Bonnie Crombie
A pragmatic mayor who transformed Mississauga from a sprawling suburb into a confident, fiscally independent city, before taking on the challenge of reviving Ontario's Liberal party.
Born 1960 (age 66)·Canadian politician·Birthday: February 5·Baby Boomers
Biography
Bonnie Crombie brought a businesswoman's sensibility to municipal politics. Before entering public life, she worked in commercial real estate and served as a Member of Parliament, giving her a dual perspective on local needs and federal mechanics. Elected mayor of Mississauga in 2014, she inherited a city famously debt-free but facing questions about its identity beyond being Toronto's neighbour. Crombie championed urban density, transit expansion, and a dynamic downtown core, pushing through the Hurontario LRT project. She fiercely defended the city's financial model and cultivated a brand of pragmatic, pro-development leadership. In 2023, she stepped onto the provincial stage, winning the leadership of an Ontario Liberal Party left reeling by electoral defeat. Her task became one of rebuilding from the ground up, attempting to craft a centrist, suburban-friendly message to challenge the dominant Progressive Conservatives.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Bonnie was born in 1960, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bonnie Was Born
The biggest hits of 1960
#1 Movie
Swiss Family Robinson
Best Picture
The Apartment
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Bonnie's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1960Born
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1965Started school
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1973Became a teenager
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Could drive
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1978Could vote
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1981Turned 21
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1990Turned 30
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 40
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 50
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 60
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 66 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the sixth Mayor of Mississauga from 2014 to 2024, maintaining the city's status as debt-free while overseeing major infrastructure projects.
- Elected Leader of the Ontario Liberal Party in 2023, tasked with rebuilding the party after it lost official status in the legislature.
- Successfully advocated for and secured funding for the Hurontario Light Rail Transit (LRT) line, a major public transport investment for Mississauga.
- Served as the Member of Parliament for Mississauga—Streetsville from 2008 to 2011.
Did You Know?
Before politics, she was the President and CEO of the Canadian Hispanic Business Alliance.
Crombie is a licensed real estate agent.
She is a graduate of the University of Toronto's Trinity College.
“We need to build complete communities where people can live, work, and play.”
