F R A N K LY S P E A K I N G BY FRANK WOOD
Ahead by a Century
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unday February 14, 2021 Hazel McCallion celebrated her 100th birthday. Best known as the former mayor of one of Canada’s fastest growing and fiscally successful communities, Mississauga, ON, she is a remarkable politician and a remarkable person. I first came to know Hazel when she was elected as mayor of Streetsville, a small rural town with a population of 1,200, which would become part of the growing metropolis of Mississauga. I was introduced to her by Reverend David Busby of Trinity Anglican Church, Hazel’s church of worship. Busby was a keen motorcyclist who had taken note of the plethora of small motorcycles that had started to appear on the town’s streets and occupied a large portion of the high school parking lot. It was his idea to form a motorcycle club, and many local young riders joined. The club, known as the Ville (as in Streetsville) Riders, with guidance from Busby
IM’s own Frank Wood and Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion. 44 Inside Motorcycles
became incorporated and affiliated with the Canadian Motorcycle Association. Although we were a few years away from holding CMA sanctioned events, we were very active in club contests and always on the search for a place to stage them. That was when Hazel stepped in. She put in the good word with a developer who would be building a subdivision just north of town and until such time as construction began he gave us his permission to ride there. I’ll quickly point out that neither Hazel nor her husband Sam had much personal interest in motorcycles but they did purchase a Suzuki trail bike for their son from Brampton Cycle, where I worked. Sam owned a printing business that printed, amongst other things, our club monthly newsletter. I want to veer away from motorcycles for a moment and tell you more about the lady who became known as ‘Hurricane Hazel.’ First off, before she went into politics she had already completed a successful professional career of 19 years in business. In 1970 she was elected as the first female mayor of Streetsville, then in 1978, with her little town now a part of a growing city, she was elected mayor of Mississauga. For the next 36 years she would hold that post, not retiring until age 93 in 2014. During that tenure, her popularity was such that she would win re-elections without so much as a lawn sign. She has the record of the longest serving female mayor in Canadian history. Last year she celebrated her 99th birthday at a Toronto Maple Leafs hockey game where she received a standing ovation from the packed Air Canada Centre crowd. I feel that it’s important to share that this was not a one-way relationship between Her Worship and the club. The Ville Riders members shared a pride of community illustrated in their participation in events like the annual Bread and Honey celebrations and parade in Streetsville, their sponsorship of a minor hockey team in the local league as well as several sponsored rides with the proceeds going to charity.
Perhaps the most lasting memory and statement regarding Mrs. McCallion’s support of local motorcyclists was her influence in allowing an off-road motorcycle race to be held in one of Mississauga’s parks! It was a challenge race between our club and the Niagara Falls motorcycle club, headed up by Carl Bastedo, held in the spring of 1970 at Wildwood Park which is literally a stone’s throw from the International Centre and very close to Pearson International Airport. Ever the politician, Hazel attended the race and posed alongside yours truly whilst astride my Yamaha motocrosser. The local press celebrated the hometown victors with a story in the sports section of the Mississauga News headlined ‘Locals Outscramble Niagara Club’ while the photo of the mayor and I made the front page of the paper. The little motorcycle club from the little town gained more notoriety when it was featured in a CBC weekly show hosted by Roy Bonisteel called Man Alive. The magazine-styled show featured religious issues and the program ran from 1967 until 1989. The production was highly regarded as was the award-winning host. I’m not sure how that appearance came to be but can only assume that Reverend Busby had something to do with it. Unfortunately, there is no footage available from that episode. Did I mention that Busby rode a G50 Matchless? He rode a lot, and well, and had a very positive effect on the budding motorcyclists he attracted to the club he inspired. In all but the worst of weather his mount was parked in the church lot on Sunday mornings. Sadly, we lost David Busby in a light aircraft crash some years back in the Caribbean while on missionary work to third world countries. Hazel McCallion, however, is still going strong, still living in her beloved city of Mississauga and still highly respected. She made a lasting impression on a good number of motorcyclists, myself included; so, on behalf of them and me, a belated happy birthday Hazel. IM
