Ward 2 Area Councillor Christina Early running for Regional Councillor position

August 4, 2022 · 0 Comments

Early says her experience will help her continue to solve problems in the community

By Zachary Roman

Christina Early says the reason she got into municipal politics was because she wanted to be in the community, meet more people, and deal with issues they may be having.

She’s now nearing the end of her first term on Caledon Council, where she has served as Ward 2 Area Councillor, and Alternate Regional Councillor, for the past four years.

In this October’s elections, she’s running for Regional Councillor, Wards 1, 2 and 3 — and said, at their simplest, her reasons for running for office again are the same reasons she got into politics in the first place.

Early has lived in Caledon for 27 years, and her husband was a “dairy farmer kid” who is now an engineer. They live on the farmland he was raised on, and Early said it’s been cool to see all of the changes to Caledon over the years — and as a Councillor these past four years, Early has been able to be a part of it.

Before getting into politics, Early had a career in the retail pharmacy industry, where she ended up in a senior executive position. She said the independently-owned cooperative she worked for had about 400 stores in Ontario, and a very strong service model.

Company-wide, there was a policy to return emails or calls in 24 hours, said Early. She explained she’s taken that same people-first approach to politics and now always tries to get back to people in the community within 24 hours, or if she’s unable to, at least let them know why.

“That’s worked well for me, and I’ve gotten a lot of support for that over the years,” said Early. “That’s the most enjoyable part, the people… you meet people from all walks of life. Caledon is so large geographically and we have very distinct communities throughout Caledon. You really get to meet a varied group of individuals.”

The Regional Councillor elected for Wards 1, 2 and 3 will be responsible for the largest geographic area of any Caledon councillor. Early said this means the Councillor will need to be able to understand a diverse range of issues, from rural to urban.

“One of the things I bring to the table is… four years of significant learning that I just went through,” said Early. “The amount of planning issues, and the legislation and the acts that you got to be familiar with. Those are all going to really help me in this new role, and it’ll help me as we start building out Caledon.”

When it comes to building Caledon, Early emphasized the work that needs to be done to understand each step of the planning process. It’s work she said she has put in and will continue to put in if elected as Regional Councillor. She said every Councillor has a huge responsibility to understand planning legislation, help Caledon grow responsibly and protect green space, and ensure Caledon’s communities are safe for everyone.

Attracting the right businesses that fit into Caledon’s community and culture is an important priority for Early. In addition to this, she emphasized the importance of supporting businesses that are already in Caledon, such as those in the growing agri-tourism industry.

“We’ve got so many individuals and farmers that are starting businesses from the ground up and have seen tremendous success,” said Early. “We’ve got to get behind them from the development perspective and continue to promote those businesses as they develop.”

Caledon has many logistics and warehousing businesses already, said Early, and she hopes to see businesses in the science and technology sectors coming to Caledon in the future. She said zoning of employment lands will play an important role in getting the right mix of businesses established within Caledon’s boundaries. The next term of Council, she added, is critical as the planning decisions made in it will impact Caledon for the next decade or two.

While business is important, Early said it is always critical to remember that 80 per cent of Caledon is protected as green and should remain that way.

“Council have to be very responsible in ensuring that 80 per cent remains green,” said Early. She wants to see Caledon remain as a desirable place to call home in the ever-expanding Greater Toronto Area. She said Caledon’s diversity, alongside its natural beauty, is what makes it so special.

“We have so many different cultures. We have the Italian culture, the Portuguese culture, we have the South Asian culture, the Irish… we just have a beautiful, diversified community and we need to celebrate that and we need to recognize that,” said Early.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Early said she was proud of how well she and other Councillors pivoted to a Council environment that now required the internet. She’s proud of the work that was completed on Caledon’s new Official Plan during her term, and how the Town kept up with infrastructure maintenance during the pandemic.

Still, she saw room for improvement in Caledon’s Council. She said because of the shift to hybrid online/in person meetings, collaboration and teamwork may not have been as good as it could have been, something she’d like to improve upon for next term if elected.

“I’m not saying that everybody shouldn’t have their own opinion… but you do have to make sure that you’re working together to ensure that we’re doing the right thing,” said Early. “It was a good council term. I don’t think there were any major issues. I just think it was lacking a bit of teamwork and collaboration and next term, we can correct that.”

Early said if elected, she sees a ton of opportunity for herself to communicate and work as a team with the three Councillors who will be elected in Wards 1, 2 and 3. She said she’s going to make sure they know everything that’s pertinent to them at Region of Peel Council meetings.

“You can’t over-communicate,” said Early. “More communication gives people the knowledge and power base to do their job more effectively.”

Early describes her leadership style as inclusive, and said the strongest leader is one who helps individuals achieve their goals. “It’s not about you,” said Early. “It’s about enabling others so they can achieve what they want to achieve in their individual area… I have always had that style.”

Early said there are leaders everywhere in Caledon, putting on community events and doing great charitable acts. She said it’s a Councillor’s role to help those leaders in doing what they’re already doing so they can deliver the best results. To Early, doing that is one of the most fun parts about being a councillor.

Early wants to bring a more business-oriented style of leadership and decision making to Caledon’s next term of Council. She said it’s critical because, at the end of the day, it’s taxpayer’s money that’s being used for Town initiatives, and it needs to be used intelligently in the right ways.

Early wants to see business principles being applied to everything the Town of Caledon spends money on.

Caledon is only going to have two Regional Councillors at the Region of Peel next term, compared to the four it has now. Early said this means it’s going to be important for Caledon’s Regional Councillors to develop good relationships with regional councillors from Brampton and Mississauga, Peel’s other two municipalities.

“We’re going to have to make sure that we find ways to push our agenda forward and make sure that, whatever our issue is, that we get it on the table and get some support,” said Early. “That was the saddest thing that happened last term of Council… losing those two seats. That was an absolute disaster.”

Being a Councillor is not an easy job, said Early, but it’s a very rewarding one that she wants to continue to do. Those interested in learning more about Early’s platform can reach out to her by email at early4caledon@gmail.com or by phone at 905-867-1565.

“I really hope for the support and I’m going to continue to try to do a really good job for Caledon, its residents, and for future residents of Caledon,” said Early. “I’m very excited, actually, and I’m going to knock on a lot of doors this summer — I mean non-stop knocking — and, you know, I’m going to work really hard to ensure that I’m at that table.”