Two Caledon councillors will help lead a task force dedicated to combatting illegal trucking depots in the Town, it was revealed last week. Amid reports of more than 100 illegal trucking operations in and around Caledon, local councillors Nick DeBoer (Wards 3&4) and Christina Early (Ward 2) have been tapped to lead the task force, which will work to find and charge such entities in the local area.
The task force was called as the Town approved their 2020 budget, with a planned $476,000 being spent this year to hire staff members and enforcement officers. The task force will roll out in three phases, with the first planned to encompass the hiring of a consultant and developmnent of an education/communication strategy, to “provide education on legal and appropriate land uses,” according to a report presented to the Town last week. The second phase would see the hiring of full-time staff members for the task force, while the third phase would include monitoring efforts where the Town will collect data on planning applications, properties being investigated and prosecutions.
While the task force is expected to begin active enforcement by summer, it will likely take much longer to make a demonstrable impact against the number of illegal operations throughout the Town. In a letter circulated to media outlets last week, Caledon Mayor Allan Thompson said that the area is under a “serious threat” from such operations, which encompass storage, operations and parking enterprises with no legal basis. “These illegal users have set up shop here to take advantage of our proximity to the Greater Toronto Area,” Thompson wrote last week. Further updates as to the status and ongoing progress of the task force are set to be revealed in upcoming Town council meetings.
