Ronald Alfred Searle (July 19, 1919 – August 29, 2015) was an English-born Canadian

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...

, publisher, and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

who served as the fourth mayor of

Mississauga, Ontario Mississauga is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario. Situated on the north-western shore of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, it borders Toronto (Etobicoke) to the east, Brampton to the north, Milton to the northwest, ...

from 1976 to 1978.

Early life

Searle was born in

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

, England to Ruby and Theodore Searle on July 19, 1919. His mother was a seamstress and his father was a purser with the

White Star Line The White Star Line was a British shipping line. Founded out of the remains of a defunct Packet trade, packet company, it gradually grew to become one of the most prominent shipping companies in the world, providing passenger and cargo service ...

and a seaman with the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The family relocate to

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

where the family had relatives.

Military career

After joining the Toronto Scottish militia in the mid-1930s, Searle later signed up with the Toronto Scottish Regiment immediately upon Canada declaring war against

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

in September 1939. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Searle landed twice in France, once at Brest and once at

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

. He was later wounded at Falaise in

Ardennes The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France. Geological ...

when he took three machine gun bullets to his leg.

Post-war life and family

After the war he began a career in magazine publishing. On December 10, 1949, he married his wife, Mollie, and together they raised one son, Mark William Searle. The Searles were married for 50 years until Mollie Searle's death in 1999.

Political career

Searle first entered politics when he was elected president of the Orchard Heights Homeowners Association in 1959. In 1962, he was elected to Mississauga town council and served for fourteen years. While on council Searle fiercely debated with sitting mayor

Martin Dobkin Martin Lyon Dobkin (born May 8, 1942) is a physician and former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was elected on October 1, 1973, as the first Mayor of the new City of Mississauga, Ontario, and served as Mayor from 1973 to 1976. He was the inaugur ...

in both municipal and regional council meetings on many issues, including increased municipal funding for

child care Child care, also known as day care, is the care and supervision of one or more children, typically ranging from three months to 18 years old. Although most parents spend a significant amount of time caring for their child(ren), childcare typica ...

and

legal aid Legal aid is the provision of assistance to people who are unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system. Legal aid is regarded as central in providing access to justice by ensuring equality before the law, the right ...

. Dobkin, who referred to Searle as "the official leader of the opposition", noted that despite the political opposition the two enjoyed a friendly personal relationship. Searle was elected mayor in 1976 amid a corruption scandal in the municipal government and a massive real estate boom throughout the city. With increased home prices driving lower-income citizens out of Mississauga, Searle made affordable housing a central issue of his administration and told a reporter for the ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...

'' shortly after his electoral victory that " isconcern for ffordable housingoverrides all other concerns." Throughout his term in office he lobbied for cheaper homes and opposed the federal government's cuts to housing grants. Searle ran for re-election at the end of his term in 1978, but lost to former Streetsville mayor

Hazel McCallion Hazel Mary Muriel McCallion (; February 14, 1921 – January 29, 2023) was a Canadian politician who served as the fifth mayor of Mississauga. First elected in November 1978, McCallion was mayor for 36 years until her retirement in 2014, makin ...

with a final tally of 28,005 to 25,029 votes. He later made another unsuccessful bid for the mayoralty in 1982, but was defeated by McCallion again. While still a councillor, Searle also ran as a Progressive Conservative candidate for the riding of

Peel Peel or Peeling may refer to: Places Australia * Peel (Western Australia) * Peel, New South Wales * Peel River (New South Wales) Canada * Peel Parish, New Brunswick * Peel, New Brunswick, an unincorporated community in Peel Parish * Pee ...

in the 1965 federal election. He finished a distant second to Liberal candidate

Bruce Beer Bruce Silas Beer (August 19, 1910 – January 12, 1998) was a Canadian politician and farmer. He was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 1962 as a Member of the Liberal Party of Canada, Liberal Party to represent the Electoral dist ...

Later life and death

Following his failed 1982 election bid, Searle remained active in the community. He would often represent homeowners' interests at city hall, and was a frequent participant in veterans' events and events at the Port Credit Yacht Club. In 2007 he was highly critical of Tim Peterson's installation as the

Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PC; ), often shortened to the Ontario PC Party, or simply the PCs, colloquially known as the Tories, is a Centre-right politics, centre-right political party in Ontario, Canada. During its uninterr ...

candidate for Mississauga South after

crossing the floor In some parliamentary systems (e.g., in Canada and the United Kingdom), politicians are said to cross the floor if they formally change their political affiliation to a political party different from the one they were initially elected under. I ...

from the

Ontario Liberal Party The Ontario Liberal Party (OLP; , PLO) is a political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. The party has been led by Bonnie Crombie since December 2023. The party espouses the principles of liberalism, with their rival the Progressive Co ...

, remarking that the process was "a violation of the democratic principles the rogressiveConservative Party has stood for over the years". In late August 2015, Searle was admitted to

Mississauga Hospital Mississauga Hospital is a regional and teaching hospital in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It provides general medical services to residents of central and southern Mississauga as well as regional stroke, cardiac, and neurological care. Founded i ...

for

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

. He died in hospital on August 29, 2015, at the age of 96. The City of Mississauga set up an official book of condolences at the

Mississauga Civic Centre The Mississauga Civic Centre is the seat of local government of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. The 37,280 square metre complex is a prominent example of postmodern architecture in Canada, finished in 1987 by Jones and Kirkland. It stands at 92 met ...

and lowered the flags at all city-owned buildings in his honour from August 29 to September 11, 2015.

Honours

The following honours were conferred on Searle: *

Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal () or the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal was ...

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal () or The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession in 1952. There are four versions of the medal: one iss ...

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

References

External links

Profile at Heritage Mississauga
{{DEFAULTSORT:Searle, Ron 1919 births 2015 deaths British emigrants to Canada Mayors of Mississauga Recipients of the Legion of Honour Military personnel from Southampton Canadian Army soldiers Deaths from pneumonia in Ontario Canadian Army personnel of World War II Ontario candidates for Member of Parliament Candidates in the 1965 Canadian federal election Progressive Conservative Party of Canada candidates for the Canadian House of Commons 20th-century mayors of places in Ontario