"We're going to hand over all that money, and we boast that we've got (many) top Fortune 500 companies," she said. "Why aren't they all stepping up and throwing a couple of million into MBOT and letting them distribute it to the small businesses?”

Property taxes account for around $537.2 million, or 58 per cent of Mississauga’s planned revenue in 2020.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Mississauga has shut down all facilities and recreational programs until at least April 5.

City-run March Break programs were also cancelled. Full refunds were pledged for participants and the city has also promised Mississauga staff affected by the cancellations to be paid for all scheduled shifts until April 5.

Kent said MiWay revenue has dropped 60 per cent since the coronavirus outbreak. If the trend continues, the city could lose $14 million on transit by July, he added.

In all, Kent said Mississauga was facing losses of around $28.5 million, including a projected $7 million loss of recreation-related revenues.

Some losses could be offset by around $2.5 million in lower utility costs, he said.

The city operating at deficit for the year "is pretty much guaranteed,” Kent said, and Mississauga would draw on reserves and look to the federal and provincial governments for help.

Since Kent’s presentation, the city has announced plans to reduce MiWay service and make transit free in the city until the Region of Peel lifts its social distancing recommendation.

In 2020, the city anticipated $189.1 million from user fees, around 20 per cent of Mississauga's expected revenue for the year.