Business View Magazine | February 2018

84 85 THE TOWN OF CALEDON, ONTARIO cretemanufacturersare locatedhere,alongwith manyinnovativestart-ups intheauto industry that employeesevento fourteenpeople. The largest intermodalyards inNorthAmerica are right atCaledon’sdoorstep; one justoutside PearsonAirport ispartof theCNintermodal yard; theotherontheborderofBramptonand Vaughan is forCanadianPacificRail.Caledon is perfectlysituated inthearteriesof thiswhole complex.MayorThompsonnotes,“OurnewOffi- cial Plan is intheworks,andwill be readywithin twoyears.It encompassesahugeexpansionof employment areas.We’regoingtohavebusiness parks,but alsoa freightvillage–the first ever in theGTA.Afreightvillage isabusinesshub.The most intrusive industrial part is inthecenter core,withouter rings supportedbysmaller businessparks.It’sverysimilar towhat’soutside Chicago,but insteadof amilitarybase,we’redo- ing itwithprivate land.It’samajorundertaking and I’mquiteexcited!” Agri-tourismisa largeeconomicdriver.In thepast,Caledonwasabigname inthedairy industry,but it’snowbecomingknownfor adif- ferent sortofbeverage.AccordingtotheMayor, “There’sa real appetite for cider.Thepeople in the industryherecan’tproduceenoughof our award-winningproducts.For14yearswe’ve celebrated‘CaledonDay’witha foodfestival and entertainment.Thispastyear,wedid‘Cheers Caledon’thenightbefore.Itwasa test.Normally, weget8,000to12,000peopleoutonCaledon Day–wehad1200onCheersevening,itself.We hada total of18cider andcraftbrewbusinesses andeveryonewasoutofproductby10PM.Sonow,we’re turningthewholeweekend intoa festival.” At286squaremiles,themunicipalityofCaledonhas a large footprint.Thepopular trans-CanadaTrail goes throughCaledon,asdotheEloraTrail,theCreditTrail, andtheBruceTrail,bringingscoresofwalkers,hikers,and cyclists.Not surprisingly,thecider industry,culinarypur- suits,andfarmmarketsareseeinggreat success.Thereare alsomorehorses intheHeadwatersarea (Caledon,King Township,andpartofDufferinCounty) than inthestateof Kentucky.Caledonhasoneofthefinestequestrianfacilities inNorthAmericaandhostedthePanAmGamesincoopera- tionwiththeTorontoConservationAuthorityandtheCaledon EquestrianManagementGroup. By2041,Caledonisprojectedtoincreaseinpopulation from75,000to160,000-massivegrowthwithonly20 percentdevelopableland.“That’swhyit’simportanttogetour employmenttaxbasebuiltbeforetheresidentialgetshere,” saystheMayor.“Newgreenfielddevelopmentiscoming,so Councilhasadisciplinetofigureouthowwefitinseniors, aswell;notjustlong-termcareandseniors’residences,but peoplelookingtodownsizeintosmallerunitslikebungalofts. It’scalled‘aginginplace’andweneedtohavethatbecause 36percentofourpopulationrightnowisseniors.Another20 years,we’llbeabout50percent.We’vealsopartneredwith HabitatforHumanityontheaffordablehousingside.” ThedowntowncoreofBoltonisalreadyaheritagedistrict, andCaledonislookingatprotectingotherhistoricdown- townsinthemunicipality,suchasBelfountain.Heritage protectiondesignationisdonethroughacommunityen- gagementprocess,withthegoalofmaintainingflexibilityas businessesandservicesevolve.Evennewbuildingscoming