Year in Review
June

There was a contest shaping up to see who would carry the Green party's colours in Dufferin - Caledon in the October provincial election. Bolton resident Patti Foley announced she was interested in the nomination, and former Orangeville Town councillor Rob Strang was also in the running.

In the end, Strang secured the nomination, after a tight race that saw the local party membership triple in three weeks.

"The only development that should take place is development that improves our quality of life and enhances a sustainable economy," he said in accepting the nomination.

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Students at Robert F. Hall Secondary School were able to raise $10,000 for ShareLife.

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Town council adopted rules to govern the Caledon Skate Park.

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Bolton's Tara Sweeney was among 85 young people from across Ontario who received the Silver Award of Achievement from Lt.-Gov. James Bartleman, as part of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, Young Canadians Challenge. Sweeney had completed both the Bronze and Silver levels. She has tutored children and assisted at various fund-raising events. She completed a three-day canoe trip in Algonquin Park.

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Town councillors unanimously adopted the new Caledon Community Work Plan for the 2006 - 2010 term of council.

"The Caledon Community Work Plan plays a significant role in determining the policies and procedures for the municipality, and is one of the inputs for planning the municipality's annual capital and operating budgets," said Mayor Marolyn Morrison.

The plan contains a total of 69 individual objectives.

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Inglewood Day was held in June, and it was highlighted by the dedication of the Caledon Trailway pedestrian bridge over Highway 10.

More than 130 people "stepped up" to take a fitness challenge issued by the Town at a recent community festival in June - a month proclaimed by councils province-wide as Recreation & Parks Month.

In the spirit of encouraging an active lifestyle, the Town's Recreation and Property Services Department issued a fitness challenge at the Inglewood Day community festival June 16. Participants agreed to wear a pedometer for the day, then register their name and total number of steps back at the booth in midafternoon. Those who registered were eligible to win a 21-speed Raleigh mountain bike.

"On behalf of staff and council, I would like to thank Raleigh Canada for their continued support of Caledon Trailway events," said Mayor Morrison.

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Trustees of the Peel District School Board were grappling with a funding gap, but they were still able to approve a budget of $1.2 billion for the 2007-08 school year.

This balanced budget was a $73 million increase in Ministry of Education funding from the previous year. But, the funding gap between grants and actual costs in areas such as transportation and staff costs is $45 million.

"Obviously, there is some good news. Our funding is up about seven per cent. There are positive provincial initiatives," commented board Chair Janet McDougald. "But, and it is a big one, the fact remains that the Peel District School Board, the children of Peel, receive a grant that is the third lowest in the province. This funding level translates into a funding gap of $883 less for each and every Peel student. It totals over $120 million."

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Residents living near the old Peel Region dump site at King Street and Dixie Road complained to Caledon council about the stench arising from the site and the various illnesses they'd been suffering from.

One of the residents, Sue Thurston, told council the dump site is an "ecological horror." She said they had been smelling the stench since January. Some of the problems people had been suffering from include sore eyes, nausea and debilitating stress.

"We've had to flee our home to avoid illness," Thurston said, adding they had been trying to escape the outside air. "This is a colossal injustice to the people you were elected to serve."

Councillor Allan Thompson said he had visited the site

"You can taste it," he said. "Our guys have failed to do the job properly. We're using the wrong equipment."

Mayor Marolyn Morrison explained the Region owns the site and it may have to enclose the whole thing.

"It's wrong, it's immoral," declared Celia Chapman. "We have a right to breathe fresh air."

"You should not have to put up with what you've had to put up with," Morrison said. "We expected this not to smell."

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Nearly half of the 36 Ontario municipalities tested for drinking water quality failed after elevated levels of lead were found, but the water taken from Caledon village wasn't in that group.

It was reported that the 20 samples taken from the village showed zero signs of contamination.

In Caledon, all samples came in at or below the provincial standard in both the tap and hydrant test samples. Other nearby municipalities didn't fare quite as well. In Guelph, just 17 of 20 tap samples came in at or under the requirements, although all tests at hydrants came in on target.

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Caledon OPP was seeking witnesses as they investigated the murder of 24-yearold Jermaine Cameron, of no fixed address. His body was found in a wooded area near Duffy's Lane and Patterson Sideroad the morning of June 26 by people walking along a path in the area of the Trailway near Palgrave.

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Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Peel held their 22nd annual gold classic at Glen Eagle Golf Course, with the goal of raising $70,000 to help support the 1,190 children served by their programs.