Decision to demolish last heritage building in Wildfield area is disappointing

December 5, 2019 · 0 Comments

OUR READERS WRITE

It is very difficult to come up with the right words to describe the indignation and heartbreak current and former Wildfield residents are experiencing over the Region of Peel decision to demolish a heritage house at 11962 Gore Road. Built in the 1870s, it was the site of a blacksmith shop at one time.

Other than St. Patrick’s Church, it is the last heritage building left in the immediate Wildfield area.

A request by the Region to demolish the building was, approved by the City of Brampton’s heritage board earlier this fall. Apparently only one member voted against the Region’s request.

That acquiesce by a body whose mission is to “advise City Council on the identification, conservation and promotion of resources that are identified as being of cultural heritage value or interest” is perhaps more egregious than Region’s motion in the first place.

What is truly tragic about this issue is that Region of Peel purchased and boarded up the house almost a decade ago in the anticipation of the expansion of the Gore Road. But it was only earlier this year that small “Move This House” signs were placed on the property in a half-hearted effort to attract parties willing to bear the cost of transporting it to another site. Apparently no one came forward.

Perhaps, the Region would have been more successful if it had launched this initiative some time ago instead of waiting till the last minute.

Surely, there must be a developer or private citizen who would be interested in this house. According to a Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment conducted for the Region by a consultant, the house is structurally sound.

Dan O’Reilly,

Wildfield

Nunnville Rd. article rebuttal

I wish to reply to the article about the proposed Nunnville Rd. Development in the November 21 edition of the Caledon Citizen.

The author has focused on of the petitioners’ concerns about the calm and quiet street, failing to report on the principal concern, that the development will create congestion and hazards on a dead end street. We are concerned about adding 70 to 100 cars, each of which will be turning either right or left onto a busy thoroughfare. There is no other way out. There can already be a substantial wait time for a single car at rush hour.

The author also misrepresented public sentiment on the issues. The hypothetical benefits of the development are limited, and the project is opposed by virtually all residents on Nunnville Road and the surrounding area. Yet the author provides us with the views of Todd Saunders without disclosing that Mr. Saunders was one of two property owners who has sold his property to the developer! Of course he is in favour. He is getting paid.

It is disappointing that the Caledon Citizen has not provided the community with a more balanced overview.

Louise Milliken

Nunnville Road Resident

Udder League thank you

We would like to extend our most sincere THANK YOU to all the residents of Caledon and beyond, for their continued support of The Udder Tournament. Our 8th year proved to be as exciting as promised.

The Udder Tournament is held each year in remembrance of a former friend and team-mate, Donna deBoer, who lost her battle with brain cancer 8 years ago. It is a wonderful 3-day community event. Not only did we have 28 women’s teams competing in seven divisions, but we also had many local residents dropping by to purchase raffle tickets, bid on auction items, and sample some of our home-cooked meals.

We are proud and pleased to announce that we exceeded our projected monetary goal. This was made possible due to the unconditional commitment from our league, our local community and our ever expanding hockey community. Together they helped us raise a staggering $44,480.63! This year, Bethell Hospice Foundation and Hope for Orson are the chosen recipients. Bethell Hospice Foundation will receive the $3,000 raised by the raffle. Hope for Orson, in support of two-year old Orson Herzog and his battle against Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), will receive $41,480.63.

In the 8 years of operation, the tournament has now raised over $225,000: all of which has been donated back into the community.

With over seventy volunteers and the generosity of all of our sponsors and visitors, the community support continues to amaze us year after year. We are very grateful to live and play in the magnificent Town of Caledon and we look forward to sharing our tournament with businesses, residents and hockey fans for many years to come.

Thank you once again for your incredible support. Without you, we could not host this fun-filled tournament and support these two amazing initiatives.

Thank you,

The Udder Tournament Committee and Caledon Womens Hockey League