Working together, we can make a difference in Caledon!
Elected in 2022, our municipal council in Caledon started off with great promise. The mayor had campaigned to put people first, to have Caledon – not developers – plan Caledon’s future, to be financially responsible and to protect farmland.
That’s not how things have turned out. Instead, we got:
A fractured council
where the mayor, accepting "Strong Mayor Powers," chose to ignore democratic practices like "majority rules" to push through poorly planned development.
Decisions that help developers
and not Caledon residents, made with the help of 4 councillors on the mayor's side: premature zoning of our best farmland to build 35,000 homes, helping a developer to dump construction fill into Swan Lake, and giving the top staff person, the CAO, a huge salary and broad new powers.
Reserve funds gutted
and debt cranked up by municipal budgets of the last two years pushed through by strong mayor powers, meaning that significant property tax increases, reductions in community services, and even more road safety and congestion problems are likely just around the corner.
But these dark clouds have a silver lining: Caledon residents have risen up!
After Council, in a 5-3 vote, approved the premature zoning of 5,000 acres, Democracy Caledon stepped up and took the Town of Caledon to court for disregarding the law as specified by the Town's own policies when planning new urban development.
We sparked a movement of residents that has spread across Caledon. We organized public meetings with huge grassroots participation. We collaborated with other community groups to compel all of Council, including the mayor and her council allies, to rescind the “Swan Lake” motion. We worked with residents across Caledon to delay approval of a destructive site alteration by-law that would destroy Caledon’s landscapes and threaten its groundwater.
Residents gather for Democracy Caledon's first Town Hall meeting on April 17, 2024
Residents protest outside Town Hall
We’ve got momentum on our side. We have more power working together than we do on our own. Together, let’s make sure that our communities are well-planned, and that newcomers have access to adequate services. That we are safe driving on our roads. That our precious rivers and streams, groundwater and natural places are protected for everyone. And that we and future generations can continue to afford living here.
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