Mimico’s last Mayor Hugh Griggs was probably the most colourful of those who served the Town of Mimico before it was absorbed with New Toronto and Long Branch to form the Borough of Etobicoke in 1967.

Griggs was way ahead of his time when he served the community from 1960 to 1967, during which he promised “to give the town a sane, dignified administration.”

Under his tenure, a number of high-rise apartments were constructed along the waterfront and the population of Mimico ballooned to 17,700 souls, who were “crowded into an area one-square-mile in size.”

The former school teacher and editor of the Canadian School Journal made headlines by pushing for Metro Toronto to obtain from the U.K., a newly-invented hovercraft to transport Mimico and other west-end residents downtown in a 15-minute trip on Lake Ontario several times daily.

The tireless politician made a presentation to Metro Roads and Traffic Committee in 1961 urging for a committee to be formed to study the form of transportation, which saw use in Britain in 1962.

Some councillors laughed at the “flying saucer” proposal calling it nonsense.

“It is easy to operate, runs forward, backwards, sideways, turns on a dime,” Griggs argued. “It can hover like a helicopter, move forward at near-aircraft speeds. And if its motors fail, it will float like a boat.”

A hovercraft was brought to Montreal in 1963 for two weeks of demonstrations to determine if it can be safely used in Canada. Griggs and other city councillors were among the 600 supporters who witnessed the tests on St. Lawrence River.

Then TTC head H.E. Pettett also took the test ride and wondered if the $1.35 million vehicle was worth it even though it could carry 150 passengers at a speed of 130-kilometres an hour. No orders were placed.

Griggs touted the use of hovercrafts for many years. He argued against the construction of a subway in 1963 claiming the City could purchase 15 hovercrafts for every 1.6-kms of subway built.

Eventually hovercraft passenger service arrived on Lake Ontario in 1974 with the Toryoung I and Toryoung II, which quickly proved popular, carrying 14,000 passengers between Toronto and Youngstown, New York. It was halted when the Toryoung II hit a buoy and nearly sank.

Smaller versions of the hovercraft are used by Canadian police, fire, coast guard or other emergency officials for rescue work.

With files by Kevin Plummer