Caledon dignitaries met with regional government advisors

February 14, 2019 · 0 Comments

Written By JOSHUA SANTOS

Dignitaries from the Town of Caledon held a meeting with special advisors as the Province reviews regional governance.

Premier Doug Ford and his government announced they would review eight regional governments, covering 82 municipalities in Ontario. This includes the Region of Peel.

The review will reportedly look at governance, decision making and service delivery of the aforementioned jurisdictions. The Region of Peel is composed of Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon.

“Our government committed to improving the way regional government works and we will be looking at ways to make better use of taxpayers’ dollars and make it easier for residents and businesses to access important municipal services,” said Clark in a news release.

Two special advisors, Ken Seiling and Michael Fenn, were appointed by Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Steve Clark. They will report to him throughout their consultation process.

“When we were given this task, we were asked by the Minister of Municipal Affairs to meet with all of the heads of council for all of the affected municipalities – some 82 I believe,” said Ken Seiling, in an email interview. “We are working our way through this and the meeting with Mayor Thompson and Michael Galloway were part of this.”

A news released confirmed that Mayor Allan Thompson and Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Mike Galloway met with the two advisors to state the important role Caledon plays in the economic and environmental sustainability of the Region of Peel, according to a news release.

They reiterated that Caledon makes up 56 per cent of the land area of Peel Region, is 100 per cent of Peel’s designated prime agricultural land, holds the vast majority of Peel’s designated rural areas and protected countryside and of the 408 farms in Peel Region, the vast majority are in Caledon. Those farm receipts total $94 million.

“In our discussions with the special advisors, we highlighted that while there is always room for improvement, Caledon has worked effectively within the Regional government structure,” stated Mayor Thompson in the release. “In this review process, it is important for them to recognize that every community has unique urban and rural needs and that it’s important for Caledon residents and business to have a real chance at providing their feedback, working towards a “Made-In-Peel” solution.”

When asked for further details on the meeting, such as if any substantial points were made out of it or their opinion of Caledon in the Region of Peel, Seiling would not go into details.

“We are making no comments or observations on these meetings and view them as opportunities to gather information and opinion,” said Seiling.

The Government has indicated that consultation will occur over the Spring of 2019 with recommendations coming forward to the Minister in the Summer of 2019.