5 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Mississauga: Part 2

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Published April 11, 2015 at 2:50 pm

cityhall1974

Have you ever wanted to impress someone with some obscure but fascinating city knowledge? Trivia is a great thing to pull out on a date (well, sometimes, it is) or during an outing with family or friends. You can even use it to win bets. In fact, if you do use these facts to win bets, you owe us a beer!

Drake, Prince, Bieber and the worlds biggest musicians record in Mississauga

Metalworks Studios, located right in Mississauga just west of the City Centre, has recorded some of the biggest names in the music industry. It was created by Gil Moore of the rock group Triumph back in 1978. The artists that have recorded at Metalworks are the who’s who in the music scene and include Drake, Justin Beiber, Christina Aguilera, Guns N’ Roses, Katy Perry, ‘N Sync, Prince, Tina Turner and so much more. So the next time you have your ear buds on listening to your favourite musician, remember that he or she might have recorded in your backyard.

There were four mayors before Hazel McCallion

In 1968, the town of Mississauga was created. Its first mayor was Robert Speck. He was a fruit farmer from Clarkson who was held in great esteem by his community, sponsoring sports teams and serving as president of the Lakeview Businessmen Association and of Clarkson Dixie Fruit Growers’ Association.

Many people say that Robert Speck was the “only mayor of the town of Mississauga”. While he was the only mayor elected to the position, Reeve Chic Murray was given the title of acting mayor following the death of Robert Speck in April 1972 and served after the election in October 1973.

In 1974, the first mayor of the city (no longer a town) of Mississauga was Martin L. Dobkin.  A doctor at Mississauga Hospital (now the Trillium Health Centre) and coroner for the County of Peel, he was a 31-year-old political newcomer.

The second mayor of the city of Mississauga was Ron Searle. He was a long-time councillor and the first commissioner of the Peel Regional Police. He served as mayor from 1976 to 1978.

Then along came a lady named Hazel McCallion in 1978.

There’s a skate park and an art gallery at City Hall

On the actual City Hall property beside council chambers and the Art Gallery of Mississauga is a skate park. If you are under 20, this is old news and you have skated there for years — but it’s pretty cool to think that a sport that was looked down upon is being embraced positively.

Since the late 80s, The Art Gallery of Mississauga has been in City Hall.  They offer tours and workshops and can be perused casually.  They have a permanent collection as well as regular exhibitions and a list of intriguing ongoing events, such as Art of Yoga, where once a month you take part in a yoga session surrounded by art.

So next time you’re at city hall, bring your skateboard and then head to the gallery. It won’t cost a dime! 

We have 480 parks and 295 km of trails

Mississauga is green. Mississauga has more than 480 parks and 295 km of trails and woodlands for you to discover. Some parks provide a serene and tranquil setting where you can enjoy passive recreational pursuits while others boast a variety of active recreational facilities. One of the nicest parks in the city is J.C. Saddington Park and one of the best scenic trails is beside the Credit River from Dundas to Streetsville. An amazing bike ride! 

Steps that lead to nowhere with a time capsule

Before the current City Hall we all know today, there was a City Hall building where the CIBC building sits just east of Square One at the corner of City Centre and Robert Speck. It was built by the McLaughlin Group — the same people who originally built Square One. If you actually check the location of the old city hall today, they have actually left the original concrete stairs leading up to the building. It’s kind of creepy, as they’re just steps leading to nowhere. You can see them from the sidewalk on City Centre Drive. And there is a rumour that there is a time capsule buried there.


Mississauga City Hall 1974

 

5 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Mississauga – Part 1

Here are some random things about Mississauga that you probably didn’t know that may win you a bar bet or two in the future. You owe us a beer!

 

 

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