SINCE 2015, McCALLION has been work-
ing for Revera, a Canadian company
that owns or operates more than 500
properties around the world. Revera
offers upscale housing, care and ser-
vices for more than 50,000 seniors. As
the company’s CEO—that is, the chief
elder officer—she travels to Revera-run
homes, boosting the morale of staff
and facilitating swift communication
between residents and the company
in order to help them better cater to
their residents.
“Oh my God, she walks faster than
I do,” says an awestruck 20-something
employee as the mayor strides into
the foyer of Revera Trafalgar Lodge
in Oakville. After a chat with staff,
McCallion meets a throng of residents
gathered in the dining room. Refusing
the chair that’s offered, she paces in
front with her microphone, working
the room. Her message is warmly
received: don’t give up your indepen-
dence; don’t refuse any challenge; and
live life to its fullest.
Consulting with Revera is just one of
her many gigs. That morning, before
her talk, she had met with a group of
female truck drivers (“Women With
Drive”). She also sits on the board of
directors of Pearson Airport, is the
honorary guardian of hospitals in Mis-
sissauga, advises to the University of
Toronto’s Mississauga campus, advo-
cates for women’s hockey and consults
with numerous charitable, corporate
and government bodies.When I asked her if the issue of her
age is ever raised in the boardrooms,
she brushes it off with a flat “Nope,”
before adding, “Some of my most pro-
ductive years came after I turned 65. I
have experience—especially political
experience—that boardroom mem-
bers find essential.”
“She gave up one job as mayor to
take up six more,” says Fran Rider, pres-
ident of the Ontario Women’s Hockey
Association, where McCallion meets
with the organization and the provin-
cial team, and helps promote them
locally. “I think she may have sped up
since she retired. She’s got more enthu-
siasm for the future than she’s ever
had,” says Rider.
While McCallion doesn’t have time
for a government job, politicians still
seek her help. In 2015, a political ad
featuring her endorsing the federal Lib-
erals’ platform for seniors helped the
party capture the all-important 65-plus
demographic. (More recently, she pro-
moted Ontario Premier Doug Ford.)
To squeeze in all her business,
political and charitable commitments,
McCallion has little choice but to main-
tain the same packed schedule she had
at city hall, where she became legend-
ary for her 15-hour workdays. “When
she was mayor, she didn’t hesitate to
phone me at 6:30 a.m. She’d have been
up since 5 a.m.,” remembers Maja Pren-
tice, a member of Mississauga city
council during McCallion’s seemingly
endless run. “She’s still the same.”reader’s digest
72 october 2019