Hazel McCallion

Hazel McCallion
CM OOnt
McCallion in 2010
1st Chancellor of Sheridan College
In office
June 6, 2016 – January 29, 2023
Preceded byPosition established
5th Mayor of Mississauga
In office
December 1, 1978 – November 30, 2014
Preceded byRon Searle
Succeeded byBonnie Crombie
Personal details
Born
Hazel Journeaux

(1921-02-14)February 14, 1921
Port Daniel, Quebec, Canada
DiedJanuary 29, 2023(2023-01-29) (aged 101)
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Political partyIndependent
Spouse
Sam McCallion
​
​
(m. 1951; died 1997)​
Children3
Profession
  • Businesswoman
  • politician
Signature

Hazel McCallion CM OOnt (née Journeaux; February 14, 1921 – January 29, 2023) was a Canadian politician who served as the fifth mayor of Mississauga. First elected in November 1978, McCallion was mayor for 36 years until her retirement in 2014,[1] making her the longest-serving mayor in the city's history.[2] She was a successful candidate in twelve municipal elections, having been acclaimed twice and re-elected ten times.[1] She was nicknamed "Hurricane Hazel" for her outspoken political style with reference to the hurricane of 1954, which had a considerable impact.[3][4][5] When the 1979 Mississauga train derailment occurred early in her tenure, she helped oversee evacuation of 200,000 residents from the resulting explosion, fire, and spill of hazardous chemicals.

Before marriage, McCallion played professional women's ice hockey while attending school in Montreal, then worked for engineering firm Canadian Kellogg, and was transferred to Toronto in 1942. She moved to Streetsville in 1951, and left the business world in 1967 to pursue politics. She served as mayor of Streetsville from 1970 to 1973, prior to its amalgamation into Mississauga. Following her tenure as mayor of Mississauga, McCallion remained an active public figure, serving as the first chancellor of Sheridan College,[6] on the Greater Toronto Airport Authority board, and as a special advisor to the Ontario government.

McCallion received multiple honours including the Order of Canada in 2005, the Order of Ontario in 2020, the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012, and honorary doctorate of law degrees from the University of Toronto, and Ryerson University. She died at 101, and was given a state funeral on what would have been her 102nd birthday.

  1. ^ a b "About the Mayor". City of Mississauga. May 2013. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014.
  2. ^ "City of Mississauga Celebrates Hazel McCallion Ahead of 100th Birthday". City of Mississauga. February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  3. ^ McGuinty, Dalton (April 2, 2004). "Remarks In Tribute To Hazel McCallion". Government of Ontario. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
  4. ^ Radia, Andy (May 11, 2014). "From hay fields to metropolis: Hazel McCallion reflects on her career as mayor of Mississauga". Yahoo! News. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  5. ^ Wilson, Kerrisa (February 14, 2021). "'It has been an exciting day in my life,' Hazel McCallion says as she celebrates 100th birthday". CP24. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Sheridan college chancellor was invoked but never defined (see the help page).