Hazel McCallion remembered at funeral as ‘matriarch of Mississauga’ and ‘political powerhouse’ | 24CA News

Hazel McCallion, a political powerhouse who served as Mississauga’s mayor for 36 years, was laid to relaxation on Tuesday in a state funeral surrounded by dignitaries, members of the general public, family and friends.

Hundreds gathered at Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga, Ont., to pay their respects on Feb. 14, which might have been McCallion’s 102nd birthday.

McCallion died at her house on Jan. 29 on the age of 101. Family buddy Jim Murray mentioned she died of pancreatic most cancers, which she was recognized with round Christmas.

Affectionately often called “Hurricane Hazel,” many described her because the matriarch of Mississauga, remodeling a small bed room suburb group into one among Canada’s largest, fastest-growing and vibrant cities.

1:43Hazel McCallion was a ‘trailblazer,’ by no means ‘lost sight’ of cause for getting into politics: Ford

Ontario Premier Doug Ford took the rostrum and boasted about McCallion’s service in public workplace, her dedication and her dedication to her group. He known as her a longtime shut buddy who selflessly supplied knowledge and recommendation.

“There isn’t a single person who met Hazel who didn’t leave in awe of her force of personality,” Ford mentioned. “She was always fighting for the underdog.

“Mississauga is a better city, Ontario is a better province and Canada is a better country because of the amazing life of Hazel McCallion.”

Born in 1921 in Port Daniel, Que., a small rural fishing group, McCallion moved to Toronto to work with Canadian Kellogg for 19 years. She then devoted her life to politics.

Prior to turning into mayor of Mississauga, McCallion was the mayor of Streetsville from 1970 to 1973. In 1974, Streetsville, Port Credit and the city of Mississauga amalgamated to kind the City of Mississauga.

McCallion was then voted in because the mayor of Mississauga in 1978, which was adopted by landslide victories for 12 phrases the place she developed a “no-nonsense advocacy.” She retired from politics on the spectacular age of 93.

“She was a trailblazer, an innovator, a fighter, a pragmatist. Getting things done,” mentioned Ontario’s Lt.-Gov. Elizabeth Dowdeswell. “She will be long and fondly remembered.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau additionally attended the funeral and mentioned “Hazel was so unstoppable.”

“I think we all felt she was going to live forever.”

Trudeau described a time when he bumped into McCallion in Europe, 15 years in the past, the place he joined her on one of many longest, highest and quickest ziplines on the planet — a zipline between two mountain peaks in Italy.

“Then, in her late 80s, Hazel was not just the oldest elected official to ever do the zipline, she was one of the oldest people, period, to do it,” Trudeau mentioned.

Trudeau mentioned McCallion by no means had any curiosity in working provincially or federally as a result of she mentioned she “wouldn’t have been any good at following the party line.” Trudeau mentioned it was seemingly that “we probably would have ended up as ministers serving in her cabinet.”

1:17Hazel McCallion an ‘inspiration’ for generations of ladies and ladies: Trudeau

She was inducted into the Mississauga Sports Hall of Fame in 2001 and appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2005 and the Order of Ontario in 2021.

Amid all of her achievements, and many years of serving in politics, she additionally discovered time to lift three youngsters: Peter, Linda and Paul.

Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie, who’s in her third time period as mayor, known as her predecessor “our matriarch” and the “architect of our city.”

“She built our city in her vision and through her stewardship,” Crombie mentioned. “It was a city that we chose, because of Hazel, to live in, to work in, to play in, to pray in, to invest in, and to raise our children in. It is the finest city in Canada.”

In 2016, Feb. 14 — which additionally occurs to be Valentine’s Day — was renamed Hazel McCallion Day throughout Ontario in honour of her birthday.

Mississauga is now the third-largest metropolis in Ontario and the sixth-largest in Canada, with a inhabitants of greater than 700,000 as of 2021.

— with information from The Canadian Press

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