Mississauga mayor Bonnie Crombie mostly stuck to the positives and talked about all the accomplishments her administration and the municipality have achieved in the past year during her inaugural mayor’s address this afternoon.

Crombie, speaking at the Mississauga Grand Banquet and Convention Centre as part of the Mississauga Board of Trade’s Mayor’s Luncheon, did veer into the realm of controversy when she began talking about the difficulties currently faced by the Region of Peel.

“You may have seen recent media reports about the ongoing challenges and conflicting opinions on Peel Council,” said Crombie. “We are currently undertaking a review of how the Region works. A lot has changed since 1974 and this conversation is long overdue. We need to do what works for Mississauga and ensure our residents get a fair deal. As the largest tax base in Peel Region, our taxpayers’ hard-earned money must go toward their needs.”

Pressed about her comments and asked if it meant Mississauga was beginning a campaign to separate from the Region, Crombie said no.

“It just means we’re re-evaluating … our history and that we have to look closely whether or not the Region is meeting the demands of the City of Mississauga moving forward,” said Crombie during a question and answer session following her talk. “We want to be able to control our own destiny… and we want to be sure our residents are getting value for their tax dollars and that all our needs are met. It’s a good time to do it while we’re undergoing this governance review of all three municipalities at the Region of Peel.”

The mayor’s address, a tradition that began under Crombie’s predecessor Hazel McCallion, were always must-attend events during McCallion’s reign because of her penchant for speaking off the cuff.

Crombie stuck to the script, literally, so there were no unexpected outbursts. She mostly focused on positives, such as enhancements Mississauga has made to its transit system, its strong jobs base and economy.

Sticking with the theme of transportation, the mayor announced that Mississauga is hosting its first ever transportation summit, Mississauga Moves 2015, Nov. 9 at the Living Arts Centre. The plan is to use some of the ideas presented and discussed to inform a transportation master plan.

Crombie noted that the better transportation and transit network Mississauga can build, the more successful Mississauga will be in attracting businesses to the city.

“Put simply, transportation policy is economic development policy,” she said.