About the Mayor
Hazel McCallion was first elected Mayor of Mississauga in November, 1978, and is the longest serving Mayor in the City’s history. She was acclaimed in 1980, re-elected in 1982 and 1985, acclaimed again in 1988 and re-elected in 1991, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2003 and 2006. Mayor McCallion was born in Port Daniel on the Gaspe Coast of Quebec and educated in Quebec City and Montreal. She then began a career with Canadian Kellogg and remained with the company for 19 years. In 1967 she decided to leave the corporate world and devote her career to politics.
Mayor McCallion was named as a new member of the Streetsville Planning Board in 1964 and served as Chair of the Board in 1966 and again in 1968. Later that same year, she became Deputy Reeve of Streetsville. Mayor McCallion was appointed Reeve, and then elected as Mayor of Streetsville in 1970, serving until December, 1973. When the Region of Peel was established in 1974, Mayor McCallion was elected to the Mississauga and Peel Regional Councils. She served two terms as a Councillor prior to her mayoral campaign in 1978. By the time she was elected Mayor, she had sat on virtually every committee at the Region of Peel and the City of Mississauga. She has also served on the executive of many federal and provincial committees and associations, including President of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) from 1978 – 79. She is now in her eleventh term as Mayor.
In 1991, Mayor McCallion became the first Mayor of a major municipality to submit the annual operating budget to residents for their input and scrutiny. She is also among the first mayors of major municipalities to be openly committed to a pay-as-you-go philosophy. The City has not had to borrow money since 1978 and is currently debt-free. Mayor McCallion also established the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) Mayors’ Committee in 1992. She brought together the 30 GTA Mayors, later adding the Chair of Metro Toronto and the four Regional Chairs to work co-operatively for the economic promotion of the GTA. From 1992 to January 2000, the Committee, chaired by Mayor McCallion, was a strong voice on key issues affecting the future of the GTA. As part of that effort, she is also Honorary Co-Chair of the Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance. In 1996, Mayor McCallion was appointed to the “Who Does What” Panel established by the Province to review the delivery and funding of government services. She was also appointed to two sub-panels: Assessment and Property Taxation Reform, and Emergency Services.
In addition, the Mayor represents the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) on the Electricity Transition Committee for the Ministry of Electricity, Science and Technology. In February 2002, Mayor McCallion was appointed Chair of the Central Ontario Smart Growth Panel by the Honourable Chris Hodgson, then Minister of Municipal Affairs. The panel, made up of 22 local government officials and business leaders, advised the provincial government on how to plan for growth for the central region in both the short and long term. In addition to the pressing issue of growth, the panel looked at other issues including gridlock and waste disposal. The panel, the largest in the province, included the Cities of Brantford and Kawartha Lakes, the Counties of Dufferin, Simcoe and Peterborough, the Regions of Niagara, Waterloo, Halton, Peel, York and Durham, as well as the City of Toronto.
Mayor McCallion has played a leading role for women in politics. She is the first woman to hold such significant positions as President of the Streetsville and District Chamber of Commerce; President of the Anglican Young Peoples’ Association of Canada; Mayor of Streetsville and Mayor of Mississauga. She was chosen one of the “American Women of the Year” in Who’s Who of American Women (which refers to North American women). Mayor McCallion also holds Germany’s highest individual honour, the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, for her role in bringing German companies to Canada. In addition, Her Worship has been awarded the Paul Harris Fellowship by Rotary International in 1985 and 1992, the Lions International President’s Award, the Helen Keller Fellowship from the Mississauga Lions Clubs and named a Melvin Jones Fellow for dedicated humanitarian services by Lions Clubs International.
In 2001, Mayor McCallion was inducted into the Mississauga Sports Hall of Fame and presented with a special Award of Excellence in celebration of the Mississauga Board of Trade’s 25th Anniversary. In January 2003, Mayor McCallion received the Canadian Family Values Award from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In September 2003, Mayor McCallion received one of the top leadership awards from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) for her leadership and dedication to addressing economic development issues in Mississauga. In 2004, Mayor McCallion became a finalist for the title World Mayor 2004, joining some 50 mayors from Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe.
In 2005, Mayor McCallion was invested as a Dame in the Sovereign Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Knights of Malta, the Hereditary Order. In May, she was honoured with an award from the Province of Ontario in recognition of her more than 30 years of service as a municipal elected official.
The Mayor’s accolades continued in 2005, as Mayor McCallion was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada and received her Insignia of Member of the Order of Canada at a ceremony held at Rideau Hall on November 18, 2005. Then on December 5, 2005 it was announced that Mayor McCallion was the runner up to Mayor Dora Bakoyannis of Athens, Greece for World Mayor 2005.
In early 2006, Mayor McCallion was recognized as the CNW Communicator of the Year by the Toronto Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). Mayor McCallion has also been recognized by Reader’s Digest as the Best City Mayor in their June 2006 issue featuring Canada’s 30 Best. 2006 wrapped up in awarding winning style, as the City of Mississauga and the Healthy CityStewardship Centre were awarded the 2006 World Leadership Award for the Stewardship Centre Initiative and the Healthy Mississauga 2010 Plan.
In March of 2007, Mayor McCallion was named a member of the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority (GTTA) Board of Directors. In April, Mayor McCallion was presented with the inaugural President’s Award by the Professional Engineers of Ontario during their annual Order of Honour Awards Gala Ceremony. In May, Mayor McCallion was recognized by Hockey Canada at their Annual General Meeting with their Female Breakthrough Award. June saw Mayor McCallion receive the EVE Award, for her contribution of more than 30 years of service to public life by the Board of Directors of Equal Voice and the Canadian Club.
Some other interesting credits:
