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The Mayor of Mississauga - Hazel McCallion - overview
 

     Hazel McCallion is described by persons who have known and worked with her for years as the kind of person who sees winning as everything and believes that the end justifies the means.  This includes abuse of her power and office. It would be perfectly reasonable to believe (in my experience) that she would expect City staff or people she generally has influence over to behave in the same fashion to aid in her unsavoury, if not unlawfully undertakings.  Another key element noted over and over in this brief is that the media does not report Hazel McCallion's actions and inactions fully or responsibly.[1]  Mr. Culham would likely have as little success as I have had if he tried to expose the dark side of the Queen of Urban Sprawl and the McCallion Methods at work.

     Given the Mayor's past, informed people's opinion of her and her documented Modus Operandi, a reasonable person would believe that in all likelihood Hazel McCallion could be the source of Mr. Culham's actions or inactions both in the past and currently.  A reasonable person would see the Mayor as currently having many of the means to influence Mr. Culham as she would have had in the past.  In many ways it would be just like old times and the Mayor is very likely to act as she has in the past out of habit. (They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks)  Ex-Councillor Culham would also be in the habit of knowing what the Mayor would want after years of serving her, to get what he wanted.  This is about raising legitimate concerns and questions about his ongoing fear and/or loyalty to her and the possibility of his seeking her favors or avoiding her scorn, even if unconsciously.

1 - Doc. 3.4, item A & Doc. 51
 

The Mayor's character - What people who know the Mayor say about the way she conducts herself and her noted characteristics

     These are just a few of the comments and observations that can be quoted;

*     How do people refer to the Mayor on a personal level?

Doc.# 50.3 - "the Mississauga Rattler."

Doc.# 3.2 - Item B - "She thrives on confrontation"  &  "Confrontation may have put McCallion in the mayor's chair,"

Doc.# 3.3 - Item A - "intellectually dishonest"

Doc.# 50.1 - "A real pistol, they say, making her sound like the Ma Barker of municipal politics."

....41

Doc.# 50.1 - "Then there's this Hazel: a nasty, brutish autocrat who rules supremely over a supine council."

Doc.# 3.1 - "Sometimes caustic, always outspoken, rough-edged"

Doc.# 3.2 - Item B - "She was seen as: the feisty fighter, ...she's an attacker, very aggressive, not afraid to take on anyone, quite often unjustly,"

Doc.# 3.1 - "when she's in front of people, she's very nice and smiling and, when she's behind them, it's another matter."  In other words two faced.
 

*     Expresses degrading and belittling opinions towards others?

Doc.# 32 - ""What a childish move," McCallion said" & ""He's off the deep end," the mayor said of the councillor.  "He's got the other councillors upset.  I don't know what his problem is but he's got a serious problem.""

Doc.# 3.2 - Item D - "McCallion says Graham carries a grudge because "I defeated him on a major issue over some land between a property owner and a lawn bowling club, and he was very upset about it ... He doesn't take defeat too easily."  Graham says his motivation was a desire to protect Democratic processes "from, the McCallions and her breed."

Doc.# 3.3 - Item B - "Graham took McCallion to court, a move that cost him $30,000 personally and McCallion says "appears to be a case of sour grapes.""  Act with high morals and the Mayor portrays you in a negative light.
 

*     Vengeful?

Doc.# 3.2 - Item B & C - "McCallion occasionally has had to face the results of her shoot-'em-up politics.   "She has enemies which she's developed over the years," Mahoney say, "because, to put it bluntly, she has annihilated a few people in her rise to the centre chair."  McCallion's path is littered with bitter ex-associates and adversaries who toss off accusations of unbridled ambition, an ability to play the press and public and a voracious capacity for revenge."

From the Toronto Life May 2000 article "There was, too, that proposed widening of Britannia Road, an issue that came before regional council.  Mahoney was for, McCallion against.  Mahoney won.   Retribution?   "She turned to me afterward and said, "I'll get you for this,"" says Mahoney.   "That had me shaking for a few days .... I don't know whether Hazel or myself want this to be made public."

