Hazel McCallion

Not only has Hazel McCallion been the highly popular mayor of

Mississauga for an unheard-of thirty-three years, in the most recent

election, she received more than seventy-five percent of the votes.

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A lot of things have changed in Mississauga, Ontario since 1978. It has grown from a
collection of small towns and villages to the sixth-largest city in Canada. But one thing
has not changed since 1978 - Hazel McCallion is still the mayor! After more than three
decades, she is one of the longest-serving and most popular politicians Canada has ever
known.
Hazel was born to a poor family in rural Quebec that couldn’t afford to send their bright
daughter to university. She became a secretary instead, determined to earn her own way.
Hazel didn’t mind hard work and was ready to make the best of any challenge.
After being transferred to a job in Toronto, Hazel married a man she’d met at church, and
one of their wedding presents changed her life - and Canadian politics - forever. The
present was a small plot of land in a little town called Streetsville, not far from Toronto.
At the time that Hazel McCallion and her husband settled in Streetsville, the area was
growing rapidly. Together, they started a small newspaper and became involved in local
issues. It wasn’t long before McCallion, with her keen mind and tremendous energy, was
a real force in local politics. By the time that Streetsville and other towns in the area were
put together to form the new city of Mississauga, Hazel McCallion was ready to run for
mayor.