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Council debates ‘Slippery Slope’ as illegal truck parking seeks temporary approval

February 12, 2026   ·   0 Comments

By Riley Murphy

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A Planning and Development Committee Public Meeting held at Caledon council this Tuesday raised larger themes surrounding trucking issues in Bolton and the “slippery slope” of approving bylaw amendments for businesses currently operating illegally.

Triple Trans Mill Services Limited, a “family-owned business,” has been parking its trucks illegally on the property since the time it was purchased two years ago. 

They have come to council to request a zoning bylaw amendment to allow temporary truck parking on their Bolton property for no longer than three years.

The lands are currently prestige industrial, and the request is to rezone to a site-specific prestige industrial zone to permit temporary truck parking.

Permitted uses within prestige employment areas include manufacturing, processing, assembly, warehousing, and associated offices, usually restricted to enclosed buildings with no outside storage. 

During the meeting, the applicant revealed that when they initially purchased their Bolton property, 55 Simpson Road, they were not aware that it was illegal to park their trucks.

“When we purchased this property, we weren’t aware that this is an illegal place. The previous owners had mentioned that you can park your trucks here, that they’ve submitted a zoning bylaw amendment, but we weren’t aware that they had actually retracted that application at that time,” says Pavanbir Deol, CAO of Triple Trans Mill Services Limited.

In the long run, the company hopes to construct a building on their property for 2028/29 for offices and crossdocking, explaining that they will not need the truck parking for longer than that: “In the interim, we want to make sure that our trucks are parking legally.”

Deol voices that she knows there are numerous resident and council concerns regarding safety when it comes to truck parking, and emphasizes the numerous steps her company takes, such as owning modern equipment, ensuring trucks are equipped with dual-facing cameras, mandatory training and training reviews for their drivers, and more.

“We’re trying to change that narrative around having a trucking company,” says Deol.

“What sets us apart is we live in this community, my parents live across the street,” she says. “When anybody is concerned about safety, I think of my parents; those are the first people that I think of because they’re driving on Highway 50.”

She adds that with the temporary parking, they hope to get to the building aspect, and “create jobs for the community.”

Numerous residents voiced their concerns during the planning meeting, including issues such as the existing intense truck traffic in the area, setting a precedent, and more.

“I think anybody that lives here or drives in and around Bolton is fully aware of the amount of truck traffic that we have to deal with, and to take prestige industrial lands and temporarily zone them to be essentially general industrial, you’re taking away opportunities for prestige,” says Amanda Corbett during her public comments.

Corbett is part of the Caledon Community Roads Safety Advocacy (CCRSA) Group.

She voiced concerns that the temporary parking would last longer than three years.

“I really wouldn’t want to lose the prestige industrial given how much truck traffic we have here and how badly we need employment that doesn’t relate to trucks,” Corbett says.

She also voiced her concerns regarding another bylaw amendment request for a similar situation just months ago: “This is the second type of application like this coming forward, and we could see more and more coming.”

In June of 2025, another developer was seeking a zoning by-law amendment to permit truck and trailer parking on the property for a period of three years.

“We don’t need more trucks here,” Corbett says. 

Deol says the maximum number of trucks parked on the property at any one time would be 40.

Resident Sherry Brioschi raised concerns about the overall safety of the trucking company and the training its drivers receive.

Deol stated that only experienced drivers are hired, and they must complete their in-house training as well.

“We’re trying to change that narrative. We are young people. We have our own families on the road, and it’s very disheartening to hear the news sometimes about what happens when people are put behind these tractor trailers and they cause harm,” says Deol.

Following the presentations and public comments, council expressed concerns regarding the property.

Mayor Annette Groves says at the planning meeting that there is a “long history” with the property of 55 Simpson Road.

The land used to be a 10-acre parcel, and the addition of Simpson Road severed the property, leading the previous owner to create an illegal entrance.

Groves adds she wants to ensure the “access that’s currently there is a legal access, and that it is not still illegal.”

Many councillors recognized the “difficult” situation.

“As much as I can appreciate the story and I understand the situation, I’m having a real hard time with this one as well,” says Councillor Tony Rosa. “We have a business operating on a property today illegally, and the business that’s happening there is something we can’t have. As much as I appreciate your willingness to work with staff and try to come into compliance, there’s a massive challenge in front of you today.”

“We’ve had wonderful people come and tell a wonderful story, and then unfortunately three years pass, and it’s difficult because you can’t find the spots to park the trucks, which we all know is becoming very problematic,” says Councillor Christina Early. “This is a very tough one for probably all of us on this table who are looking at a very decent individual that did a very good presentation tonight, but it’s always a slippery slope. If you allow one, it’s allow a second.”

“Regardless of emotion, we need to deal with facts, and that’s what we have our staff for in terms of putting forward some of the actual facts, and that’s what this whole process is about,” says Councillor Mario Russo.

Following the public meeting will be the first submission review, followed by a revised submission, and the application will then go to the Planning and Development committee.

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