Hazel McCallion Obituary – Death: Mississauga, Ontario, Former Mayor Dies Unexpectedly: According to an online obituary on Sunday, January 29, 2023, Hazel McCallion has passed away unexpectedly. However, cause of death was not disclosed.
The diminutive “Hurricane” Hazel McCallion, who served as mayor of Mississauga, Ontario for 12 terms and far into her 94th year, has passed away. Her age was 101.
Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, reported that McCallion passed away early on Sunday morning at home.
Ford characterized Hazel as the epitome of a public servant in a statement announcing her passing. “Nobody who met Hazel who didn’t leave in awe of her strength of personality. I consider myself tremendously fortunate to have known Hazel as a friend for all these years.”
“Hazel was not just my mentor and political role model, but the reason why so many women were motivated to pursue politics,” McCallion’s successor Bonnie Crombie said in a statement.
In a statement, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recalled the “unstoppable” McCallion.
“She will be remembered as a trailblazer who inspired us all with her political career and community service. However, we shall remember her most for being a close friend “said he.
McCallion came in last in her first election. She would, however, go on to win her following 17 elections in the city that is adjacent to Toronto to the west after the 1966 race for deputy reeve.
During her tenure as Mississauga’s mayor from 1978 to 2014, she faced no significant challengers twice and was unopposed in nine other times. She was once compared to “challenging somebody’s favorite grandmother” by a helpless rival. She wasn’t quite halfway through her term when he made his statement in 1985.
After making a quick decision in the midst of an explosive railway wreck in 1979, McCallion quickly acquired the nickname “Hazel,” after the Hurricane Hazel that tore across southern Ontario in 1954. Through the years, she embodied the name, being strong, bold, and occasionally indiscriminate in her targets.
Although Mayor Charlotte Whitton of Ottawa and Reeve Mary Fix of Toronto Township had high municipal positions, she was neither the first woman to manage a large city nor a smaller territory. Nevertheless, Hazel became a household name among Canadian mayors of all genders.
Though McCallion detested the label “feminist,” she defined her strategy for succeeding in a sector where men predominated by saying, “Think like a man, act like a lady, and work like a hound.”
She established a plan that would provide developers access to all of Mississauga, not just the land in population areas. As a result, some critics called her the “Queen of Sprawl” despite the fact that developers paid levies and contributed to the creation of libraries, arenas, and community centers.
The city’s funds were overflowing, and McCallion was able to enhance her standing for managing politics like a business. Mississauga ratepayers once had ten years without a rise in property taxes.
Words fall short of expressing our grief for your loss, as we mourn with family and friends for this great loss. We are truly sorry to hear of the loss of this promising being. Please accept our condolences and may our prayers help comfort you. Please receive our heartfelt condolences.
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