....42

*     Does not care about the harm she may cause others?

Doc.# 50.1 - "then chips the puck back to McCallion.  She's got a clear shot.  Right from the blue line.  Surely she keeps in mind the rules of engagement -- no contact, no slapshots -- as she winds up and shoots the puck at about the altitude of Starr's ear.  He drops his gloves and starts protesting, and Dubs McCallion begins to skate a victory lap around the goal, even though she didn't score.  And she's raising her stick above her little toqued head as Starr screams: "Hazel, don't you know the rules?"  To which the mayor says, "Ron, I make my own rules."  And that, says Frank Bean, long retired from politics, is the way Hazel McCallion is to this day."   She acted like she did something great, so it appears she likes to hurt people if given the chance and can reasonably get away with it.

Doc.# 50.3 - "It's kind of like the bruises you -- get ... when someone punches you with a telephone book," says Clement of McCallion's style.  "You don't see the outside bruises, but there's internal organ damage."
 

*     Does the Mayor apologize for her transgressions?

Doc.# 47 - "Roy Willis, a member of the public who has fought for residents' rights for many years, came forward to ask our mayor for an apology for a comment she made at the Nov. 29 Cawthra meeting." ... "The mayor refused to apologize, then called her opinion a "fact""

Doc.# 48 - "Mayor Hazel McCallion belligerently interjected and accused me of being a "troublemaker""..."mayor McCallion who, to my shock, not only failed to offer a deserved apology but rather she verbally attacked me again."  This was done in City Council chambers and broadcasted on Cable 10 TV.

     The Mayor is also refered to as a racist for her comments about  immigrants "If you go to the Credit Valley Hospital the emergency is loaded with people in their native costumes." etc. and her unwillingness to apologize for these comments too.  This is in stark contrast to Mayor Mel Lastman of Toronto, who in a lesser situation repeatedly apologized.
 

*     Territorial or possessive?

Doc.# 3.4 - "a kind of Maurice Duplessis of Peel Region," ... "her kingdom,"

Councillor Culham, opens his Oct. 10/96, letter to the Globe & Mail, with this quote "Mayor McCallion's territorial chauvinism".

     These quotes show the Mayor's excessive territorial or possessiveness regarding what she sees as her City and her right to rule it.  Many will tell you she leaves people thinking it is her unquestionable divine right to rule ("she'd been appointed God", Doc.# 32) that justifies her disregard for the concerns of others, no matter how reasonable.

....43

*     Excessive Ego?

Doc.# 3.1 - "McCallion is not at all shy about advancing her own legend."
 

*     Opportunist?

Doc.# 3.1 - "Some equate McCallion's populist politics with opportunism."

Doc.# 3.1 - "She meanders through political ideologies.  She's basically conservative, and that would be her principal line, position would depend upon the public mood or what she perceived to be the public mood.  Hazel has, over the years, taken positions that are 180 degrees apart."
 

*     Questionable grasp on reality?

     After 30 years as a politician, that alone would be enough to make a person wonder if the Mayor can tell fact from political fantasy.  The fact she is into her 80's raises legitimate concerns about the physical state of her mind.  Add to this years of conduct as noted above and generally getting away with whatever she cares to do when she wants to.  As this includes vengeful acts, lets not forget that paranoia plays a strong role in the thought process that justifies revenge.  The well known phrase comes to mind - power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

     Then there is what she said during the Mar. 29/00 City Council meeting that was being broadcasted to the whole City of Mississauga by Cable 10.  "There is a coup going on, there is no question about it, Mr. Barber is a member of it and I hope no member of Council are involved."[1]  It sound like HAL in the movie 2001 - I am losing my mind, there is no doubt about.  Would the media cover it?  NO!  They refused to cover it or even view the video tape of it.

1 - On the Video Tape.
 

The McCallion Method - What people who know the Mayor say about the way she does business, her management techniques and her Modus Operandi, or the McCallion management style that defines the corporate culture in Mississauga's City hall.

