|
Hazel: I don't believe in regrets |
|
|
She is 86, yet retains the energy and drive that have made her one of Canada's favourite politicians. Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion, who has been in office for nearly 30 years, tells Archie D'Cruz what a typical day is like for her.
"There's no such thing as a 'standard' day for a Mayor. Every minute of my day is filled with different activities – and that’s just the way I like it!
But to start at the beginning…
 I usually wake up around 5:00 a.m. as I have a lot to do before I begin my official work day. I am by nature a morning person so it’s not a struggle. I do use an alarm clock but only as my back-up plan. After 86 years on this earth, my “internal clock” is pretty reliable!
After waking up, I make a hearty breakfast – the most important meal of the day, you know. I begin my morning by reading the three newspapers that I have delivered to my home each day.
I read all of my mail, respond to letters from residents, sign a large volume of correspondence and official documents and do a lot of dictating. I then take my dog Hurricane for a walk followed by my morning ritual of visiting my beloved garden.
Then it's on to work. If I am going directly to City Hall it’s just a 10 minute drive but many events I attend take place in different parts of the city, across the GTA or out of town so it can vary.
I enjoy listening to country music and the news while I am driving. I always keep a disposable camera in my car and stop along the way to take pictures or make notes of things I see which need to be taken care of, such as missing street signs, litter, potholes etc. so that these matters can be addressed as quickly as possible.
Depending on the day of the week, my schedule consists of meetings at the office with constituents and corporations, attending our regularly scheduled Council and committee meetings and returning numerous phone calls.
My evenings are spent attending a variety of events from official business openings to galas, to annual general meetings of ratepayer associations, even speaking events across the country. I am also a member of many regional and provincial organizations whose meetings I attend. So my calendar can be extremely hectic! I am booked far in advance and already have commitments for 2008 and beyond. Of course, I do deviate from my schedule from time to time as unplanned events arise or last minute requests come up. Also, if urgent municipal business arises, that will take precedence over other activities.
Right now, one of the issues that most occupies my mind is the environment. I am really concerned about what the future will be like for generations to come. We live in a very disposable society and we all need to be more responsible when it comes to the products we use and to ensure that our environment is protected.
In particular, the lack of action by people and corporations to conserve electricity really bothers me because it’s such an easy thing to do. Energy conservation has become a bit of an obsession with me. In my office, I insist that all lights and equipment be turned off during the day except for when they are being used and I practise this at home as well.
Another issue I am very concerned about is traffic gridlock. It’s going to get to a point in the future where we are no longer going to be able to move people and goods – period. We have to get over our dependence on the automobile and look for alternatives to transportation such as light rail transit and I must say that this is one area where Europe is far ahead of us.
I've been Mayor for a long time – it will be 30 years next year – and it has been a career filled with memories. One that will always remain fresh in the mind however is an event that occurred just a year after I first took office. This was the Mississauga Train Derailment in 1979.
A 106-car freight train carrying explosive and poisonous chemicals derailed, resulting in the evacuation of more than 200,000 people. Within days, Mississauga essentially became a ghost town. At the time, it was the largest peacetime evacuation in North American history. Thousands of families had to be relocated and those who were not able to stay with family and friends were forced to take refuge at our community centres.
I remember going out in the middle of the night visiting with people who were dislodged from their homes and were staying at Square One Shopping Centre to make sure they were okay. As you can imagine they were scared, having been uprooted from their homes and without the most basic of necessities.
I am proud to say that no lives were lost during the crisis and if nothing else, it really brought us together as a community. It also put Mississauga on the map as the speed and efficiency with which the evacuation was conducted caused many cities to later model their own emergency plans after ours.
I've always prided myself as being a hands-on Mayor, and one other incident that comes to mind was much more recent. This was in April 2006 and it involved an older gentleman who had fallen on hard times. He was having trouble coping with the responsibilities of maintaining his property, much to the chagrin of his neighbours.
Unfortunately, things escalated to the point where he climbed onto the roof of his home and threatened to commit suicide. When I was advised that the efforts of the police to get the gentleman down had not been successful, I drove to the site to see what I could do and I was able to talk to him and convince him to come down.
Days later he called to thank me so it’s one of those examples where a hands-on approach helped to save a life.
I'm proud to say we've achieved a lot as a city over the years – last December's World Leadership Award for Health in London, England, was the latest of many awards and accolades.
However one thing that that I haven’t done yet as Mayor that I still want to accomplish is to have Mississauga achieve its independence – for it to become a separate city, not a part of the Region of Peel. As Canada’s sixth largest city – Ontario’s third largest – and with our enviable track record of sound fiscal management, it is the very least we deserve.
Having said that, I don't have any regrets from my time as Mayor. I don’t believe in them. There’s no point, what’s done is done. I like that quote by Alexander Graham Bell – “When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the ones which are open for us.” I have always been a “glass half full, not empty” kind of gal.
The Mayor's job can be physically and mentally taxing, and fortunately I have always been blessed with good health. I am by nature a very active person and don’t know what it’s like to just sit and do nothing. Even now, I enjoy fishing very much when I have the opportunity to do so. I find it to be very relaxing and a wonderful way to get in touch with nature.
My faith also gives me energy. I consider it a blessing to have a job that I love and having a life filled with purpose and meaning and living my life in a Christian-like manner helps to motivate me and keep me energized.
I've enjoyed my time in office and I will continue to run for Mayor as long as my health is good and I am able to keep up with the heavy schedule I have followed over the years.
COMING back to my typical day… well, as I said before, there is no such thing as a typical work day for me and I don’t place limits on what time or day of the week I will meet with someone or attend an event. In fact, I will often meet with people for breakfast very early in the morning because there just aren’t enough hours in the day to fit everything in. I will also attend committee meetings and events as long as I am required too, often late into the evening. Unlike Cinderella’s carriage, I don’t turn into a pumpkin at midnight!
Like my days, my evenings are not typical in any way other than they are filled with activity. My job is not a nine to five one and I attend numerous events during the evening as that is when most large public events and gatherings are held.
When I do finally get home, I don’t really have much time to 'switch off' but when I do it’s usually spent watching the late evening news or reviewing material for meetings the next day.
My bedtime varies from day to day, depending on what my schedule is like, but it's usually quite late. I wouldn’t be able to attend the volume of events I do throughout the year otherwise!
Quote, Unquote
What I am reading: Unfortunately, my schedule doesn’t leave a lot of time for leisurely reading. I spend most of my time reading agendas, reports and familiarizing myself with issues. I also take great pride in the fact that I personally read every piece of mail and every invitation that is sent to me.
What I am watching: I don’t have a lot of time to watch television but always make it a point to watch the news so that I can keep up with current events, both locally and globally. Even at the age of 86, I still have a great curiosity about life and what is going on in the world around me and I am fascinated by all of the technological advances that have become such a part of our daily lives.
What single fact about me readers might be surprised to know: I do everything around the house myself. I do my own cleaning, grocery shopping, gardening… The assumption is that people in my position have others doing all these things for them but I like to be self sufficient. Housework and gardening are great forms of exercise and keep one humble.
The biggest leadership tip I can give young people: Good leaders lead by example. A great leader is never merely an observer and does not wait for things to improve but acts to improve things. A good leader is able to communicate a vision and is able to motivate and inspire others to succeed.
• Archie D'Cruz is Editor in Chief of Confidence Bound and publisher of Chapter and Verse, a site that throws open the stage to new and upcoming Canadian writers.
|
|
|
|
