February 14, 2017
Today has traditionally been about hearts, flowers and poetry but in Ontario, Valentine’s Day is now about so much more.
On December 8, 2016, the Ontario legislature passed an Act proclaiming February 14 as Hazel McCallion Day in Ontario.
To celebrate Mississauga’s longest serving mayor, the City’s Culture Division is planning a spring exhibition that pays tribute to McCallion entitled, Do Your Homework | A Tribute to Hazel McCallion. This exhibit is part of the City’s Canada 150 celebrations and will highlight the life and times of McCallion and will be on display in the Great Hall of the Mississauga Civic Centre from April 12 to 26.
In preparation for the exhibit, the City is looking for original artwork that captures the likeness of Hazel McCallion. The Do Your Homework exhibition will present the most captivating moments of McCallion’s political career.
The artwork can highlight anything that represents the former mayor throughout her time in public office. The themes that will be highlighted in the exhibition include:
- before and after;
- compassionate leader;
- inspiring women;
- leadership lessons;
- legacy maker;
- a global force; and
- Canadian icon and sports enthusiast.
Artwork Submission Details
How to Participate: Please make an appointment with Tracy Oliveira, Collections Assistant, Museums of Mississauga. Artists will be asked to bring their artwork to Benares Historic House for review. To make an appointment, email Museums.Collections@mississauga.ca or call 905-615-4860, ext. 2108.
Deadline: Friday, February 24, 2017
Selection Process: Due to limited space, art work will be selected by a jury.
Background: Hazel McCallion Day
Bill 16: An Act to proclaim Hazel McCallion Day
Hazel McCallion served in public office continuously from 1968 until her retirement in 2014. She was first elected mayor of Streetsville in 1970 and then as a councillor in Mississauga and in the newly created Region of Peel in 1974. Following two terms as a councillor, she was elected mayor of Mississauga in the 1978 municipal election. During her historic thirty-six years in that office she oversaw the incredible growth and urban transformation of Mississauga from a city of 280,850 residents in 1978 to Canada’s sixth largest city in 2011, with more than 713,000 residents. Her tenure as Mississauga’s mayor is the longest in the city’s history and she has received numerous awards and honours for her lifetime of contributions to her community.
Though retired from politics, she remains an active champion of major Mississauga-based projects, including the University of Toronto (Mississauga) and Sheridan College. Her years of service to her community have been recognized through the dedication of public facilities in her honour, such as the Hazel McCallion Campus (Sheridan College), the Hazel McCallion Academic Learning Centre (University of Toronto Mississauga), the Hazel McCallion Senior Public School in Streetsville and the Hazel McCallion Centre for Heart Health (Trillium Health Centre). She has been an active fundraiser for local and international charities.
McCallion’s achievements are notable for their number and scale, as well as the social atmosphere in which she began her career. Though women had been elected mayor of other Canadian cities previous to McCallion, political life was nonetheless widely regarded during the 1960s – when she entered politics – to be a man’s domain. Her participation in public life since that time makes her a brilliant example to women and, indeed, all Ontarians. As our province strives to eliminate gender-based discrimination, her professional life and numerous contributions are reflective of the leadership role that women can, and should, be entitled to seek in a fair and just society.
In honour of her lifetime of contributions, it is appropriate to recognize February 14th (McCallion’s birthday) each year as Hazel McCallion Day in Ontario.
