Welcome to “We Built This City,” a new column told through the lens of Lisa Hrabluk, dedicated to celebrating the incredible individuals and groups who have shaped Mississauga into the vibrant city it is today. Through captivating stories and personal memories, we will explore the lives and achievements of the people who have left an indelible mark on our community. From renowned figures like Mazo de la Roche and Oscar Peterson to the unsung heroes of local industries and wartime efforts, each installment will delve into the rich tapestry of Mississauga’s history. Join us as we uncover the past and look forward to the future, sharing and celebrating the remarkable legacy of our city. Be sure to share your own stories with us, as they are an essential part of this ongoing narrative.
Lisa Hrabluk is an award-winning journalist and writer. She got her start as a student journalist at The Mississauga News and with Heritage Mississauga, where she wrote walking tours for Clarkson, Cooksville and Erindale. She has written for Time, The Globe and Mail, CanWest News Service, Canadian Press, and the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal, and appeared on CBC Radio and TV. Lisa is currently a culture commentator for CBC Radio in Saint John, New Brunswick. Follow Lisa on Instagram @lisahrabluk.
We Built This City is a collection of incredible stories from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Join us as we uncover the past and look forward to the future, sharing the remarkable tales of the renowned figures, individuals, and groups who have shaped Mississauga into the vibrant cultural canvas it is today.
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The Canadian-made technology that showed us the world as we’d never seen it before and became a staple of big budget Hollywood films from its offices here in Mississauga.
In 1906, there were 1,000 motor cars in Ontario, but by the early teens, motor cars could be frequently seen bouncing along gravel and dirt roads designed for horses and buggies.
Located on the east bank of the Credit River, just north of Lakeshore Road, the Park has green spaces, a stage, the city’s Music Walk of Fame – and a deep connection to the Mississaugas of the Credit.
To understand how Canada rocketed from colonial outpost to G7 nation take a stroll through Square One.
As any start-up founder will tell you, you’ve gotta weather a lot of ‘nopes’ in search of your big break.
Robert J. Sawyer revels in asking the big questions. The dean of Canadian science fiction, having penned an astonishing 24 novels that have taken us to space, into the future
Toronto may be ‘Hollywood North’, but Mississauga has fast become Hollywood North By Northwest. These days it’s not unusual to come across the familiar box trucks and lighting apparatus that
Cricket used to be a relic of Mississauga’s early colonial past – until Ali Khan came along. In 1966 the 35-year-old Khan was living and working in Mississauga as a
Listen up: in 1975 as the City of Mississauga was finding its rhythm, a trio of long-haired rockers came blasting out of the ‘burbs. Triumph. Guitarist Rik Emmett with his
Sixty years ago Oscar Peterson was on a train when an arrangement began to play in his mind. The Montreal-born Peterson was an established international jazz star, a virtuoso on
From its place on the western bank at the mouth of the Credit River, the Don Rowing Club seems like it’s a long way from home. Named for the Don
Canoes and kayaks are quintessentially Canadian. Indigenous by design, these two watercraft were how people traversed Canada’s myriad lakes and rivers for thousands of years, trading and travelling across kilometres.
