Town set to implement Community Recognition Task Force

By Zachary Roman, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Residents interested in helping to honour Caledon residents for their contributions to the community may want to consider joining a new Task Force when it's launched. 

At Caledon Council's July 9 General Committee meeting, Councillors approved the creation of a Community Recognition Task Force. Final approval for the Task Force's creation is set to go through at Council's July 23 meeting. 

The task force will be formed to manage, review, and select residents to receive the Town of Caledon's Volunteer Service, Citizen Achievement, and Walk of Fame awards. These awards will now be given out on Caledon Day on the main stage. 

The Caledon Walk of Fame award will be awarded just once per term of Caledon Council, in the third year of each four-year term. 

With the creation of the task force, Councillors also approved the rebranding of Caledon's Volunteer Service and Citizen Achievement Awards to the Caledon Civic Awards Program. 

The new Task Force will consist of five volunteers from Caledon who have experience “supporting and growing Caledon as a community”, according to a staff report from Community Supports and Events Supervisor Ryan Giles.

The Task Force will manage and review nominations from the public, then submit recommendations for Council to approve through a confidential report. 

“Through benchmarking and research, staff determined that staff alone should not decide what volunteers are recognized,” reads Giles' report. “...citizen recognition should be valued by the municipality and celebrated in a way that optimizes community exposure and celebrates the important contributions of volunteers.”

Volunteer Service awards will be given out in the areas of community and social services, sports and recreation, environmental leadership, and arts and culture. 

Citizen Achievement awards will be given out in the areas of sports, arts and culture, and “Citizen of the Year.”

The Walk of Fame award is for someone who's made a significant contribution to the quality of life in Caledon and received national or international recognition. 

Giles' staff report notes giving out the awards at Caledon Day will optimize community exposure and celebrate volunteers properly for their important contributions.

Recruitment for the community recognition task force will open in August, and the task force will be established by October.

Nominations for the 2025 Caledon Civic Awards Program will open in November.