     The McCallion Method is the typical winning is everything, therefore the end justifies the means, extreme political philosophy but as it is being carried out by a little old lady, who is a central figure in this matter.  Naming her Modus Operandi is appropriate.  It has made the Mayor of Mississauga such a success over the years.  Due to space limitations, specific examples for all her methods will not be presented, however they can easily be seen as part of the other examples provided. A reasonable person reading over what others have said about the Mayor would think to themselves that there is a single word that describes a person with those qualities - a Bully.

 ....44

The Mayor's methods include:

*     The Big Lie.  As time goes on the Mayor depends more and more on this method, knowing the media will not expose her.  As the Big Lie is where the perceptions she creates are completely the opposite of the facts, it is very hard to deal with.  A person has to explain what is being said is completely wrong.  This includes blaming other levels of government for why something can or can not be done or something taxpayers see as undesirable is going to happen.

*     The Lie of Omission.  (The Mayor's next favourite method and often used by City staff.)  Tell the public only what supports getting a certain goal and suppress the facts against it.  Such as, support for City plans, control public opinion and not encouraging public opposition.

*     Attack those who disagree.  Confrontation is Hazel's personal favourite and speciality.  Get in a person's face with as much ugliness as possible to make them give up and go away.  Once a person is centred out for abuse by politicians, City staff are expected to join in (if they know what's good for them).  This included labelling people in a demeaning way, filing false reports about them and generally abuse of government power.

*     Controlling the Process.  This includes unlawful methods such as denying the public access to City records by way of the FOI Act.  This and other methods ensures the public involvement and input is limited and what is allowed is next to meaningless, so the City desired outcome is not endangered.  Control a meeting by controlling the minutes of the meeting, putting words in peoples mouths and claiming certain events took place when they did not and not reporting the speaker's points accurately.  Keeping the facts off the official record.

*     Exaggerated Praise.  Calling City staff world class or their work second to none.  Staff praise Councillors, groups praise the City (or else!) everyone praises everyone as it is all so perfect in Mississauga.  Awards for everyone that the City can brag about too.

*     Control the media, one way or the other.[1]  Most important and the details to show cause for concern in this regard would take a book but there are some good quote's in other sections to show I am not alone with this concern.

1 - Doc. 3.4, item A & Doc. 51
 

Other elements of the Mayor's dictatorial management style:

*     The Mayor can do as she pleases without fear that the media will report the facts or the events that would undermine her popularity
            and result in taxpayers treating her like a politician.

Doc.# 3.3, Item D - "the judge found her guilty on four counts.  The people either didn't care or they didn't understand.  That's what infuriates me, when she can get up and make those statements of innocence virtually unchallenged."

Doc.# 32 - "This is what happens overtly at public meetings and everyone goes into a denial process."

....45

*     Hazel rules as a dictator would, abusively and in an anti-Democratic fashion.

Doc.# 50.1 - "Hazel, don't you know the rules?"  To which the mayor says, "Ron, I make my own rules."

Doc.# 32 - "An angry Culham told The News that the mayor had "interfered in my ward again""

Doc.# 50.1 - "Many of them owe their existence to her, because the council looked good, and if she was there for you, you weren't going to get defeated."  About getting Councillors to vote a certain way and Councillors depended on Hazel's good graces more than voter support.

Doc.# 3.2 - Item B - ""She thrives on confrontation ... "The difference between you and me is that I see a problem as being a temporary impediment to a solution, and you look at it as a political platform."

Doc.# 50.2 - "He has something to say, he insists.  The mayor cuts him off.  But, he bleats, here she is "getting direction from staff without councillors even getting a say on it, and that's wrong. "The mayor: "Well, I think as mayor I have the right to raise questions.  Maybe some day if you ever become mayor, councillor, you might."  He whinges (sic): "Don't degenerate into personalities, Madam Mayor.  The fact of the matter is..."  The mayor takes a sharp verbal left, cuts him off again, and Councillor Culham pretty much shrivels up and dies."

