Advocates seeking residents’ support for Fairgrounds community centre

July 9, 2026 · 0 Comments

By MUHAMMAD HAMZA

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Local advocates are encouraging local residents to support the construction of a new community centre in Caledon.

Once constructed, the building will be located at Caledon Fairgrounds.

Mustafa Ali, Treasurer of the Caledon Agricultural Society (CAS), explained the significance of building a new community centre for residents.

“For a long period of time, this area of Caledon has [needed] a community centre or maybe a fitness centre,” he said.

As the Fairgrounds have long been in use for celebration events like the Canada Day festival, Caledon Fair, and other social community events, Ali said that CAS has decided to expand the use of these parcels of land to build a community centre on one portion, and the other will be used as a high-level fitness centre.

“We are partnering with the organization called C3, which trains Olympic-level athletes, so they will have the fitness facility available within the same building,” he said.

C3 (Canadian Cross Training Club) is a non-profit organization that helps people of all ages to adopt a healthy multi-sport lifestyle and achieve athletic fitness goals.

With a headquarters in Bolton, the club offers a range of programs for people of all ages, like swimming, running, cycling, and more.

Ali added the CAS also has an “ambitious plan” to eventually build an Olympic-class training pool if funding and community support can be secured, with assistance from C3.

“This is just a beginning,” he said.

Ali said that the proposal will be submitted to the Town of Caledon “very soon” to seek approval.

“We have already done the plan layout, land studies, and things like that,” he said.

While speaking about the timeline of the project, Ali said that, once the proposal receives approval from the Town of Caledon, he is hopeful that “the ground-breaking will either be the end of this year or early next year”.

Although events like the Caledon Canada Day and Strawberry Festival, and the Caledon Fair have been ongoing for years, he added they generate little surplus revenue for the CAS to run its programs.

“We barely even break even with the funds,” Ali said. “Otherwise, it is usually through the funding we receive from different people, the Town, the Regional government, and the Province.”

For a community centre project, he said the society has started several funding initiatives, including a Kubota raffle, as well as “generous support” from former Caledon mayor Allan Thompson and his wife, Anne Thompson, who are helping through their foundation and Legacy Golf Classic at Osprey Valley.

Giving a message to the community, Ali called on residents to come out and support the society in this important project.

“We are doing this for you. We need your financial support and volunteer support as well,” he said.

“This is a need we have found in the community, and everyone I have spoken to appreciates us taking that initiative, but we can’t do it alone.”