November 10, 2009 marked the 30th anniversary of the "Mississauga Miracle".  The Saturday night train derailment at Burhamthorpe and Mavis Roads and resultant explosions necessitated the largest peacetime evacuation in North American history -- the new City of Mississauga was emptied of its 225,000 residents for several days while the hazardous situation caused by the toxic and explosive cargo in the damaged and scattered rail cars was defused with the leadership of a task force comprising all levels of government and local emergency services.  There was no loss of life.

City of Mississauga feature article, including detailed excerpt from: DERAILMENT: The Mississauga Miracle.

Wikipedia article: 1979 Mississauga train derailment

National Post column (Nov. 12, 2009): "Tom Urbaniak: Mississauga Mayor was the public face of Canada’s largest evacuation".  Excerpt: "No one was killed. Had the derailment happened a few hundred metres east or west of the disaster site, it would have been a different story. It occurred late on a Saturday night when most families were together. Most evacuees did not actually require the emergency shelters: they were able to stay with relatives or friends, or in hotels. The city was lucky."

Mississauga News article (Nov. 10, 2009): "Train derailment changed our history"

Mississauga News article (Aug. 21, 2009): "Remembering the 'hot box'"

The following community events commemorated this historic and defining moment in Mississauga's history:

Mississauga 'Hot Box' Project

http://www.sonjahidas.com/index.php?page=hot-box-2 (per Ontario Arts Council)

Mississauga News review (Nov. 14, 2009): "Derailment comes to stage".
Mississauga News article (Nov. 10, 2009): "Hot Box creates artistic view of derailment"

http://www.peelregion.ca/heritage/hot-box.htm (Region of Peel)

http://www.cvrco.com/HotBox.htm (Credit Valley Railway Co. Ltd. -- essay on the project)

Living Arts Centre: September 5 - November 15, 2009.  FREE.  'Hot Box' Mississauga Project at the LAC, 2nd floor, 4141 Living Arts Drive (map).  Phone: (905) 306-6100

Heritage Four Mississauga Speaker Series: Thurs. November 12, 2009 @ 7:30, Port Credit Public Library, Texaco Room: 20 Lakeshore Road East (map).  FREE.  Gordon Bentley, retired Fire Chief of Mississauga, speaks about the 'Mississauga Train Derailment' (in recognition of its 30th anniversary), an event that helped shape Mississauga.  Phone: (905) 615-4860 x2113.

Heritage Mississauga: Tues. November 10, 2009 until February 5, 2010.  FREE.  'Hot Box' exhibit at the Grange: 1921 Dundas Street West (map).  Phone: (905) 828-8411