Doc.# 50.2 - Councillor Taylor protested the rezoning that landed the Mayor in court and she did not forget that - "I was cast out with the lepers," says Larry Taylor of the miserable days and months following the court proceedings.  He says he found himself shut out of development planning that had been his turf.  He says he found himself unable to push through his own ward business, in a particular instance a stop sign he had pledged adjacent to a Ward 4 school.  He complained of the "grinding" way in which his paperwork plodded through the city bureaucracy."   He dared to do his Democratic duty and questioned her worship!

Doc.# 50.3 - "Taylor went down to defeat in the municipal election of November 1988.  He says McCallion sent letters to the electorate challenging his credibility.  The day after the election, The Mississauga News addressed the mayor's role in the councillor's defeat: "McCallion denies that 900 letters she sent last week to ratepayers in the Kingsbridge community accusing Taylor of lying about efforts to obtain an all-way stop sign influenced the vote. ...  A one-time high-ranking staffer who watched the McCallion-Taylor match closely says the truth is simple: "Hazel kneecapped him.""  Is this not proof enough of how far Hazel McCallion is willing to go, apparently using government resources or taxpayers money, to carry out an act of revenge?

....46

*     Hazel is confrontational and dictatorial towards others but requires everyone to participate in creating the facade of smooth running business with no real confrontations, one big happy family.  To do City business largely in secret is to limit the publics involvement, limit Democratic processes and limit the understanding of the Mississauga political processes.

Doc.# 3.4 - Item A - "Hazel McCallion, and going back to The News to write an editorial decrying what he felt were its secretive ways.  "What happened is that every Monday council would have a nice little closed caucus meeting in a room across from the council chamber, where they would make all the decisions.  Then they would traipse across the hall and let in the press and public".

Doc.# 3.4 - Item B - "things are surprisingly sedate on the battlefield of Mississauga politics.  "One thing I'm proud to have established as mayor is that the confrontational politics in Mississauga has gone from the council itself," says the Mayor.  "Those people whom I have defeated and who don't like my open, straightforward approach to things, they'll never go away, I guess.  But we've eliminated confrontation at the council level during my four years as mayor.  Councillors consult with each other, they don't hold grudges." ... "Others consider the decorum at City Hall eerie.  "There's purge of all open debate,"

Doc.# 50.1 - "She's put this cast on her council, this pall," says Howard Moscoe.  "They're sort of clones.  They walk and breathe like Hazel ....  In the minds of the public, for the most part, council doesn't exist .... Hazel determines how it is.  Hazel's the closest thing to divine right in this province that I've seen."

The City of Mississauga would profit and as such so would the Mayor in financing her dream

     It is no secret that Hazel McCallion wants the City Mississauga to separate from the Region of Peel.  One reason is that it would give more power to Mississauga to control its Planning process.  The Mayor is rightfully called the Queen of Sprawl for the harmful over development that has occurred in Mississauga.  This over development has brought in huge amounts of money which has been used to keep taxes down, a key element in why Hazel has been re-elected over and over.  Over development and her political career/legacy are linked.

     As the Mayor runs the City like a business and the business model she uses is to develop, in an almost reckless fashion, to keep the corporation of the City of Mississauga rolling in money.  Development has to be sustained at high levels; this despite the fact that the large farms used in the past for subdivisions are mostly gone.  The motivation to eliminate mature, safe and stable communities, like the Northmount community is great.  The Mayor sees the land and homes owned by taxpayers as a CEO would see business assets and a good business choice would be to liquidate those assets for the high profits that redeveloping the area to higher densities would bring.[1]  It may be good for City profit taking but it is bad urban Planning, for communities and for people's health and that is a core issue in this case.  The Mayor needs more power in controlling the urban Planning inside the City of Mississauga, in order to make more money to run the City and which will further  her political career.  Also it will add greatly to her political legacy if she can make Mississauga a separate City.  The pressure is on the aging Mayor to act fast and create her City, her legacy, so others around her would be feeling the pressure to make her dream come true.

