Caledon wants Ontario to beef up enforcement powers against illegal trucking operations
A small town in Ontario is seeking provincial support to address illegal trucking operations within its jurisdiction.
Caledon mayor Annette Groves sent a letter to Caledon MPP and deputy premier Sylvia Jones to strengthen municipal enforcement powers by amending the Planning Act and Municipal Act, according to a news release.
The mayor wants the province to increase maximum penalty amounts for individuals to $50,000 and corporations to $100,000 plus $50,000 for each day continued. The town also seeks the power to enable physically barring entry to properties.
Caledon wants the province to grant municipalities the ability to include all charges, fines, orders, notices, prohibitions, injunctions, court-imposed fines on the title of a property.
The Region of Peel town’s proximity to major transportation hubs like airports, rail terminals, and 400-series highways has made it a focal point for logistics operations centers.
“Unfortunately, this growth has been paired with a rise in illegal trucking operations as well,” the letter states.
The town has proactively enforced more than 300 properties for illegal parking and storage of tractor trailers.
‘Cost of doing business’
“For over a decade we’ve been exercising every tool we have. Despite our efforts, illegal truck depots are expanding with defiance, where many operators consider legal fees and municipal fines as a cost of doing business and are finding ways to circumvent violation notices by converting property ownership to delay prosecution. Without provincial intervention, there is the risk that this issue will grow to an unmanageable state and continue to spread throughout the province,” the mayor wrote.
The town’s council is also considering the municipality’s ability to block and barricade illegal trucks within Caledon, according to a news release. Staff are conducting a review to further explore the town’s options and will report back to council.
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People who are concerned about the environmental impact of building a highway should be more concerned about the negative impact caused by these illegal trucking companies. They have no concern about their trucks leaking oil or antifreeze, illegal dumping of toxic materials, burying waste on these properties and the long-term effects caused by their lack of compliance. I spent a long time in the trucking industry and inaction by the government has probably made it too late to reverse some of the problems. Act now or else Caledon!
We as residents fear for our lives and for our younger drives. We have way too many deaths.
Our mayor pretends to care but the whole town would like to boot her out. She does not do the town well!
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I disagree with you Angela. Our mayor does care and she inherited this problem!! She has just start. So let’s call a spade a spade !!
Funny
The mayor did not mention how much the Town Of Caledon plans to benefit off the massive taxes they will receive from all these massive buildings down here in south Bolton.
Wait a minute, Was the mayor not aware that trucks and containers would be needed for all of these massive buildings?
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urs ,they need trucks,,but those trucks that come to town are making deliveries and leaving,,they are not stored on properties
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Well Mark if it wasn’t for all the taxes caledon collects from these large buildings, you would be paying the same rate as Orangeville. These containers and trucks are not affiliated with these large buildings. Those trucks on large industrial complexes
are legally parked . The problem that exists in caledon is one where an independent trucker/broker operates from his residence or purchased a country property to do so. And how is that Annette Groves’ creation ???
Our roads in Bolton/ Caledon have become unsafe with the amount of innocent lives that are being taken.
There is an increase in illegal truck lots in Bolton which continue to operate with drivers who are not educated on the rules of the road. In addition, illegal dumping of toxic material and waste.
Something seriously needs to be done about this now. We need to unite to make a difference so our roads in Bolton/ Caledon are safe.
Mayor , Why isn’t anything being done to make the roads safe ?
Our small town Bolton has become a garbage town thanks to the people who run the Town of Caledon
We lost so many of our family members over the years on our deadly roads. It continues to happen almost daily. ENOUGH is ENOUGH
ANETTE GROVES. NO MORE TRUCKS! NO MORE!
We all know that Peel is a lawless region when it comes to business. This isn’t happening nowhere else in the country. No government will do anything to stop it because they are afraid of the truth. Same What they did with Driver Inc
These properties are taxed as farm land, not trucking terminals. You have to get these properties rezoned, if they are aloud. Please check, thanks
It sounds like a cash grab to me. If there are 5 trailers parked on a 100 acre property like who cares. Wait charge them 50,000. Are you kidding?
It’s about time. People have come to our country and feel they can do whatever they want disregarding any rules and laws. I’m slowly, actually quickly, watching everything that was beautiful turn to an absolute eye sore and completely unsafe. It’s a joke. And if Canada doesn’t grab the bull by the horns now, it’s going to be harder then hell to turn this ship around later.
Illegal trucking operations have been expanding for years in Caledon. Many drivers have no respect for the rules of the road. They speed, tailgate, make unsafe lane changes etc. Their trucks are ruining the roads and the Town of Caledon isn’t repairing them. A lot of owner/operators are shifty and they know how to circumvent the law. Caledon used to be peaceful and quiet but NO MORE. It’s also starting to look like a dump…so very sad.
