Editorial — Caledon won

May 27, 2015 · 0 Comments

There was an overflow crowd in the Caledon Council Chambers Tuesday night as Town councillors decided to tel the province they were not interested in taking part in facilitation when it comes to dealing with land use issues in and around Bolton.
There were a number of concerns expressed, the main one being that the process would not be public. A number of holes were knocked in that argument.
But what is really important, and the position council stood up for, is who decides planning issues in Caledon.
The point was made many times Tuesday night that the planning process in Peel starts at the municipal level, and works its way up. We are not aware of any documented case in which Caledon councillors have tried to interfere with planning matters in either Brampton or Mississauga. Yet there have been calls from the Regional council table for facilitation, and the mayors of the two cities to the south have been prominent in that effort. Last month’s motion in which the Region decided to take part in facilitation was moved by Brampton Mayor Linda Jeffrey and seconded by Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie.
While Caledon might be small, we are not aware of anything wrong with the planning process that is practised here. And if there are any problems, they can be addressed internally.
There is no precedent for the Region trying to manage the planning in any of the three municipalities, and no pressing need for it now.
Besides, several councillors expressed puzzlement on what there is to facilitate. We wait to hear.