1 - Doc. 11, item A

....47

*     Is the Mayor the kind of person who cares little for the environment?

     This question needs to be asked as it is key to the idea that the Mayor could in fact be taking certain actions or inactions that will in time destroy the Cawthra Bush's environmental significance, its high quality natural heritage (that is its only protection), as being reasonable because it would permit greater development in the area.  That is if it can be done so no one blames her or the City.

     The Mayor of Mississauga is rightful called the Queen of Sprawl.  The Mayor approved plans to log and tree farm all the City's wooded areas in Mississauga, starting with the Cawthra Bush but the FCB stopped her.  It is likely the Mayor still holds a grudge over that, as a City wide logging and tree farming operation would have brought in hundreds of thousands of dollars, which was money lost she was banking on.  Would it not also be likely that the Ex-Councillor Culham feels ill-will towards the FCB & CRRA or me for the loss of money to the City?  Money that could have helped fund his projects and would he not feel heat as it was some environmentalist that cost the City as it did?  The same could be said about the planting of the easement area down the side of the Cawthra Bush.

     Developers have no love for the environment and Hazel McCallion is a developer.[1]  She has been the director of the company that put a subdivision on the land that she was "convicted of conflict of interest" regarding its rezoning.[2]  She has been involved in other companies that have done questionable land deals.[3]  One of her son's is a real estate agent.[4]  And do not forget this![7]

     "Mayor Hazel McCallion questioned the appearance of the Cawthra woodlot.  Driving past it, you can see many trees leaning over in an unsightly manner.  "It looks like we're not maintaining it," McCallion said."[5]  Statements like that make it perfectly clear the Mayor has no clue about forest ecology or what a healthy environmentally significant forest should look like.[6]  The values system she is expressing is more in keeping with how a garden is kept or from the 1940's.

     The Mayor has expressed opinions that show she sees little value in the Cawthra Bush as an Old-Growth ecosystem or a Wetlands.  She has supported logging to make money and using the Cawthra Bush as a recreation area.  As the Mayor is well noted as a vengeful person, it is not unreasonable to suggest she would see the Cawthra Bush destroyed and the community that supported the effort eliminated, to get back at those who have been a thorn in her side since 1994.

1 - Doc. 1, item B
2 - Doc. 2, item A & Doc. 3.3, item C-D
3 - Doc. 1, item C & Doc. 3.2, item A
4 - Doc. 1, item C & Doc. 3.2, item A
5 - Doc. 15, item B
6 - Doc. 16, item A
7 - Doc. 53, item A

....48

*     Is the Mayor the kind of person who would try and unduly influence a person in Culham's position?

     From what I know of her past and her personality and what others have gone on the records as saying, I would say yes.  Her staff have used unlawful methods and even elected officials openly note their fear of what Hazel would do to them if they displeased her.  It is interesting that the Mayor shows no sign of regret regarding the comments made by those she has climbed over to get where she is today.
 

*        Under the rule of Mayor Hazel McCallion, are there signs to point to a culture of corruption or highly questionable conduct in
              Mississauga that would be in keeping with the issues noted in this brief?

     As noted before, the Mayor was a developer while sitting as the Mayor or on City Council.  Allan Randles was also a business partner of the Mayor during this same time period and sat on the Committee of Adjustment that deals with minor variances to City zoning By-laws.[1]  When the matter of whether Hazel knew ""Mr. Randalls," whether "Randalls" was a Macran director, whether Macran has Mississauga property and whether she owned property outside Mississauga?  Her lawyer, J.L. Finally, instructed her not to answer."[2]  Interesting, yes?  Macran and Peter McCallion were involved in an interesting sale of a property in which "The price had increased $132,900 in seven months".[3]  People can make a lot of money in boom towns like Mississauga but those people are not supposed to be its elected officials or their friends and family!  Cronyizm and patronage are terms I hear often.

