A long-awaited sports complex is finally becoming a reality in north Mississauga after nearly seven years of delays. Construction on the $3.3-million project will officially begin this Tuesday afternoon at Anaka Park, next to Ascension of Our Lord Secondary School in Malton.
The new, lit artificial turf field and synthetic four-lane track is a joint initiative between the City of Mississauga, the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, and Ontario’s Ministry of Education, aimed at boosting recreational opportunities for students and the broader community. City officials expressed their excitement about breaking ground, calling the facility an important investment in local recreation.
First approved unanimously by city councillors in March 2023, the project was initially scheduled to open in 2024. However, several unspecified delays pushed back the timeline, with public feedback on the final design only gathered at an open house in March 2024.
Anaka Park’s upgrades go well beyond the field and track. Improvements will include a new multi-use playground with enhanced accessibility, a new outdoor fitness facility, long jump and triple jump areas, spectator bleachers, seating areas, and newly planted trees to create a buffer along the park’s north and west edges.
Ontario’s Ministry of Education has committed $2 million in funding to the project. While it remains unclear how the remaining costs are split between the city and the school board, the facility will be used by students during school hours and be available for the wider community to enjoy on evenings, weekends, and holidays.
During city council discussions last year, then-Ward 5 Councillor and now Mayor Carolyn Parrish did not hide her frustration over the project’s repeated setbacks. “This has been worse than birthing five elephants. I’ve never seen anything take this long,” Parrish said, pointing to unrealistic expectations from school staff and earlier reluctance by the school board to contribute funding as major hurdles.
City staff had previously described the joint-use model as a cost-effective way to deliver much-needed recreational infrastructure to the community, a sentiment many now hope will finally become a reality as construction begins.