Mississauga's crackdown on Ridgeway Plaza is hurting business, say store owners

CBC

16 hours ago

Business owners say a temporary injunction obtained by the City of Mississauga to crack down on large gatherings at a busy plaza is having a huge impact on sales and that the city gave them very little notice.
The injunction, granted by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice last Tuesday, allows for stronger enforcement of city bylaws at Ridgeway Plaza, at Ridgeway Drive and Eglinton Avenue W.
According to the city, the injunction was needed because of plans for large gatherings to mark Pakistan Independence Day on Aug. 13 and 14 and Afghanistan Independence Day on Aug. 19. Numerous complaints about the plaza also prompted the legal action, the city said.
But the business owners say the injunction was executed too quickly and sales have dropped dramatically on the days it has been in effect.
Muneer Ahmed, owner of Nawab's Legendary BBQ, which is open 24 hours a day, said sales are down nearly 40 per cent last week compared to the same week last year.
Ahmed said he didn't find out about the injunction until Aug. 12, a day before it took effect. He said patrons of the plaza were also not aware of the injunction and how the rules had changed.
"It was shocking. It was confusing. We were not given a heads up. We were not given enough time to prepare," Ahmed said.
"It's busier than New Year's Eve, these two dates, and we had all prepped accordingly. We scheduled our staff accordingly and it was a very sudden information. Up until the 13th, we didn't know what's happening, what's going to happen," he said.
'We were not given a heads up,' owner says
Ahmed said Mississauga used to be known because of the Square One shopping mall, but now it is known because of Ridgeway Plaza, which he called "iconic."
He said people around the world talk about the plaza and it should be managed properly. Speed cameras might be a good addition, he added.
Omama Mukhtar, general manager of operations at Apna Farm, a grocery store, said the injunction has given the plaza a bad image. On the night of Aug. 13, police put up yellow tape. He said there wasn't a need for the tape and that the city could have instead taken a collaborative approach to work with businesses.
"The window we're standing in front of right now, there was a caution tape right in front of it. As a normal civilian here, when you go out, where do you see caution tapes? Crime scenes, construction, accidents," he said.
'We had no choice' but to act, mayor says
Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish said the city had to take action.
"We just have gotten to the point where people are being injured, property is being damaged, people around in the neighbourhoods are screaming blue murder that there's noise until 4:00 in the morning, so we had no choice," Parrish said.
In a news release on Aug. 13, the city said it has received numerous complaints from area residents since June 2023.
The complaints were about noise, large gatherings involving thousands of people, illegal patios, illegal use of moveable BBQs, illegal fireworks, littering, garbage and debris, fights, aggressive behaviour, vehicle noise, dangerous driving of vehicles in the parking lot, street racing nearby, and difficulties getting in and out of the plaza safely, it said.
The release also said the mayor, city staff and councillors tried to work with the condominium corporations that own the plaza to address the complaints, but that there was "no cooperation."