U.S. television personality Regis Philbin was in Mississauga Saturday evening to fete the 30th anniversary of Mayor Hazel McCallion's reign.
"She is a legend in Canada ... and she is 87 years old," Philbin said Thursday on his show "Live with Regis and Kelly" (broadcast in Canada on CTV at 9 a.m. weekdays).
He noted some of her successes, including:
- Attracting 55 Fortune 500 corporate head offices
- Presiding over the construction of a new city hall, performing arts complex and sports complex
"And paid for it without any taxpayer dollars," he said, noting she wins re-election every time without even campaigning.
Born on Quebec's Gaspe Peninsula, McCallion began her involvement in civic politics in 1967. She became Mississauga's mayor in November 1978 and became known for her feistiness, determination and belief that one should run a city like a business.
The city of Mississauga -- with its population of 700,000 -- remains debt-free, although some critics have said it will need to make massive infrastructure investments at some point.
In 1979, everyone lauded her leadership during the train derailment crisis, -- the toppled train of cars carried explosive and toxic chemicals, including one car leaking chlorine gas -- led to the evacuation of more than 200,000 residents.
Five years ago, a car struck McCallion in Streetsville. At age 82, she made a full recovery.
Her husband Sam died in 1997. She has three children and a granddaughter.
Eight hundred people paid $600 per plate to attend Saturday night's event at the Living Arts Centre.
Proceeds will go to support the Hazel McCallion Foundation for the Arts, Culture and Heritage. That foundation supports local initiatives in those fields.
With a report from CTV Toronto's John Musselman
