Biography

Pat Saito was first elected to Council in the City of Mississauga and Region of Peel in 1991. Prior to her election, Pat worked for 5 years as a Public Affairs Officer for the City.

Pat has a long history of community involvement in Ward 9 and in the City of Mississauga. She volunteered numerous hours on the executive of the Meadowvale Residents' Association, was volunteer editor and publisher of the Meadowvale World Newspaper and served on many community committees.

Pat and her husband Ron have lived in Mississauga since 1972 when they moved to Mississauga Valleys and became involved in the ratepayers association. They played a large role in fundraising for the Mississauga Valley Community Centre. In 1978, Pat and Ron moved to Meadowvale in Ward 9, where they once again pitched in to help bring recreational facilities to their community. Pat and Ron were instrumental in organizing the Lake Aquitaine Family Festival and the Novemberfest dances to raise funds for the community.

As a volunteer and now as Councillor, Pat is very involved in crime prevention, traffic safety and waste management issues. She initiated and chaired the Peel Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Committee (CPTED) and was instrumental in the founding of the Mississauga Crime Prevention Association.

Pat's initiative resulted in the development of Peel's first Community Police station at Meadowvale Town Centre. For the 2003-2006 term of office Pat sits on the Peel Police Internet Safety Committee. Pat recently initiated a region wide committee to develop a strategy for youth crime prevention. A community forum has resulted in the strategy that will be implemented across the region.

In 2006, Pat's contributions were recognized by Peel Regional Police who awarded her the prestigious Robert Boyne Award for Crime Prevention.

Pat was also a driving force in the creation of the Mississauga Safe Driving Committee, on which she sits today and chairs the Pedestrian Safety Strategy group. Pat also spearheaded the production of Mississauga's first Traffic Safety Handbook published in 2006. She advocated for traffic calming in the city and sat on the committee to draft criteria for a program. She is vice-chair of Mississauga Traffic Safety Council dealing with traffic safety issues around schools. Pat was also invited to sit on the Board of Directors of the Ontario Traffic Conference where she represents elected officials across the province.

Pat has served on the Region of Peel's Waste Management Committee and chaired the Works committee for many years. A former member of Ecosource Mississauga, Pat has a keen interest in developing new methods for managing Peel's waste and has been instrumental in bring in expanded recycling programs, curb side composting (2007) and new technology for dealing with garbage. Pat worked with staff to open a Community Recycling Centre adjacent to Ward 9 so residents can recycle goods close to home.

Pat's three children attended schools in Ward 9 and have been involved in various sports and community organizations. Andrew, age 29 works for EDS in Mississauga. He and his wife, Kelly have one son, Dylan born in 2004. Jenny, age 26 attends the University of Waterloo and Katy, age 23, recently graduated from Georgian College.

Although her job as Councillor of a ward with a population of about 110,000 takes up much of her time, Pat finds relaxation in training and competing with her German Shepherd Dog Killian and taking digital photographs.

Committees and Boards

During her terms of office, Pat has served on the following committees and boards: