Ward 3 Councillor Doug Maskell hopeful for 2023 in Caledon

January 5, 2023 · 0 Comments

Maskell says Caledon’s budget is the first important Council task this year

By Zachary Roman

Ward 3 Councillor Doug Maskell was one of four councillors elected to serve Caledon residents for the first time in Caledon’s most recent election.

Maskell ran a self-funded election campaign in 2022, culminating in a win by almost 250 votes over his closest competition on October 24, election night.

Maskell said he remembers deciding to stay at home with family on that night to watch the numbers roll in. He said it was a kind of nerve-wracking evening, especially when the online system that showed election results crashed for a while. However, when all was said and done and Maskell found out he was elected, he said it was quite humbling.

“Everything I’d been working for, for basically a year, actually came to fruition. It was pretty emotional,” said Maskell. “It wasn’t really until the next day when I woke up that it really sunk in.”

It was then that Maskell felt humbled again, knowing so many people had put their trust in him to look out for their best interests by voting for him over the other candidates.

Maskell said he tried to run a campaign where he wasn’t hiding anything from anybody, taking strong positions on issues. For example, Maskell took a firm stance against Highway 413, said he’d seek to reverse the 24.5 per cent councillor pay increase approved by the previous Caledon council, and advocated for automated speed enforcement units in community safety zones.

This information and more was all readily available on Maskell’s website. Maskell said when collecting his lawn signs from supporters after the election, many people told him they voted for him because of the information they found there. Maskell said even when he and a resident would not share the same view on an issue, he’d encourage them to check out his campaign materials and see what they did agree on.

“We don’t need to agree on everything, right?” said Maskell.

After being elected, Councillors begin attending various orientation sessions where they begin to learn all about what it means to be a councillor. Maskell said the sessions were a great opportunity to network with the Town of Caledon’s senior leadership team from different departments.

“Those training sessions were incredibly invaluable,” said Maskell. “When I walked away from that and into the first meeting, I found a lot more confidence.”

One of the first meetings of Caledon’s current Council was on December 6, 2022, where items like the Caledon OPP budget, Town of Caledon Aquatic Leadership Program, and Celebrate Caledon changes were discussed. Maskell said many items discussed at the meeting were in motion from the previous Council.

Maskell said some people think a Councillor can walk into the Town offices and begin changing laws, but that is not the case. He said it’s important to realize Town staff are experts in their fields.

“They’re the chief engineer, the chief planner for a reason,” said Maskell. “You have to represent your constituents but also respect the fact that these are professionals.”

During Councillor orientation, Maskell said it was valuable to receive advice from Councillors who were re-elected, be it to their same position or to a new position. Maskell said the most important piece of advice he received was to not be afraid of asking questions — while still making sure you’re doing your homework.

“If there’s things that can be dealt with prior to a meeting, get them dealt with,” said Maskell. “Don’t waste the public’s time because you’re not doing your work.”

Maskell is coming to politics from the world of education, as this school year will be his last in a 30-plus year career as an educator. He said training to be a Councillor reminds him of training to be a teacher, as you can train all you want, but need first-hand experience to know what it’s like. Maskell said he thinks there will be many transferable skills from his teaching career, as he’s spent his whole life communicating with people, processing information, and delivering it in a meaningful way.

Something that’s surprised Maskell about being a Councillor is the recognition factor; that people will see him on the street and say hello because he is now a public figure. He’s experienced that a little before when he was the head of the guidance department at Humberview Secondary School.

“I’d be at the Foodland and a parent would say, ‘Oh, can I talk to you about this for a second?’,” said Maskell. “I’m sure it will be the same thing (as a councillor). I’m going to be at Howard the Butcher and someone will say ‘Hey, can I talk to you?’.” Maskell said one of the benefits of living in a small town is that you can meet people you know on the street and talk.

Beginning this month, Caledon Council will deliberate on the Town’s 2023 budget. A survey where residents were encouraged to offer their input on what they’d like to prioritize in the budget closed on January 3. Maskell said with high inflation and unanticipated impacts coming from the provincial government’s Bill 23, Caledon’s budget will be a complex document.

“It’s going to be a time where we really have to look at what kind of resources we have as a Town right now,” said Maskell. “We have a lot of money that’s been banked for development projects that have been on the books for a while now. So, it might be important to maybe go back and look at some of those projects… maybe if we need to transfer some of those funds to ensure we don’t get a massive tax increase.”

Maskell said the province’s Bill 23 came out of the blue and will have drastic impacts on the Town of Caledon. Caledon Council met for an emergency meeting on November 25, 2022, and formally announced its opposition to the bill, which was passed just days later.

While Maskell said it’s hard to estimate what the Town’s 2023 budget will look like until it’s presented to Council and the public, he knows the Town can’t pass off the burden of inflation onto taxpayers. He said it’s critical that Caledon doesn’t tax its residents out of the Town.

Maskell said Budget time is the right time to look into reversing the pay increase for Caledon’s Mayor and Council. He said he’s hoping it’s one of the first things Council does in this New Year, as it will be a public and transparent way to gain people’s trust — especially since he and some others campaigned on the promise. While the raise to Councillors’ pay is a drop in the bucket in the grand scheme of Caledon’s budget, Maskell said it’s a very symbolic drop in the bucket.

“I really believe the decision should have been deferred to us,” said Maskell. “If you’re increasing everyone’s taxes… and giving yourself a 25 per cent raise, it doesn’t look very good.”

Looking ahead to 2023, Maskell said he’s hoping for a progressive and cooperative year of Council. He’s hoping everyone will work together to represent the best interests of Caledon residents and not become factionalized.

“The people elected us to work together and not work for special interests or our own interests,” said Maskell. “I’m hoping we can get that salary increase reversed, that the budget is a good one and respects the taxpayer… and that we can get some kind of position from the Town against the 413.”

He added that he wants to work to get better internet access to residents and businesses all across Caledon.

“As long as everyone keeps trying their best, we’re going to be OK,” said Maskell. “You always have to come back to, ‘Why am I in this chair?’ It’s not for me, it’s for the residents.”