Start with the room, not the tub. Many Mississauga bathrooms, especially in older Lakeview or Cooksville homes, were built around a standard tub alcove, so an installer needs to confirm the door swing, the drain location, and whether your plumbing and electrical can handle a new unit. Condo owners near Square One or along the lakeshore should ask early about building rules and how water shut-offs work on their floor, since that can shape the timeline more than the tub itself.
Prioritize an installer with real senior and accessibility experience, not just a general renovation crew. Ask if they're licensed and insured in Ontario, who handles the plumbing and electrical permits, and what the warranty covers on both the tub and the labour. The features that matter most for daily safety are a low or zero-threshold step-in, a quick-drain system so no one sits shivering while the water empties, a comfortable seat height, and an anti-scald valve with built-in grab bars. Our winters mean an unheated draft is a real comfort issue, so ask about in-line water heating or a heated seat if your parent bathes slowly.
Our recommendation: for most families here, buy a mid-range walk-in tub with a fast drain and professional installation rather than the cheapest bare-bones model. The budget units often skip the quick-drain and anti-scald features that make a tub genuinely safe and pleasant to use, which is the whole point. The honest trade-off is that a better tub and licensed install cost more up front and can take a few weeks to schedule. In our experience that patience pays off, because a poorly fitted door or a slow drain is the thing people regret. If your parent's needs are mostly about getting in and out safely and a full tub feels like too much, ask the same installer whether a barrier-free shower would serve better before you commit.