Caledon Votes 2026: Meet Your Council Candidates: Keri Parfitt, Ward 1

By KATHRYN FRASER

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Keri Parfitt has thrown her hat in the race to be Councillor of Ward 1 for the upcoming municipal election in October. 

Parfitt is a local business owner and food entrepreneur with previous experience working as an environmental and water education specialist for Peel Region and York Region. 

Living in Caledon for over 20 years, Parfitt wants to put residents first and be able to advocate for those in Ward 1. 

Parfitt got involved during 2024 when she started to get more interested in municipal politics, especially around the time that Caledon approved 35,000 new housing units when the province had only asked to preapprove 13,000.

Parfitt then attended a Council meeting where approximately 200 people came out, and this led delegations to run until 2 a.m. the next day. 

Since then, Parfitt has been watching politics closely as she is concerned about some of the decisions being made.

“Our democratic erosions that have been happening at various levels of government, and I'm very concerned about it. That was when I really started paying attention to our municipal politics and started to watch every Council meeting and attend as many as I could,” says Parfitt. 

Fast forward to the present, Parfitt wants to continue being involved in Caledon's municipal politics and wants to represent the residents of Ward 1 by being a voice and an advocate for them. 

“The number one reason I am running is because I want to represent the voice of the people. I feel like that has been lacking in some ways around the Council table, particularly over the last term, and I really want to represent the voices of the people in the Ward 1 community,” says Parfitt. 

One of the ways Parfitt says she hopes to be an advocate for the people of Ward 1 is fostering strong communication and connection. 

“Communication is key for people to understand what is coming up and how they can get involved. We have a lot of community groups in Ward One and they're all very actively involved. Ward One is fantastic that way in terms of people being involved in their community. I feel very fortunate to have lived here for 23 years and been involved in some of those groups myself…. It is important to connect through coffee chats and communicating through newsletters and emails and reaching out to people.”

In addition to being a strong physical connection, Parfitt also wants to be able to keep residents up to date and informed with what is happening on Council. 

“I also want to implement a mass email when agendas come out so people understand what's happening at the Council table, how it might impact Ward One properly, and whether or not they might be interested in attending [the meeting], depending on the issues that are coming up,” says Parfitt. 

Parfitt says she believes that Ward One needs a strong voice that is going to advocate for the people of the community with all the different issues that they are facing, and that she can be that voice for change.

Back in 2025 Parfitt led more than 200 residents in the fight to save Swan Lake when a motion was passed to fill it in despite the decision going against bylaws that were already established. 

Through all the hard work and leadership, the motion was rescinded in December of 2025, and Swan Lake was not to be filled. 

Focusing on main issues, Parfitt says she has heard and seen many challenges that Ward 1 is facing and will make a priority to find a solution if elected. 

One of Parfitt's main concerns is the current fill bylaw that is under update. 

“We have an old fill bylaw that we've had since 2007,” she says. “It has the potential to be disastrous for Ward 1 if we allow fill below the water table, if we allow commercial fill operations and if we allow fill in excess of 10,000 metres cubed. Those are all issues that must be addressed by the next Council in terms of the details of this alteration bylaw, and whether it is something that Council approves.”

Another concern for Parfitt is the current and future truck traffic that she explains is not just a concern for Ward 1 but for all of Caledon. 

“We have some very dangerous intersections and roadways in Caledon, and with the downloading of regional roads coming into the municipal purview…we're going to have to care for those roads, and they're going to come under our jurisdiction. Then we also have our existing roadways that we're caring for, too. So, we've got a lot of responsibility that's being given to us and it's how we manage that and how we manage to pay for a lot of these things that are being downloaded to municipality as well,” says Parfitt. 

Parfitt says she believes that transparency, accountability and governance are massive priorities that she will bring to the table, if elected.

Reflecting on her time in Caledon, she says she feels that not just the people of Ward 1 but all of Caledon are special and wants to be able to put in the work and show that she can be a voice for them. 

“I have dedicated a lot of time and energy to representing the people already,” says Parfitt. “I'm really hoping to continue that, and I'm hoping that through a lot of the work that I've already done, people can look back and see what I did when I had no intention of running for Council. I've been in the community for a long time. I've raised my family here, and I've built a lot of supportive networks, and I will always represent the people and always speak for the people.”