications non-emergency line at 905-453-3311 to report the matter. Peel Regional Police may investigate the incident with respect to public safety issues.
  
• If a drone is being operated by an individual on City property, members of the public may also contact the Citizen Call Centre at 311.
  
• The operation of drones is regulated and enforced by Transport Canada. Unsafe drone operations should also be reported to Transport Canada using the following link: http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/civilaviation/opssvs/drone-incident-report-form.html
  
• Complaints related to the collection or use of information including personal information by a private operator of a drone should also be brought to the attention of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada using the following link:  https://www.priv.gc.ca/en/report-a-concern/file-a-formal-privacy-complaint/