More than 150 residents pack Council Chambers to protect “Swan Lake”

July 10, 2025 · 0 Comments

By Riley Murphy

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Local residents used the public question period at Council’s July meeting to voice their concerns regarding 0 Shaw’s Creek Road, now dubbed “Swan Lake” by community members.

Upon learning delegations could not be made regarding a grading agreement to import fill to the Ward 1 property, 0 Shaw’s Creek Road, community members showed their support for “Swan Lake” by rephrasing their delegations into questions to fit the format of the 15-minute Public Question period.

The period was later extended by an extra five minutes.

Delegations could not be made as the motion was not on the agenda itself, only in the minutes from the May 20 meeting.

Earlier in the meeting, when confirming previous meeting minutes from May 20, Councillor Early requested the Shaws Creek motion be pulled out and voted on separately.

She was told this was not possible, as they were voting on recorded accuracy from past meetings.

“This is an adoption of the minutes, we’re just confirming record accuracy. These are all decided matters and the only consideration before Council right now is if there’s any errors or omissions with the way that it was captured on record. That’s it. So, everything else is decided,” said Municipal Clerk Klingenberg.

Councillor Kiernan argued that there was an error in the May 20 adoption of minutes, meaning that the agenda may be pulled.

“A significant error in that it is stated in writing is that the objective is to rehabilitate an old, unrehabilitated pit and that is factually incorrect,” said Councillor Kiernan. “So, with that I formally request that Councilor Early’s request be acknowledged, and in light of all these people, and allow that to be extrapolated as part of a request. There is a significant error.”

Her request was also denied.

Klingenberg stated that the only errors would be if the minutes were not factually captured.

Councillor Kiernan shared that although knowing that all meetings are guided by the procedural bylaw, the will of Council may supersede it.

“Council may waive the procedural bylaw that occurred to allow the delegations at the approval of the agenda, and it was defeated. So that matter has been decided,” said Klingenberg.

It was only minutes after this that more than 150 community members began to fill the Council room.

The number of residents who showed up to advocate and show their support filled not just one overflow room, but spilled into a second as well.

Each resident was adorned with a green sticky note, a small symbol to show their support for “Swan Lake.”

Residents carried signs showing their support and stapled informational flyers to their clothing.

After waiting for the public question period, a long line of residents began to snake out behind the podium, some holding pages worth of information in their hands.

One of those speakers was Jennifer Casu-Morin from Chickadee Hill Farms.

She and her husband, Jean-Francois Morin, own a farm that borders on the site.

Their livelihood and business rely on the surrounding soil and water of the area.

Casu-Morin said although she was not allowed to delegate, she still wished to discuss the “fundamental errors” that occurred. She said on October 5th, 2023, the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) declared the area a rehabilitated site.

MNR has since revoked the pit permit at this location.

“The words in the motion, ‘grading agreement to import fill to rehabilitate an old aggregate pit’ are all invalid. It’s not to fill and rehabilitate a pit, because the pit is already rehabilitated. That is an incorrect statement,” said Casu-Morin. “Is this motion that was voted on even valid because you can’t import fill to rehabilitate something that’s already been rehabilitated?

It’s not an aggregate pit.”

Commissioner of Engineering Domenica D’Amico said the rehabilitation program, as part of the MNR permit, was related to bank stability to make sure that the vegetation was in place.

More questions raised by the public included if a peer review will take place once the staff report comes forward, if the area falls under the Niagara Escarpment Development Control Area, and if completion would be done of phase two ESA reports on every site from the developments that are being planned to use as infill dirt.

Sheralyn Roman, a Ward 1 Resident (and Caledon Citizen columnist) shared that she is concerned about the quality of drinking water, local road safety, and the environment.

“We have a chance to be a living, walking, breathing example of the right way to rehabilitate an abandoned quarry, and I know that we have many abandoned quarries to worry about. In what’s rapidly becoming known as Swan Lake, it’s a textbook, picture-perfect example of how to fix what we’ve destroyed. It’s not an old abandoned quarry. It’s a vibrant, teaming with life groundwater lake full of turtles, fish, and frogs, also birds, many species of birds like geese and ducks, but in particular, the trumpeter swan, once on the list of endangered species, but now thriving.” shared Roman.

