Hazel McCallion

Early life and pre-political career

Hazel Mary Muriel Journeaux was born on February 14, 1921, in Port Daniel, Quebec, the youngest of five children. Her father owned a fishing and canning company and her mother ran the family farm. After graduating from Quebec High School, she attended business secretarial school in Quebec City and Montreal. She began playing ice hockey in Port Daniel with her sisters and later played forward for a professional women's hockey team in Montreal, sponsored by Kik Cola, for which she was paid five dollars per game. She began her career with the engineering firm Canadian Kellogg in Montreal and was transferred to Toronto in 1942, where she helped set up its local office. She met her future husband, Sam McCallion, at an Anglican Church in Toronto in 1951. They married on September 29, 1951, and moved to Streetsville in December of that year. She left the business world in 1967 to pursue a full-time career in politics.

Rise in municipal politics

McCallion's political career began in Streetsville. Her first campaign for deputy reeve in 1964 was unsuccessful. She was later appointed chairman of the Streetsville Planning Board. She was elected deputy reeve in 1967 and was appointed reeve in 1968. She was elected mayor of Streetsville in 1970, serving until the town's amalgamation into the new City of Mississauga at the beginning of 1974. McCallion advocated unsuccessfully to preserve Streetsville as a separate municipality. She was elected to the Mississauga City Council in 1974 and was re-elected by acclamation in 1976. By the time she ran for mayor of the larger city, she had sat on virtually every committee in Peel Region and the City of Mississauga. This groundwork positioned her for a successful challenge against incumbent mayor Ron Searle in the November 1978 election, which she won by about 3,000 votes.

Tenure as Mayor of Mississauga

Hazel McCallion's mayoralty was defined by rapid growth, fiscal conservatism, and a hands-on leadership style. Only months into her first term, she faced a major crisis with the 1979 Mississauga train derailment, where a Canadian Pacific train carrying toxic chemicals derailed and caught fire. McCallion helped oversee the successful evacuation of about 200,000 residents, an event that brought her and the city national acclaim for its emergency management. Her 36-year tenure coincided with Mississauga's explosive population growth, partly fueled by corporate and anglophone migration from Quebec following the 1976 election of the Parti Québécois. McCallion was re-elected eleven times after her initial victory, often by overwhelming margins, including receiving over 90 percent of the vote in the 1997, 2000, and 2003 elections. She famously refused to campaign actively or accept political donations, instead asking supporters to donate to charity. In 2012, she was the third-highest-paid mayor in Canada, with a salary of $187,057. She announced she would not seek re-election in 2014 and endorsed councillor Bonnie Crombie, who succeeded her after winning the 2014 election.

Her political achievements during this period were substantial. McCallion established the GTA Mayors' Committee in 1992 to work cooperatively for the economic promotion of the Greater Toronto Area. She was a founder and honorary co-chair of the Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance. McCallion was appointed to the provincial 'Who Does What' panel in 1996. She also represented the Association of Municipalities of Ontario on the Electricity Transition Committee for the Ministry of Electricity, Science and Technology. She was the first woman to hold significant positions including president of the Streetsville and District Chamber of Commerce and president of the Anglican Young Peoples' Association of Canada.

• Establishing the GTA Mayors' Committee in 1992 to foster regional economic cooperation.
• Serving on the provincial "Who Does What" panel in 1996 and related sub-panels on tax reform and emergency services.
• Founding and serving as honorary co-chair of the Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance.
• Creating "Hazel's Hope," a campaign to fund health care for children with AIDS and HIV in southern Africa.
• Hosting an annual gala to raise funds for local arts and culture.

