5 notable alumni from Erindale Secondary School in Mississauga
Published June 20, 2023 at 1:32 pm
With more than 50 years of history, Erindale Secondary School has seen thousands of students pass through its doors.
The school, at 2021 Dundas St. W., broke ground in November 1967, and was officially opened by the Minister of Education William Davis (who later became Premier) in December 1968, according to an online history.
The student population was 900 at that time. Although it ballooned to 2,300 in the 1980s, the number of students has returned to around 900.
Here are five notable Erindale Secondary School alumni:
Dwight Edwards
Born in Jamaica, Dwight Edwards grew up in Mississauga where he attended Erindale Secondary School. Edwards rose to fame as a wide receiver and kick returner for the Toronto Argonauts, according to the team’s page. He started his 10-year career with the Argonauts in 1978 and played for Canadian Football League teams in Saskatchewan, Ottawa, Calgary, and Montreal.
Edwards was inducted into the Mississauga Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.
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Christine Magee
Seeing a gap in the Canadian market, Christine Magee co-founded Sleep Country Canada with Stephen K. Gunn and Gordon Lownds in 1994. The business became one of the top mattress retailers in the country. She was president from 1994 to 2014 and the face of popular television commercials. She won several awards including a Canada’s Top 40 under 40 award in 1997.
The company has expanded to more than 265 stores across Canada.
Dave Poulin
NHL player Dave Poulin had a successful career playing for the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers NHL from 1982 to 1995. He was also named the NHL team’s vice president of hockey operations in 2009. Born in Timmins, Poulin’s family moved to Mississauga when he was in Grade 4. He played minor hockey with the Mississauga Hockey League’s Erindale and Cawthra teams.
He was inducted into the Mississauga Sports Council Hall of Fame in 1998.
Dave Poulin, right, with Nancy Reagan shooting a hockey puck while attending ‘Just Say No’ Night in 1988.
Kevin Newman
A news anchor for W5 at CTV News, Newman also worked on Good Morning America at ABC News, Midday’ at CBC News, and developed and anchored Global National. He won Gemini Awards for Best News Anchor in 2005 and 2006. And in 2015, Newman and his son Alex published the memoir All Out: A Father and Son Confront the Hard Truths That Made Them Better Men.
Lauren Toyota
Lauren Toyota, a Canadian content producer and author, started a 10-year career in television in 2005 appearing as a contributor or host on MTV, Breakfast Television and Fashion Television, according to her website. Toyota is known as a Canadian Vegan icon as host of the Hot for Food blog on YouTube. She has also written vegan cookbooks.
In 2013, she returned to Erindale to speak to graduates.
