Mayor splits Director of Building Services and Municipal Law Enforcement position

Town will now have a Director of Building Services and a Director of Municipal Law Enforcement 

By ZACHARY ROMAN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Caledon's leadership team is expanding. 

On July 11, Mayor Annette Groves used strong mayor powers to split the Town's Director of Building Services and Municipal Law Enforcement position into two separate positions.

Caledon will now have a Director of Building Services and a Director of Municipal Law Enforcement. In an interview, Groves said she is not looking to use strong mayor powers to appoint someone to each position and is instead deferring to the Town's normal hiring process.

Groves said she felt the move was necessary in order for Caledon to meet its promise to the Province to deliver 13,000 new housing units by 2031. She said the move will ensure the Chief Building Official is focused on processing permits and applications so Caledon can meet its housing targets on time. 

Groves said with regards to the municipal law enforcement position, it will be necessary to have someone dedicated to enforcement as more of it will be required as the Town of Caledon grows.

“By having a director that's solely responsible for the enforcement side, I think we serve the community better,” said Groves.

Caledon is currently hiring for both the Building Services and Municipal Law Enforcement Director positions as Mark Sraga, the Town's former Director of Building Services and Municipal Law Enforcement, retired on June 30. The salary range offered by the Town for each new position is $159,000 to $195,000.

Ward 1 Councillor Lynn Kiernan said she's worried about the cost of Groves' move to taxpayers. She said the building services and municipal law enforcement position was linked for a reason and Caledon is not yet at the size where it needs to be split.

“Will we need them separated at some time? Yes. Is that time now? Absolutely not,” said Kiernan. “That's another approximately $200,000 that the Mayor is putting on the taxpayer for a position that isn't required yet.”

Ward 6 Councillor Cosimo Napoli said the decision to split the positions is a strategic one that aligns with Caledon's growth trajectory.

“By dedicating full attention to the specific needs of each department, we can ensure better efficiency and effectiveness in addressing the Town's evolving challenges,” said Napoli.

Regional Councillor Christina Early said she'll continue to respect the Mayor as the head of Council but does not support strong mayor powers as they “have muted the elected officials and have created an undemocratic process.”

Ward 2 Councillor Dave Sheen said he's not too concerned about the split of the building services and municipal law enforcement position. He said the two positions likely depend on a very different skill set.

However, Sheen did say he's worried Groves' use of strong mayor powers will have a “chilling and demoralizing” effect on other senior leaders at the Town of Caledon. He said Town staff might feel unsupported and that their positions are at risk. 

“In that kind of environment, high quality staff often chose to leave their organization,” said Sheen. “The Town cannot bear that kind of instability at this very critical time in Caledon's history.”

Sheen said he wants to see a proper hiring process implemented for the next Directors of Building Services and Municipal Law Enforcement.