Political views and controversies

While municipal politics in Canada are typically non-partisan, McCallion's personal political leanings were generally liberal, and she supported the Liberal Party at federal and provincial levels for much of her life. She was asked in 1982 to consider running for the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party. She endorsed Kathleen Wynne in the 2013 Ontario Liberal leadership race and Justin Trudeau in the 2015 federal election. However, in a notable shift, she endorsed Progressive Conservative leader Doug Ford in the 2018 Ontario election. McCallion was an early and vocal Canadian supporter of the creation of a Palestinian state, telling a Canadian Arab Federation convention in 1983 that Palestinians "need and require and deserve a country of their own." She was also a pragmatic fiscal manager, famously implementing a five percent municipal surcharge on property taxes in 2007 to protest the federal government's refusal to share GST revenue with cities. Her career was not without legal challenges concerning conflicts of interest. In 1982, she was found guilty of a conflict by the Ontario High Court of Justice for not recusing herself from a council vote on a planning decision in which she had an interest. A more significant allegation arose in 2009 regarding her advocacy for a real estate deal involving her son's company, World Class Developments Ltd. In 2011, a judge found she had acted in a "real and apparent conflict of interest," though related charges under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act were dismissed in 2013 on technical grounds, as the judge noted the project had not progressed sufficiently to create a defined financial interest.

Post-mayoral career and advisory roles

After leaving the mayor's office in 2014, McCallion remained highly active in public life. She authored a memoir titled Hurricane Hazel: A Life with Purpose that same year. In November 2015, she was appointed chief elder officer of Revera Inc., a senior living company. She deepened her ties to education, serving as a special advisor on strategic development to the University of Toronto Mississauga from February 2015 and being named the first chancellor of Sheridan College in 2016, a role connected to the institution's Hazel McCallion Campus in Mississauga. In 2017, she was appointed to the board of the Greater Toronto Airport Authority, accepting a three-year renewal in April 2022. In January 2019, Ontario Premier Doug Ford appointed her as a special adviser, but she later declined the role. In October 2022, Premier Ford appointed her head of the Greenbelt Council advisory group, and in January 2023, she publicly endorsed his controversial plan to remove protected lands from the Greenbelt for housing development, calling it a "brave" move.

Personal life, death, and state funeral

Hazel McCallion married Sam McCallion on September 29, 1951, and the couple had three children before his death from Alzheimer's disease in 1997. Their son Peter unsuccessfully ran for Mississauga Ward 9 councillor in the 2022 municipal election. As a community volunteer, she served as president of the Anglican Young People's Association of Canada and as a district commissioner with the Girl Guides of Canada in the early 1960s. She and her husband also founded the community newspaper The Streetsville Booster in 1964. McCallion died at her home in Mississauga from pancreatic cancer on January 29, 2023, at the age of 101. A state funeral was held on what would have been her 102nd birthday, February 14, 2023, at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre. Her body lay in repose at the Mississauga Civic Centre for two days prior. The funeral was attended by dignitaries including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, former prime minister Jean Chrétien, and Ontario Premier Doug Ford, with flags across Ontario flown at half-mast in her honour.

Honours, awards, and legacy

Hazel McCallion received numerous honours for her public service. She was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2005 and to the Order of Ontario in 2020. She received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 and the Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. Other recognitions included the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1999, the Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class, Gold Rays with Rosette from Japan in 2014, and honorary doctor of law degrees from the University of Toronto in 2010 and Ryerson University in 2019. In 2016, the province of Ontario designated February 14 as Hazel McCallion Day. Her legacy continues to shape Mississauga, with a 2026 survey showing 49 percent of residents considered her legacy important when choosing a mayor, though its influence varied greatly by age, mattering to 75 percent of those 65 and older compared to 29 percent of those aged 18 to 34. A wide array of facilities and initiatives bear her name, including the Hazel McCallion Senior Public School, the Hazel McCallion Academic Learning Centre at U of T Mississauga, the Hazel McCallion Campus at Sheridan College, the Hazel McCallion Central Library, the Hazel McCallion Centre for Heart Health at Mississauga Hospital, the Hazel McCallion Line light-rail transit project, the Hazel McCallion Canada Day Parade in Port Credit, and the Hazel McCallion Arts, Culture and Heritage Fund.

