McCallion marks 93rd birthday

(Updated:)

She is not only the most popular mayor that Mississauga has ever had — but she is also only the second one in the city’s history.

In 1978 at the age of 57, Hazel McCallion defeated Ron Searle to begin her run as the longest serving mayor in the province.

“It was a tough campaign but I made it, and I never looked back.”

In all, she’s won the race for mayor 12 times.

She’d barely been in office for a year, when a fiery train derailment led to the largest civilian evacuation in Canadian history, in November 1979. Her calm and determined handling of that crisis, set the tone for what turned out to be a very successful career:

“To take a city from a rural community to a population of 700,000 people, the sixth largest city in Canada is one thing. But for the people to be happy…”

And happy they are.

Not to say there weren’t issues — including a conflict of interest scandal involving her son. But even that controversy couldn’t still the force of Hurricane Hazel.

She was once a professional hockey player — and is still an avid fisherman; still socializes, meets and greets, as she has for over four decades; still carrying that celebrity quality to residents of a retirement home that she turned the sod for only two years ago.

But don’t be fooled, on her last birthday as mayor of the city she loves — she isn’t even thinking about the end of her political career: “No, I haven’t thought about it. I’m just as busy in my last year as I was in my first year.”

She says she intends to keep busy, and has a few things in mind. But if all else fails, Hazel could still make it – as a Catskills comedian.

“Take this winter. It’s been a tough winter if you have a house, what with all the shovelling and — i’ll tell you, it’s been a tough winter. By the way: your taxes are all going up!”

A joke, greeted with plenty of laughter. Leave ’em laughing, Hazel.

That kind of down-to-earth humour has been a McCallion trademark throughout her life in politics, and has helped her to keep going. But the real secret, she says is people.

“I just like being out with people… that’s been my life.”