You already have the power to block these illegal sites. Why are you not doing it? Why have you let it grow to this number knowing this was going on? This is your town and your responsibility to keep it safe. The politicians have done nothing. Someone had to die before any action took place
Thank you so much this need to be done
While I recognize the need for order and I do sympathize with Caledon, this issue is of a much broader spectrum and needs to be placed where it belongs. In Ottawa.
Ontario has a corridor that extends from Windsor across to Sarnia and all the way up to Ottawa. That is where the manufacturing takes place, where the majority of the population resides due to job availability, where the infrastructure is and where the busiest trade routes exist. Windsor alone sees in excess of 10,000 commercial vehicles on a typical day.
The population density in this corridor is testament to the success of the overall design, however, where it falls apart is in the distribution sector. Anybody can open a business and make whatever product their expertise lends them, but, without trucks to bring their products to consumers, the product has no value and becomes a liability rather then an asset to the GDP.
The federal and provincial governments have failed civilian, corporate and lower level governments in facilitating the vital sector of distribution.
We’ve all heard the saying, “if you got it, a trucker brought it”. I wonder how much thought people really put into that statement but it is clear that higher governing powers did not put forth any thought to that end.
Referencing the statistical numbers quoted above, 10,000 commercial vehicles per day cross the Ambassador Bridge to facilitate trade with the USA and Mexico. Why then, is there nothing at all to facilitate the needs of truckers anywhere in that area? Husky? They have not evolved with the industry they set out to serve and as such, have become grossly sub-standard to the volume of trucks and the needs of the drivers in them. Their parking lot is atrocious and is nowhere near big enough to facilitate the mandatory 10 hour downtime that trucker are required to have in a day.
On ro the 400 series of highways. En Route locations are there, yes, but they are not designed for the needs of the trucking population. They have been kind enough to reserve property for parking big rigs but not very many.
This is what leads to the very issues Caledon is facing. Sadly, the art of clear, critical thinking is falling by the way-side on this planet and the finger pointing is aimed at the innocent and vulnerable rather than the facilitators of the issues.
Today’s marketplace is ever-expanding and as globalization takes a stronger hold each day, so too does the movement of manufacturers, Citizens and infrastructure. Ontario has been fortunate in that is known and respected for its labor force. That acknowledgement from the global community is what has allowed our corridor to grow.
It is discouraging to everyone to feel the effects of government that refuses to invest in us as we invest in them. They want all the growth, all the money, but give us all the problems that go with neglecting common sense issues like providing for the men and women operating the rigs and providing reasonable safe, accessible and serviced facilities to continue a prosperous future for everyone.
In closing, it is as simple as this:
The elected public servants are not serving the public, but rather themselves. Everyone hates the trucker but nobody exists without them. This has to stop. The blame goes to Ottawa. Send it there.
I agree with what Caledon is doing, I live in Milton and it appears that as soon as a company vacates their property a no name trucking company moves in.
There is a few companies here in the Milton area that have moved into these properties
and they sure make a mess of the area.
This is not just happening in Caledon. It’s happening everywhere, trucking companies, as well as owner operators believe they are beyond any laws and rules. A province or municipality has in place personally what needs to be done is the laws properly enforced with zero tolerance lock off all entrances to the properties Without warning and have the culprit contact the town, city or municipality about gaining access to their vehicles or trailers. This way they can find out who is doing it put a face to who is doing it and have enforcement issue a severe fine at that time, let them remove the vehicle With a warning that if it should happen again, vehicle/trailer will be impounded as government property and sold that auction. This is the only way people will learn.
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YES. The trucking companies might even be illegally parking on property they do NOT own. That would be considered squatting. COOPER STANDARD on Guelph street Georgetown Ontario. Are the transport trucks that have been parked there for 2 plus years allowed to park there? JUST curious
Caledon is not only becoming the center of many illegal activities such as truck depots but also multi rental units. Drive on any road south to north from old school road between mississauga road and Goreway road and you can find plenty of truck depots and at least 12 vehicles or more park on driveways for all occupants in dwellings of less than 4 bedrooms. Also we have become a dumpster for our southern neighbors that are making Torbram, bramalea road a cemetery of all unwanted things such as mattresses, furniture and garbage… when is our Town going to stop the pollution of our beautiful Town. We are worry about the 413 but a lot of people should learn how to respect the environment and people’s properties. This is actually very tragic.
Its always something with truckers and everything isn’t illegal till we have another covid 19 and then we are heros and and after that .get the hell out of my town.if you don’t want stuff do buy or order stuff then no trucks or trains will mess up your little nice town how about that 1
Nothing looks junky and low class as trucks parked on my neighbours property. When I was a k