“My question is, this is an ecosystem that’s not abandoned, it’s no longer an aggregate pit, and it is in fact full of life. It’s a living success story of reasonable stewardship. What would our Councillors like their legacy to be in terms of how we vote to protect this area and our drinking water and our road safety?”

One community member asked Mayor Annette Groves if she was aware that when she brought forward the motion to pursue the possibility of creating a fill operation at 0 Shaws Creek Road, the property contains a 44-acre groundwater-fed lake that connects directly to the source water of surrounding residential wells.

Mayor Groves responded in the affirmative.

Later, in a media release, the Town said they are committed to a transparent public process for the permit to allow the infill of the former gravel pit at 0 Shaw Creek Road, and that commitment remains unchanged.

“We recognize the importance of this issue to our residents,” said Mayor Groves, “I want to be clear, a staff report will be coming back to Council once the engineering studies have been undertaken and reviewed by the Town.”

A Site Alteration By-Law (Also known as the Fill By-Law) was originally slotted for Wednesday July 23rd.

Resident Mira Budd advocated for a later date to allow for more residents to attend with more notice.

She requested a change of date, as the Town of Caledon’s Corporate Policy states that 20 days’ notice must be provided.

The motion was brought forward and approved, and the Open House will be held before the end of September.

The 100-plus supporters filed out of the Council, chanting “Save Swan Lake.”

Councillor Early shared with the Citizen that she was disappointed in her Council colleagues who did not vote in favour of the motion she and Councillor Sheen brought forward before the meeting, which would have allowed delegates to speak.

“The anger and frustration expressed by the huge crowd of residents, at the Town Council meeting on Tuesday, was deep, obvious, and undeniable. To deny constituents their voice at Council is simply undemocratic,” said Councillor Early.

She said the issue surrounding the property, including the residents’ protective stance against any fill, has touched Caledon families and beyond.

“I stand with all concerned residents and will find it very difficult to support any report that determines this fill is safe and appropriate here,” she said.

Councillor Kiernan echoed Councillor Early’s sentiments to the Citizen regarding the lack of support for Councillor Early and Councillor Sheen’s motion.

“Preventing people from speaking on a matter of such public importance is not just a procedural decision, it is a failure of the democratic process. When people make the effort to show up, to speak, and to participate respectfully, it is our responsibility as elected officials to listen,” said Councillor Kiernan.

She said democracy is not always convenient, but it is foundational to our society.

“If we begin to limit public voice, especially on issues with long-term environmental implications, we risk silencing the very people we were elected to represent,”

She shared that the turnout on Tuesday was incredible, and “a large peaceful crowd.”

“Their collective presence sent a clear and powerful message: the community expects its voice to be heard on matters that impact our environment and our future. The frustration and anger in the room were unmistakable and deeply rooted in the feeling that their democratic rights were being denied.”

Councillor Kiernan said the property is not just a rehabilitated pit, it is a symbol of how the community values land, water, and responsible stewardship.

“I remain firmly aligned with the concerned residents and environmental advocates who are fighting to protect it. Without meaningful public engagement and clear justification, I will find it very difficult to support the report when it returns to Council. We must do better, for our environment, for public trust, and for the health of our local democracy.”

“When over 150 residents fill Council Chambers and overflow rooms, it sends a powerful message that this community cares deeply about Swan Lake,” said Councillor Sheen.

He stated that he shares the frustration of those who were unable to speak due to procedural rules.

“While I respect the process and the professionalism of our staff, I believe residents deserve every opportunity to participate in decisions that affect their neighbourhoods.”

“The heart of the matter is simple,” he said. “Why would we fill in a rehabilitated pit that has become a lake and is now a haven for wildlife and a source of pride for Caledon?”

Councillor Sheen said when the issue returns to Council, he is committed to ensuring the public has a voice in the next round of discussions.

“Emotions ran high last night, and rightfully so. People feel shut out, and I stand with them. I want to assure residents that this is not the end of the road,” he said. “Swan Lake is worth fighting for. I will continue to advocate for a transparent process and for decisions that reflect the will and best interests of our community.”