Sajecki retires - foundations in place

NRU
Jan. 24, 2018
By Miriam Bart

After overseeing Mississauga's transformation from a suburban archetype to a leading edge urban city, planning and building commissioner Ed Sajecki will step down from his position in April. NRU sat down with Sajecki to reflect on his legacy of building strong foundations, and the challenges yet to be tackled, both for the city and the broader region.

During his 14-year tenure with Mississauga much has been accomplished. The city has prepared master plans for three major waterfront sites, is the only Canadian city under consideration for the second Amazon Headquarters, and the creation of a 200-acre urban farm for educational purposes. But he says that the development of higher order transit network is among the advancements of which he's most proud.

"We know a huge part of our future is building a transit network with transit accessibility. [I'm] really proud of the Hurontario LRT which will connect us into a network of east west transit.... That gives us a great foundation for the future. Not just in transportation but also how we integrate land-use planning... that sets the stage for quality development around rapid transit in the future.

"We will continue to transform around some of our GO stations. Cooksville, Port Credit, Downtown, and Meadowvale. Because of the airport some of the initiatives they're talking about as an economic generator. Union West at Pearson Airport [would] present huge opportunities."

Sajecki was involved with the Smart Growth Secretariat in the early days of growth management planning, and was at the epi centre of significant changes in the provincial role in region-wide planning.

"It was a very major decision the province made to freeze development on the Oak Ridges Moraine. That was a huge turning point bringing planning back to the provincial level. The role [of] the province was not all that strong and then they realized they needed to take hold of this... They froze lands, they set up the Smart Growth Secretariat... this ultimately led to the Greenbelt Plan.

These are all structuring tools. I was talking about foundational work for Mississauga, but there certainly is foundational work for the broader GTA as well."

Building on the foundations of his career, Sajecki says that several challenges remain for the City of Mississauga, and more broadly the GTA. Certainly staff need to address precarious employment and disruptive technologies, especially since their impacts remain uncertain. However, making the city more inclusive and focusing on strong social infrastructure is where he thinks the city needs to focus.

"We see a lot of inequalities particularly in the housing area. [Staff] needs to work with council to ensure this city will remain inclusive. The intent is there. Around housing for example, if we in this Toronto region continue to evolve, we could potentially lose a generation of young people. Challenges [in the future] are way more around social infrastructure," he says.

"You cannot separate [affordable housing] out from city building... At the end of the day what we do need to achieve is a complete city. A complete city is inclusive of young people, seniors, different income groups and people from different cultural backgrounds. A complete city is welcoming to everyone. That's a caring city as well. But, we have a housing crisis. This is what I mean when I talk about social infrastructure... planning is how all the pieces fit together."

Sajecki said that good, long-term planning is all about building strong foundations and partnerships.

"One thing I've discovered is that planning is about partnerships. I've been blessed at being at the right place at the right time. I've worked for amazing mayors, amazing city councillors. Mississauga councillors are so passionate about this city. We all really get why we are here. As a city planner that's what drives my core values every day. I think about my own family... We were all raised here. It really is this simple things in life... I've been here 14 years but this city has just transformed beyond expectations. It's an extraordinary place. The future is just so bright. It's been a privilege to work here."

Alluding to his favourite musician, Frank Sinatra, Sajecki ending the interview saying "the best is yet to come for Mississauga."