After an increase in lithium-ion battery-related fires in Mississauga, the city is calling on the federal government for stronger safety regulations.
In letters sent Dec. 22, 2025, to the federal ministers of transport and health, Mayor Carolyn Parrish said Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services identified lithium-ion batteries as the city’s fastest-growing ignition source with a recorded 122 per cent increase in lithium-ion battery-related fires in 2025 from the previous year.
“While we continue to educate residents about the dangers associated with these batteries, local efforts alone cannot curb this escalating risk,” Parrish wrote in the letters, which were also copied to Health Minister Marjorie Michel and several municipal and fire chiefs’ associations.
Parrish called on the federal government to strengthen regulations to make lithium-ion batteries safer. She said new rules should ensure the batteries are properly certified, transported safely and come with stronger consumer protections to reduce the risk of fires caused by defective or improperly handled devices.
The mayor expressed the city’s willingness to work with other municipalities and levels of government, and to share data and best practices to support co-ordinated action aimed at reducing public safety risks across Canada.
Lithium-ion batteries are widely used in consumer electronics, electric vehicles and other rechargeable devices. They have been linked to fires and explosions when they are damaged or improperly handled.