Connection to sports and community

McCallion maintained a lifelong passion for hockey and community sports, leveraging her influence to support athletic development in Mississauga. Her early experience as a professional women's hockey player in Montreal informed her later advocacy. She was instrumental in the construction of the Hershey Centre, a major sports and entertainment complex. In 1998, she assisted commentator Don Cherry's group in bringing an Ontario Hockey League franchise, the Mississauga IceDogs, to the city. She also played a major role in securing the 2000 IIHF Women's World Hockey Championships for Mississauga. In recognition of her contributions to the sport, the championship trophy for the 1987 World Women's Hockey Tournament was named the Hazel McCallion World Cup. She also served as a board member for the Central Ontario Women's Hockey League.

Electoral record and political longevity

Hazel McCallion's electoral success was unprecedented in Mississauga. She won twelve consecutive terms as mayor, having been first elected in November 1978. Her victories included being acclaimed in 1980 and 1988, and winning re-election by decisive margins in all other campaigns. The table below outlines the results of her mayoral elections from her first campaign to her last. She attributed her political longevity to constant community engagement, famously stating that you win the next campaign "starting the day after the last one." Her endorsement in the 2014 election was a significant factor in Bonnie Crombie's victory to succeed her. McCallion's legacy became a point of reference in the 2026 Mississauga mayoral election, with candidates referencing her record and approach to governance.

Questions about Hazel McCallion

How long was Hazel McCallion the mayor of Mississauga?

Hazel McCallion was the mayor of Mississauga for 36 years. She was first elected in November 1978 and served until her retirement in 2014, making her the city's longest-serving mayor. McCallion was a successful candidate in twelve municipal elections, having been acclaimed twice and re-elected ten times. Her final term was won in the October 2010 election, and she did not run again in 2014.

Why was Hazel McCallion called 'Hurricane Hazel'?

Hazel McCallion was nicknamed 'Hurricane Hazel' for her outspoken political style, with reference to Hurricane Hazel which struck in 1954. The nickname reflected her direct and forceful approach to leadership and crisis management. It became particularly associated with her handling of the 1979 Mississauga train derailment early in her tenure. The moniker was widely used throughout her long career in public life.

What was Hazel McCallion's role in the 1979 Mississauga train derailment?

Early in her first term, McCallion played a central leadership role during the 1979 Mississauga train derailment. A Canadian Pacific train carrying toxic chemicals derailed, causing a major explosion and fire. She worked with Peel Regional Police and other authorities to oversee the evacuation of approximately 200,000 residents. The successful, week-long evacuation resulted in no fatalities or serious injuries.

What honours and awards did Hazel McCallion receive?

McCallion received many high honours, including being appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2005 and to the Order of Ontario in 2020. She received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 and the Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. International honours included the Cross of the Order of Merit of Germany in 1999 and Japan's Order of the Rising Sun, 4th Class, in 2014. She also received honorary doctorates from the University of Toronto and Ryerson University.

What did Hazel McCallion do after retiring as mayor?

After retiring, McCallion remained very active. She served as the first chancellor of Sheridan College starting in 2016 and was a special advisor to the University of Toronto Mississauga from 2015. She was appointed chief elder officer of Revera Inc. in 2015 and served on the board of the Greater Toronto Airport Authority from 2017. In October 2022, Ontario Premier Doug Ford appointed her head of the Greenbelt Council advisory group.

How is Hazel McCallion's legacy viewed in Mississauga today?

McCallion's legacy remains a potent but divisive symbol in Mississauga politics. A 2026 survey found 49 percent of residents considered her legacy important when choosing a mayor, but there was a stark generational divide. Her legacy mattered to 75 percent of residents aged 65 and older, but only 29 percent of those aged 18 to 34. Numerous city facilities, a light-rail line, and a provincial day (February 14) honour her name.

Sources and further reading

• Hazel McCallion (Wikipedia)
• Hazel McCallion's legacy important to some voters as Mississauga ... (insauga.com)
• Mississauga: Hazel's Legacy Divides Generations (press.liaisonstrategies.ca)
• Life and legacy of Hazel McCallion (mississauga.ca)

Checked by the Nosy Mag desk. Last updated 2026-10-28.