Hazel McCallon, a former mayor of Mississauga, died at the age of 101.
Mississauga's 36-year mayor, Hazel McCallion, transformed the city from a rural to a thriving city.
She was 101 years old.
Premier Doug Ford announced McCallion's passing in a statement issued on Sunday morning, saying she "passed away peacefully at her home in Mississauga early this morning."
"Hazel was the true definition of a public servant. She dedicated her long life to her community, including 36 years as mayor of Mississauga – the longest serving mayor in the city’s history. She led the transformation of Mississauga into one of Canada’s largest cities. Hazel’s mark on her community can be found in the many places and organizations that bear her name, including the Hazel McCallion Line," he stated. "I count myself incredibly lucky to have called Hazel my friend over these past many years. As I entered the world of politics, I was fortunate enough to learn from her wisdom and guidance, which she selflessly offered until the very end."
In 1978, she served 12 terms as the chief magistrate of Mississauga, earning her the nickname "Hurricane Hazel" due to her unique political style.
During her childhood, she lived in Port Daniel, Que., where she was born on February 14, 1921. She was the daughter of a family that owned a canning and fishing business. After graduating from high school, McCallion went to business secretarial school in Quebec City and Montreal.
She started her career at the Louis Rolland Paper Company. Later, she joined the Canadian Kellogg company and moved to Toronto.
Having met Sam in 1945, she married him six years later. Hazel McCallion's political career began in Streetsville (before Mississauga became a part of it).
She served as chairman of the Streetsville Planning Board before becoming mayor in 1970. Three years later, the Town of Mississauga amalgamated with the Town of Port Credit to become the City of Mississauga. McCallion won the election for council.
Her first term as mayor began in 1978, and she would serve for 36 years. After a Canadian Pacific freight train containing hazardous chemicals derailed, caught fire, and exploded a year later, she faced the worst disaster in Mississauga's history.
As a result of the incident, over 200,000 residents had to flee their homes. It was praised that McCallion handled the disaster well, resulting in no deaths.
Her leadership helped Mississauga attract businesses from Toronto by lowering taxes. A population of 717,961 makes Mississauga the third-largest city in Ontario and the seventh-largest in Canada.
McCallion was first elected to office in 1978 with 280,852 residents.
MORE THAN THREE DECADES MCCALLION SERVED AS MAYOR
McCallion was accused of several conflicts of interest over the course of her more than three decades in office. As a result of her participation in a council vote on land she had an interest in, she was found guilty of violating the law by an Ontario court in 1982. As a result of the judge's ruling that McCallion made a mistake of judgment, she remained mayor.
Her son's development company was mentioned in a 2007 council item where she voted, and she was cleared of another conflict of interest allegation in 2013.
Her tenure as mayor spanned all but four years of Mississauga's existence by the time she left office in 2014.
“On my first day as mayor of Mississauga cows and horses were grazing in what is our city core today and certainly a lot has happened since then,” said the mayor at her final council meeting.
“We have built this city together; there is no question about it. No one person can take credit for it. It has been a team approach. We had to make tough decisions and now reflecting on it I think we did our homework pretty well."
"Premiers and prime ministers have called me Hurricane Hazel for sweeping into their offices demanding they do things to help Mississaugans. Former Ontario premier David Peterson once famously called me 'a terror to any premier in Ontario. Don't mess with her. She's the only person in the world I'm frightened of.' At just five feet two inches tall, I doubt I really frightened David, but it was a compliment if he meant I would tenaciously do anything in power to help my people," McCallion wrote in the prologue of her book, co-written by Robert Brehl.
McCallion admits that she has made mistakes and made enemies during her time, but she wouldn't change much.
"Of course, if it were in my power, I would not have allowed my husband, Sam, to slip into the grip of Alzheimer's (He died in 1997). But that, of course, was beyond my control. As for my careers and my decisions along the way, there is not much I would change," wrote the former mayor.
"To have lived this long and to have had a job I still love makes me think of that old adage, 'Of whom much is given, much is expected.' I have sincerely tried to do the most with what I have been given."
McCallion worked in various sectors after retiring from politics, including at postsecondary institutions and the Greater Toronto Airport Authority.
In 2022, McCallion was chosen by Ford to become the head of the Greenbelt Council.
A few weeks ago, McCallion wrote an open letter praising the Ford government's decision to remove some land from the Greenbelt for housing construction.
“In less than a month, I am to turn 102. You see a lot in a century,” she said in that letter.
Mayor Patrick Brown of Brampton addressed CP24 as many senior leaders, including Prime Minister Trudeau, expressed their thoughts. Take a look at: Mayor Patrick Brown of Brampton pays tribute to Hazel McCallion, a former mayor of Mississauga
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