Mayor's Report
Tidbits of information on Peel Region
By Marolyn Morrison

As Town staff recently participated in the celebration of Heritage Day for the Town of Caledon Tuesday, Feb. 20, I thought that I would share with you some history about the Region of Peel and the services that they provide to our residents.

In 1974, the Regional Municipality of Peel was incorporated. It was believed that great socio-economic gain could be made if programs and services were administered over a large geographical area. The Region of Peel encompasses the Town of Caledon, the City of Brampton, and the City of Mississauga. The Region of Peel encompasses 1,225 square kilometers in area - approximately 500 square miles.

The current chair of the Region of Peel is Caledon's own Emil Kolb. Chair Kolb has served as the Region's chair for 16 years. Prior to presiding over the region, Kolb was the mayor of Caledon for two terms (1985-1991) and was an Albion Township councillor in the early '70s. The Town of Caledon was originally comprised of Albion Township, Chinguacousy Township and Caledon. In 1974, all three municipalities were amalgamated into the Town of Caledon.

Today, the Region of Peel serves more than 1.2 million citizens and the Regional government includes 24 elected councillors and the regional chair. Caledon has five regional councillors, including myself.

Peel is the first municipality in Canada to achieve the National Quality Institute's Level 4 Progressive Excellence program and Canada Award of Excellence - Gold. With a Triple A credit rating, debtfree operations and award winning cost effective service delivery, Peel is one of the best run municipalities in our great nation. Caledon is proud to be a part of this partnership.

The public works department at the Region provides water, wastewater, arterial roads and waste management services (waste collection, yard waste collection and recycling). The Region is also responsible for social services (i.e. TransHelp - specialized transportation in partnership with Caledon Community Services); ambulance and emergency services (including 9-1-1); Peel Living (not-for-profit Housing Corporation that builds affordable housing in Peel); Peel Heritage Complex; Peel planning and Peel health.

To learn more about the Region of Peel and the services that they provide, please visit their Web site at www.peelregion.ca or call 905-791-7800.