What’s the Plan?

In my little corner of the world, where I live in suburban Mississauga, a series of municipal decisions have rocked my neighbours’ worlds.

First, a local bridge over a major highway was removed—a change people saw as a major loss, leaving the neighbourhood with reduced access to shops and services. Next, a patch of undeveloped grassland was slated to become a city park and trail system, which alarmed residents who had grown used to it as a quiet, almost secret sanctuary. Then came news that the traffic light at our neighbourhood’s exit would be replaced with a roundabout. Nobody liked that idea. And finally, just last week, we received notice that our street would be resurfaced as part of the city’s annual maintenance program.

It’s been fascinating to watch people react. Broadly speaking, these are positive changes: a new park, safer traffic flow, a renewed roadway. Yet the response has been outrage. The only conclusion? People don’t like change—especially when it catches them by surprise.

What’s most interesting to me is that none of these decisions were new. The bridge removal had been planned since the 1980s. The park was part of a City Parks master plan approved decades ago. The roundabout had been in the works for more than a decade, with all the necessary EA processes completed. The resurfacing had almost certainly been on a capital plan for years. In other words, every single one of these changes was planned and budgeted long before they became “news” to the community. Yet still—no one knew.

My neighbours have reacted with incredulity, frustration, and anger, determined to “get this changed” even though the decisions were made years ago. The result? A wave of negativity, declining trust in the city, and endless hours of councillor and staff time fielding complaints that were never going anywhere.

To me, this feels like a missed opportunity. Municipalities know, in broad strokes, what’s coming over the next 10 years and beyond. It’s all in Parks, Roads, Water and Wastewater, Culture, and other master plans and strategies. And yes, I know many municipalities already share annual capital projects on maps. But why not bring it all together in one place?

So, here’s my question: is this a silly idea? Is there a municipality already doing this well? Has anyone started down this path? Are there good tools or platforms out there that make this possible?

I’d love to hear what you think.