After 42 years of service with World Vision in the USA, Australia and Canada, Dave Toycen retired as CEO of the Mississauga based company in 2015. He was a devoted, passionate champion of the world’s most vulnerable children for more than 40 years. During his tenure in Canada the number of children sponsored by Canadians increased five fold to over 500,000 and more than 4 billion dollars was contributed for causes worldwide. He worked tirelessly to champion education for girls, worked on behalf of child soldiers, child slaves, and victims of famine, plagues and wars and advocated for maternal and child health care improvements globally.
There are very few people who bring about meaningful change in a community and Dr. Colin Saldanha continues to make his impact quietly but efficaciously. A pioneer in the area of fostering and developing community relations in a multi ethnic city is his passion. To empower, involve and create the right environment for immigrants is his focus on a daily basis. But Colin is not a one issue man. As a busy physician, he has invested his valuable time, talent and knowledge and immersed himself in a myriad of projects and organizations over the last three decades throughout Peel Region. Sitting on boards and helping raise needed funds has brought him well deserved accolades.
John Tuzo Wilson served as Principal of Erindale College, University of Toronto from 1967 to 1974. He was a Canadian geophysicist and geologist who achieved worldwide acclaim for his contributions to the theory of plate tectonics. He also conceived of the transform fault, a major plate boundary where two plates move past each other horizontally. He was a also a practical scientist – one of the first geologists to use remote sensing to understand the geological process. These contributions had a major impact on mineral exploration and mine development in Canada and around the world. Tuzo Wilson was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and then promoted to the rank of Companion of that order in 1974.
Orey Fidani, Founder of Orlando Corporation, had a tremendous influence on the success of Mississauga as an international business location. Those who remember him knew him as an all-around “good guy” who happened to run a business. His decision to locate his company here helped to attract many Fortune 500 companies. In 1964, he assembled 600 acres of land on Airport Road directly across from the airport. A daring move in those days, being so far away from the mainstream of industry. But, he was a visionary. Today, the company has become Canada’s premier landlord of industrial & commercial properties with over 40 million square feet of holdings. A modest philanthropic man, he quietly contributed generously back to society by funding in the millions, health and welfare related projects throughout the GTA, proving that giving back to the community is as important as being successful.
Paul is undoubtedly the greatest hockey player to come out of the Mississauga system. With a career that spanned 21 years in the NHL for 9 different teams. He is currently the 2nd ranking all-time defenseman in career goals, assists and points in history. Three James Norris trophies, 4 NHL All-Star team selections, 4 Stanley Cup wins and three championships playing for Team Canada. Quite a prolific career. He continues to be active in the community as a coach and mentor and inspires young people to pursue their dreams in athletics. In 2016 the Malton Arena was renamed after this NHL Legend, a fitting endorsement of his accomplishments.