Mayor proud of Caledon businesses for resilience during pandemic

Business lunch a “celebration of how we can move forward”

By Zachary Roman

Members of Caledon's business community were treated to a taste of the Town this past Tuesday.

On April 5, Mayor Allan Thompson hosted his final business event, the Taste of Caledon Mayor's Business Lunch. Held at Caesar's Centre in Bolton, the event was attended by a sold-out crowd of about 175 people — one of whom was 101-year-old former Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion.

The event began at 11:30 a.m., when doors to Caesar's Centre opened and Thompson greeted attendees at the door. People networked and socialized with each other in the lobby, and organizations such as the Caledon Chamber of Commerce and Caledon Public Library set up stations to promote what they offer to Caledon's business community.

At around 12 p.m. tables of attendees were invited to get lunch from a buffet which featured food and drink from restaurants and suppliers from all across Caledon.

Town Councillor Tony Rosa was the event's emcee and introduced the event's speakers. Caledon Chamber of Commerce president Anthony Caputo spoke first and Thompson, who was the keynote speaker, gave a state-of-the-Town address to attendees.

During his speech, Thompson presented a plaque from the Town to the Region of Peel's top doctor, Lawrence Loh, thanking him and his team for their guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He also thanked the Town's emergency services team for their tireless work during the pandemic.

In an interview with the Citizen, Thompson said he sees a lot of opportunity for Caledon, and that the business lunch was a celebration of how the Town can move forward. However, he said there's still a lot of work to do to recover from the pandemic.

“Even with COVID, we've had a huge run of successes,” said Thompson. “We're resilient because we're still a loving, caring community and that's what got us through… I think there's a lot of lessons we learned coming through this COVID that I think is going to make us better and stronger as we go forward.”

As the lunch was his last business event, Thompson said there was “no question” he was going to miss hosting events like those. However, he said he's still going to be a part of the community at events and as a volunteer after he's finished his term as mayor.

Rosa said as a Councillor one of his priorities is to promote Caledon businesses. He said the business lunch event focused on a post-pandemic recovery, and how the Town and Chamber of Commerce can help business owners get back on their feet and respond to their needs.

“It's a wonderful feeling that we can finally engage and reunite because I think it's important for us as Councillors… to be able to reach out and speak to people and find out how they're doing because we've been locked up a very long time,” said Rosa.

Trudy Vanier, the Caledon Chamber of Commerce's office administrator, attended the business lunch to show businesses the Chamber is there to advocate for them.

“If they have any issues or problems, they can come to us,” said Vanier. The Chamber is working with the Town of Caledon's economic development department, she explained, and has networking events coming soon, such as an open house on April 12 at the Chamber's office in Bolton.

It begins at 5:30 p.m. and Vanier said it will give people a chance to meet the Chamber's new Board of Directors, provide ideas and feedback, and learn about the Chamber's plans for 2022.

Megan Renkema, the Caledon Public Library's Manager of Information Services was also at the business lunch to let business owners and entrepreneurs know about the resources the library can offer them.

Upcoming upgrades to the Margaret Dunn Valleywood Branch of the Library will include the addition of a small business centre, said Renkema.

“(It) is going to be a meeting space for businesses where they can meet with clients. They can use computers, they can have hot desks, they can use our 3D printer… we're going to have other maker technology there that will support local businesses and entrepreneurs,” said Renkema.

In his address to business lunch attendees, Thompson pulled up a picture of a John Deere tractor engine on the projector screens flanking the stage he stood on. He said no matter how big or small, Caledon's businesses are the engine that drives the municipality.

Thompson said Caledon's growth in the coming years will be challenging, and about how it will be important to build up, not out, to contain sprawl.

He spoke about how a Caledon-Vaughan GO Train line would be a benefit for the Town, as well as how he believes Highway 413, and a corresponding rapid-transit corridor, will be necessary if Caledon is to grow to the size of Markham in the next 30 years.

“When I first became mayor, that's what I said, ‘I can't put any more planks in the dam, growth is coming. Let's plan for it. Let Caledon be in control of our destiny',” said Thompson.

The mayor was happy with the amount of development that occurred in Caledon during the pandemic, as well as how local small businesses were able to retain, and even hire, new employees throughout.

As he approached the end of his address, Thompson thanked his wife and the Manager of the Mayor and Council's Office for all their support through the years. He thanked the two Councils he worked with during his two terms as mayor, for all their assistance in getting things done. 

“Yes, there's days where we don't agree, but we still have respect for one another. And that's extremely important because at the end of the day, we're here to work for our residents,” said Thompson.

“The support from the community has been huge, and I thank you for the journey of 19 years.

You've always had my back and I've done my best to have yours.”

Thompson said he's really excited to see what the Town of Caledon will be like in the future and said he knows the people of Caledon will elect the right people for the job in this year's upcoming municipal election.

“I promised my wife that I wouldn't be a bum in a seat, that if I was going to take time away from the family, that I would make a difference. And I really hope, myself and Council, that we did make that difference,” said Thompson.