This page was exported from Caledon Citizen [ https://caledoncitizen.com ] Export date:Sun May 24 0:55:20 2026 / +0000 GMT ___________________________________________________ Title: Watershed Guardian Awards highlight growing environmental advocacy in Caledon --------------------------------------------------- By Riley Murphy Local Journalism Initiative Reporter On February 26th, the Ontario Headwaters Institute honoured five individuals and groups in Caledon with “Watershed Guardian Awards.” What began as an award ceremony in Caledon East turned into a discussion of watershed protection and environmental consciousness in the community, with each recipient using their spotlight to continue advocating for the issues most important to them. Opening the event, Andrew McCammon, Executive Director of the Ontario Headwaters Institute, explained that this year brought a shift from individual awards to regional awards, in an effort to acknowledge the cumulative efforts of people working collectively for their watersheds. The Ontario Headwaters Institute is a registered charity that promotes watershed security, which is protecting resilient and healthy watersheds for ecological integrity, economics, vitality, and social well-being. Before the awards, McCammon led a discussion on the health of the Credit and Humber watersheds, as well as watershed security. McCammon discussed numerous issues about the current state of watershed security in Ontario, including the lack of targets to retain natural heritage. Shifting from discussion to celebration, attendees got ready to acknowledge and celebrate the work of these “guardians” in Caledon. Five Watershed Guardian Awards were presented through two categories. A lifetime achievement award was presented to Ian Sinclair, and four Community Advocate Awards went to Democracy Caledon, Forks of the Credit Preservation Group, Paul Newall, and Tony Sevelka.  Paul Newall sadly passed away prior to the award ceremony, but received his award months earlier. “Paul was one of those extraordinary guys, sort of somewhat unassuming, but he got into every little stormwater pond and all the issues around Alton,” said McCammon. Newall led the Credit Watershed Alliance as President, articulated the need for Credit Valley to complete 15-year-old sub-watershed studies that had never been completed in its watershed plan, and served on the board of the Alton Grange Association. It was shared that as a resident of Alton for most of his life, Newall's love for the area grew into active engagement to protect local watersheds and their natural heritage. The next guardian awarded was the Caledon group, Democracy Caledon. “Since 2024, Democracy Caledon has been a leading voice in Caledon for protecting watershed security, natural heritage, and agriculture, and promoting sound land-use planning and public engagement in municipal governance,” said McCammon He added that concerns addressed by Democracy Caledon have included “challenging the process of improving urban growth, holding municipal Council to account on its decision-making and budget, opposing the destruction of the groundwater-fed lake by dumping construction fill, and advocating for stringent by-law controls on field dumping elsewhere in Caledon.” “That is a snippet of their work,” he adds. Accepting the award were Democracy Caledon president Debbe Crandall and Erica McNiece. Crandall took the time to discuss the galvanization of Democracy Caledon when, in 2024, Caledon Council approved the rezoning of 11 of 12 development applications to provide nearly 35,000 housing units in Caledon. “It was the audacity, it was the shock of a planning system that was being completely turned on its head.” “But there is always a yin to the yang,” said Crandall, noting that that decision brought together the organization seen today. “We are committed, we are passionate, we are smart, and we are value-driven,” said Crandall. “We are renewed in our efforts to make sure that the water is protected, that the newcomers come here, and they come here with welcoming arms in well-designed communities. That's our pledge going forward, so future generations actually have a Caledon that can't be in the best shape because it's so degraded, but in really good shape.” McNiece added that she has seen the impact “that poor planning has had on my watershed security.” “There still is hope that the Caledon that I grew up in 50 years ago, the Caledon that my Dad grew up in, the Caledon that a lot of us grew up in, that it's still possible for people to come to Caledon and to be able to, for decades to come, really enjoy the jewel that we have in front of us,” she said. “But it requires education, and it requires a drive to want to be able to protect that, and I don't think that that has to come at the cost of progress or at the cost of money.” Next to receive their award was another group often seen either out in the community or delegating at Caledon Council, Forks of the Credit Preservation Group (FCPG). “Similarly to Democracy Caledon, Forks of the Credit Preservation initiated in response to a proposed calamity, an 800-acre below-water table blasting quarry,” began McCammon. “Forks of the Credit Preservation Group quickly galvanized the community, working tirelessly and constructively on issues from on-site operations, such as noise and dust, to broader impacts on watershed security, air quality, and public health, and road safety and increased maintenance costs.” He added