Protecting Mississauga Properties from Mould, Water Damage, and Property Loss

Photo by Rachel Claire

Originally Posted On: https://www.servpronorthmississauga.com/blog/post/260332/commercial/protecting-mississauga-properties-from-mould-water-damage-and-property-loss

Mississauga is a sprawling community near Toronto with a booming business district that has accelerated its growth considerably. This city is also home to the busiest airport in Canada, Toronto Pearson International Airport. The name Mississauga originates from Anishinaabe “Misi-zaagiing,” which translates roughly to “[Those at the] Great River-Mouth.” It is closely associated with Ojibwe “Misswezahging,” or “a river with many outlets.”

Before Europeans began to settle the area in the 17th century, the Mississauga region was home to several First Nations tribes that primarily spoke Algonquian and Iroquoian. The Credit River Valley was the most populated by indigenous peoples. Many of them traded with the French, including the Algonquian Mississauga tribe. By the beginning of the 18th century, however, the Mississaugas were driven out of the valley by the Iroquois.

Like many other cities in the Greater Toronto Area, Mississauga is not a centralized urban metropolis. It is a diverse confederacy of towns and neighborhoods. They eventually coalesced into a city with a unique identity of its own after the formation of Toronto Township in the early 19th century, which initially included most modern-day Mississauga.

Today, this diverse gem of Ontario sports a population of over 720,000 as of 2016. These figures make it the second-largest city in Greater Toronto, third in Ontario, and sixth in Canada overall.

Notable Saugans include such names as:

• Hockey player John Tavares
• Actor Dameon Clarke
• Instagram influencer Maddie Orlando
• Novelist Mona Awad
• Photographer Jason Pagaduan

Much of the Anishinaabe moved from Niagara Falls to Michigan, particularly along Lake Erie and southern Michigan. The tribal histories considered them “lost.” Others, like the Mississaugas, moved along the Credit River to what is now Georgian Bay.

The Mississauga petitioned the Michigan Anishinaabe to return to a “good path.” The other tribe responded by migrating from the Detroit area to Manitoulin Island after forming the Council of Three Fires. The Anishinaabe and Mississaugas maintained a presence on the island and along the Mississagi River for centuries. The Anishinaabe were so populous that, by the mid-1600s, their language became the indigenous lingua franca, surpassing the Great Lakes Wendat’s Wyandot language.

In the late eighteenth century, near the end of the American Revolution, Britain purchased Mississauga lands in a compact known today as the Haldimand Deed. This agreement detailed the gifting of the land promised to the Haudenosaunee tribe. However, the British Crown and Canada instead made land grants to white settlers, namely British Loyalists. The Haudenosaunee would instead gift land to the Mississaugas so they could become the Mississaugas of the Credit. The Canadian government would eventually pay reparations to the tribe in a $145 million settlement.

The Mississauga people today are a subset of the Ojibwe nation, who now number over 200,000 total. Six First Nations and numerous reserves comprise the Mississaugas today and include:

• Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation
• Curve Lake First Nation
• Hiawatha First Nation
• Mississauga First Nation
• Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation
• Alderville First Nation

Sports, particularly hockey, are a crucial part of today’s Mississauga makeup, and the city is home to a plethora of teams.

Local hockey teams and leagues include:

• The Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League’s Mississauga Chargers
• The Canadian Women’s Hockey League’s Mississauga Chiefs
• The Greater Toronto Hockey League
• Mississauga Girls Hockey League
• Mississauga Hockey League

Hockey teams in the city play at over 13 arenas, with the Paramount Fine Foods Centre primary among them. This arena, formerly known as the Hershey Centre, is the primary venue for junior hockey league teams like the Mississauga Steelheads and the Raptors 905. The original team, the Paramount Centre, was built for the Mississauga IceDogs, has since been renamed the Niagara IceDogs after moving to St. Catharines. Other former home teams of the Paramount Fine Foods Centre include the indoor soccer team Mississauga MetroStars and the National Basketball League of Canada’s Mississauga Power.

Other sports with active Mississauga teams include box lacrosse, roller hockey, Canadian football, and cricket. Sporting clubs in the city accommodate activities like figure skating, synchronized swimming, and soccer. Outdoor enthusiasts can explore almost 500 wooded parks and nature preserves, including over 100 kilometers of hiking trails.

When businesses are hit by commercial water damage, Mississauga entrepreneurs can count on SERVPRO to respond within the first 24 hours after the initial contact. Response times are often as short as four to five hours. After consulting with owners and insurance adjusters about damage on the property, technicians must assess the damage with industrial-grade moisture measurement tools calibrated to measure moisture content for various surfaces accurately.

Initial readings are crucial for establishing drying goals and finding water damage hidden behind walls, ceilings, and floors. Tools utilized include:

• Moisture sensors, which are built to detect moisture carpeting and the pad underneath. This process aids technicians in determining whether your business’s subfloors are saturated as well. However, moisture sensors cannot measure the amount of damage present, only whether it is there or not.
• Moisture meters come in penetrating and non-penetrating varieties and are calibrated for such surfaces as wood and drywall. Penetrating meters determine moisture content using insulated conductive probes, while non-penetrating meters can rely on capacitance, radio frequencies, or conductivity for this task.
• Thermo-hygrometers are essential for comparing relative humidity and temperature in affected and unaffected spaces on your commercial property. They are also critical for ensuring that air from dehumidifiers and ventilation reaches appropriate temperatures and moisture content to keep your business dry.

SERVPRO of North Mississauga responds Faster To Any Size Disaster to commercial disasters when business owners call (905) 238-7376.