Hazel McCallion

Hazel McCallion, born on February fourteenth, nineteen twenty-one, was a remarkable Canadian politician and ice hockey player. She made history as the fifth mayor of Mississauga, serving an impressive thirty-six years from her first election in November nineteen seventy-eight until her retirement in two thousand fourteen. This tenure made her the longest-serving mayor in the city's history, where she was a successful candidate in twelve municipal elections, being acclaimed twice and re-elected ten times.

Known affectionately as 'Hurricane Hazel' for her dynamic and outspoken political style, McCallion's leadership was put to the test during the Mississauga train derailment in nineteen seventy-nine. She played a crucial role in overseeing the evacuation of two hundred thousand residents amidst the chaos of an explosion, fire, and hazardous chemical spill.

Before her political career, McCallion was a professional women's ice hockey player while studying in Montreal. She later worked for the engineering firm Canadian Kellogg and was transferred to Toronto in nineteen forty-two. After moving to Streetsville in nineteen fifty-one, she transitioned into politics, serving as the mayor of Streetsville from nineteen seventy to nineteen seventy-three, prior to its amalgamation into Mississauga.

Following her remarkable tenure as mayor, McCallion continued to be an influential public figure, serving as the first chancellor of Sheridan College and on the Greater Toronto Airport Authority board. She also acted as a special advisor to the Ontario government. Her contributions were recognized with numerous honors, including the Order of Canada in two thousand five and the Order of Ontario in two thousand twenty.

Hazel McCallion passed away at the age of one hundred and one, and her legacy was honored with a state funeral on what would have been her one hundred and second birthday, celebrating a life dedicated to public service and community leadership.