FCPG has become a powerful facilitator of local concerns, and “they continue to be a voice seeking the establishment of progressive new aggregate policies under the Town's Official Plan, and for all of us.” Debra Wilson, who sits on the board of the Forks of the Credit Preservation Group, accepted the award along with board member Lynn Allen. Wilson noted the hundreds of years' worth of information sitting in the room that day, and the different people who have been impacted or have advocated for their local watersheds. “It is always wonderful to be in a room like this with like-minded people,” said Wilson. She took her recognition to instead recognize everyone else in the room, including Newall, who she recalled kept boxes of information stacked around his kitchen table, brimming with his work. “The last of our community advocate awards is another individual who was threatened not only with just outrageous circumstances, but it was beside his property line,” said McCammon, recognizing Tony Sevelka, a forensic real estate appraiser who has turned his life around, focusing on learning everything he could about below-water table blasting, and became a recognized expert with several published papers. Many may recognize Sevelka from proposed CBM Caledon Quarry meetings or from his newsletter, where he educates the community by passing along numerous papers and write-ups. “He has been a real champion of good thinking with respect to what this mega quarry might impact us all in the area,” added McCammon. Sevelka has spent years learning about the proposed blasting quarry's impacts and educating the community on what this would mean for them. That night, Sevelka told The Citizen about how, according to a 2009 study undertaken by the Pembina Institute and the Credit Valley Conservation Authority, the Credit River Watershed provides at least $371 million per year in ecological services to the 757,600 residents of the watershed and saves watershed taxpayers $100 million in water supply costs every year. 2026 figures show that the Credit River Watershed provides the equivalent of $900 per resident every year in combined ecological services and avoided water supply costs. He added “an 800-acre quarry would be a permanent and irreversible ecological disaster with costly financial ramifications for the Town of Caledon, its residents and the 757,600 people who rely on the Credit River Watershed.” Accepting his award, Sevelka simply stated, “I think the real hero in our community is Ian Sinclair.” Sinclair was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Ontario Headwaters Institute. Whether the community knows him through his delegations to Council, his time spent as a previous Caledon Councillor, or Peel Regional Councillor, to say Sinclair has a wealth of knowledge would appear to be an understatement, as McCammon said, “the problem with saying someone who needs no introduction is that it's true, but it's underwhelming. Ian Sinclair has been a pillar and a model in this community for many years.” McCammon noted that even now, Sinclair does the same as he did when he was a councillor: he asks the simple questions. He's sat on numerous committees, commissions, agencies and councils. Accepting his award, Sinclair dove into his own history, recounting what made him who he is today. Sinclair grew up near the Don River, where his great-grandfather and grandfather both swam and caught fish. By the time his father was growing up, there were no fish left to catch. For Sinclair himself, he says what was left was an “industrial sewer.” “When we came to the river, it wasn't a question of looking at clear water. It was what colour it was, swirling colors of blue and yellows, all kinds of colors from the mills.” When Hurricane Hazel struck in 1954, Sinclair noted the impact of the flooding he saw at merely eight-years-old has stuck with him, evident to this day, as in 2020, when, sitting on Caledon Council, he advocated for floods to be added to risk lists. Sinclair highlighted numerous areas facing environmental challenges, including the Red Hill Creek Valley and the Don Valley. “Forests were cleared, landforms graded, sound barriers and guardrails installed to make an industrial landscape out of a natural area,” said Sinclair. “As a general comment, natural areas seem to be resources to be extracted.” “Natural areas such as river valleys meet all the criteria for protection but end up becoming resources to be extracted for development.” He also voiced his concerns about the Town of Erin's residential growth and the efforts of the Coalition for the West Credit River. “My achievements in watershed matters so far,” Sinclair made sure to clarify, “are working constructively with Caledon residents and their associations on water and land use issues, and then speaking up knowledgeably on environmental issues in the various councils, committees, commissions, agencies that I've served on in support of the natural environment and good land use planning. Thank you for the recognition of my service.” --------------------------------------------------- Images: --------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Post date: 2026-03-05 12:39:10 Post date GMT: 2026-03-05 17:39:10 Post modified date: 2026-03-05 12:39:12 Post modified date GMT: 2026-03-05 17:39:12 ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Export of Post and Page as text file has been powered by [ Universal Post Manager ] plugin from www.gconverters.com