Air quality by-law - Protecting the air we share

by MAYOR ANNETTE GROVES

To safeguard the long-term health of our residents, I brought forward a motion in Council to direct staff to develop an air quality bylaw for the Town.

Caledon is home to one of the highest concentrations of aggregate resources and operations in Ontario. Over time, this has created cumulative pressures on our municipal infrastructure, rural communities, farmland, sensitive water resources, and local air quality. We must ensure that resource development does not come at the expense of residents' health.

That is why the Town has sought advocacy support from the Province and Top Aggregate Producing Municipalities of Ontario (TAPMO) to strengthen provincial and municipal planning policies related to air quality, dust mitigation, and monitoring. At the same time, we have a responsibility to act locally where we can.

I am grateful to Members of Council and the Forks of the Credit Preservation Group for supporting an air quality bylaw and for recognizing that protecting the air we share is protecting the health of our community.

“The Forks of the Credit Preservation Group thanks Mayor Groves and Council for taking the necessary steps to protect our community's health. Limiting air emissions of PM2.5 from gravel mining and quarry operations is important and we are grateful that the Mayor is also focusing on the bigger picture of air quality for everyone in Caledon.” – David Sylvester, Chair, Forks of the Credit Preservation Group

An air quality bylaw would give us another proactive tool to better protect residents by addressing emissions from local sources and reinforcing accountability. 

The air we breathe connects us all. When air quality declines, the effects are personal and far-reaching. Clean air is not a luxury—it is essential to our well-being.