     Mississauga has been a boom town for some time and it is a well known fact that in such environments corruption in its many forms flourishes.  Apart from Hazel McCallion's case of being in court and losing, there is the recent case of Ex-Councillor Cliff Gyles who may have set a record for charges laid against an elected official and convictions in Canada.  His list includes 2 charges under the Municipal Elections Act - exceeding the maximum campaign expense limit in 2000, giving a financial statement and auditor's report that did not state his true election campaign expenses;[4]  Guilty on four criminal counts - 2 counts of municipal corruption - 2 counts of breach of trust.[5]  The criminal charges were regarding demanding and accepting bribes in relations to re-zoning matters. (More details here.[6])  If they say Hazel is as honest as the next politician, then literally that would have been Cliff as he sat right beside the Mayor in City Council chambers.  Was the lady to replace Mr. Gyles on City Council much better?  Two members of her family were arrested during the election campaign and charged with stealing the election signs of her political rivals.[7]

1 - Doc. 1, item A & Doc. 6, item A
2 - Doc. 1, item A
3 - Doc. 1, item C
4 - Doc. 52, item A
5 - Doc. 52, item B
6 - Doc. 53
7 - Doc. 53, item A

....49

     Then there is the question of why the Mayor became so interested and involved in the Northmount matter, even coming out to the second last (Feb. 4/4) public meeting to try and crush community opposition.  The Mayor's efforts to see this matter approved are clearly noted.  Just as it is noted that the land on the north side of the Queensway, just west of Dixie Rd., has had a for sale sign up for almost a year and the Real Estate agent was Peter McCallion.  Then early in 2004 his sign came down and a sign announcing that Moldenhauer Developments Inc., (the Northmount developers) is the new developer on the site went up.  As the Mayor would say - interesting.

     A recent development, "Developer alleges Mayor McCallion affected land deal".[1]  The $20 million law-suite claims in part that Hazel McCallion used "her power" or "political interference", "to induce Ontario Realty not to sell" land it owned.  Ontario Realty Corp., is a Provincial agency and this complaint is very similar to the complaints I have been making that Mississauga's Mayor has been using her political power and influence to interfere with Provincial processes like Freedom Of Information Appeals and this OMB Appeal.  In this case she is being taken to court by those (developers) who can afford to buy justice and in all likelihood it will be settled out of court, so Hazel will not have to take the witness stand, again and give sworn testimony.  Taxpayer's money will likely be used to settle this out of court.

     So far the legal action being taken against her has not been reported by the Mississauga News, sometimes called the "Missing news".  Interesting that the Mississauga News can't find enough space between its adds to report the skulduggery involving the Mayor of Mississauga, the 6th largest City in Canada while she is waging her separate City campaign.

     The media in the beginning portrayed her as a successful women in politics, a role model for other women at a time when there were few women politicians.  Then the media started to make lots of money through real estate adds from the Queen of Sprawl's over development of Mississauga,  turning a blind eye to her increasingly dictatorial behaviour, as it made good business sense to support the politician who makes you the most money.[2]  Over time this lack of reporting has allowed the Mayor to get more and more outrageous in her behaviour as the media was not there to reign her in.  The media should see that it has a responsibility to be part of the checks and balances in a Democracy but that is increasing not the case.  I have wrote to the major news papers in the area about having a story about the Mayor of Mississauga and the response from Conrad Black it the best example of how they feel - "Mr. Black's relations with Mayor McCallion have always been perfectly civil and although your story is "unique" the proposal in not one which Mr. Black would be interested in pursuing."[3]

     Now it has gotten to the point where if the media was to start reporting the facts the public would ask the question, why has the media not reported the facts for so long?  Creating such bad circumstance now, the media is like Dr. Frankenstein.  The media can see they have created a monster and it is running amuck but they do not act responsibly, vainly believing they can cover-up or under-report Hazel's transgressions, until it no longer matters.  Her gender and age have helped the Mayor get away with murdering our Democratic processes, since many believe how dare anyone pick on a little old grandmother!

1 - Doc. 69
2 - Doc. 3.4, item A & B
3 - Doc. 51

....50

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