Town to review municipal law enforcement service level

July 12, 2023 · 0 Comments

By Zachary Roman

Caledon will be reviewing its municipal law enforcement level to see if it needs beefing up.

At Caledon Council’s July 11 meeting, Ward 3 Councillor Doug Maskell put forward a motion asking Town staff to review Caledon’s municipal law enforcement service level.

Maskell said the purpose of his motion is for staff to “take a good look” at bylaw enforcement staffing for evenings and weekends, and to have a report on the findings presented back to Council in time for next year’s budget.

In his motion, Maskell said unlawful street parking, evening and weekend noise complaints, and illegal event centres have been an ongoing concern for Caledon residents. He said the current level of bylaw enforcement Caledon has is insufficient in the face of the growth Caledon’s facing.

Maskell asked staff to take a look at enforcement models used in other municipalities and bring best practices back to Caledon. His hope is that a new bylaw model can bring satisfaction to Caledon residents and achieve behaviour change in rule-breakers.

Finally, Maskell asked that staff have a report back to Council by October 10. Council supported Maskell’s motion and it passed.

Caledon’s Chief Administrative Officer Carey Herd said she and her team will do the best they can to have a report by October 10. She noted the Town is reviewing municipal law enforcement as part of its 2023 work plan already, and that Maskell’s motion solidifies that work and gives a concrete date for its completion.

Ward 2 Councillor Dave Sheen said he hears from people in his ward who are frustrated by a perceived lack of bylaw enforcement. He said residents often complain there is little bylaw enforcement officer availability after hours, and that service is not to the level residents expect.

Ward 4 Councillor Nick de Boer said he looks forward to the report coming back to Council. He suggested that staff include in their review ways to make evening bylaw infraction reporting better, such as by having a call go directly to an on-duty officer.

He said the increasing number of bylaw infractions is a sad reflection on how society in Caledon has become; that there are rules and expectations in Town and it’s sad that people choose to ignore them. He said the vast majority of people in Caledon follow the rules but the few that think they are exempt make everyone else pay for it.