| Caledon | |
| Official Name: | Town of Caledon |
| Settlement Type: | Town (lower-tier) |
| Flag Size: | 120x75px |
| Image Blank Emblem: | Town_of_caledon_logo.jpg |
| Blank Emblem Type: | Logo |
| Blank Emblem Size: | 120x80px |
| Pushpin Map: | CAN ON Peel#Canada Southern Ontario |
| Coordinates: | 43.8661°N -79.8589°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Canada |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Ontario |
| Subdivision Type2: | Regional municipality |
| Subdivision Name2: | Peel Region |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Annette Groves |
| Leader Title1: | Governing Body |
| Leader Name1: | Caledon Town Council |
| Leader Title2: | MP |
| Leader Name2: | Kyle Seeback (CPC) |
| Leader Title3: | MPP |
| Leader Name3: | Sylvia Jones (PC) |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Established Date: | January 1, 1974 |
| Area Total Km2: | 694.04 |
| Area Land Km2: | 688.82 |
| Area Water Km2: | 5.22 |
| Elevation Max M: | 485 |
| Elevation Max Footnotes: | [1] |
| Elevation Min M: | 221 |
| Elevation Min Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Total: | 76,581 |
| Population Density Km2: | 111.2 |
| Utc Offset: | −05:00 |
| Utc Offset Dst: | −04:00 |
| Postal Code Type: | Forward sortation area |
| Postal Code: | L7C, L7K |
| Area Code: | 905, 519 |
Caledon (; 2021 population 76,581) is a town in the Regional Municipality of Peel in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada. The name comes from a shortened form of Caledonia, the Roman name for what is now Scotland.[3] Caledon is primarily rural with a number of hamlets and small villages, but also contains the larger community of Bolton (population 26,795) in its southeastern quadrant, adjacent to York Region.[4] Some spillover urbanization also occurs in the south bordering the City of Brampton.
Caledon is the northernmost of three municipalities of Peel Region. The town is northwest of Brampton. According to Statistics Canada the land area is and, according to the city the area is,[5] which makes Caledon the largest municipality by area in the Greater Toronto Area.
By 1869, Belfountain was a village with a population of 100 in the Township of Caledon County Peel. It was established on the Credit River. There were stagecoaches to Erin and Georgetown. The average price of land was $20.[6]
In 1973, Caledon acquired more territory when Chinguacousy dissolved, with most sections north of Mayfield Road (excluding Snelgrove) transferred to the township.
Caledon inherited the name from Caledon Township of Peel County, Ontario, in 1974, which was likely named by settlers like Edward Ellis, who came from the area around Caledon, County Tyrone, now in Northern Ireland, or by public voting.[7]
In 1974, Peel County's 10 municipalities became the Region of Peel's 3 municipalities. The Town of Caledon was created from the villages of Bolton and Caledon East, the townships of Albion and Caledon, and the north half of Chinguacousy.
The primary administrative and commercial centre of Caledon is the community of Bolton, which the federal government estimated as having a population of 26,795 in 2021. [8]
Aside from Bolton, other smaller communities in Caledon include the following:
The municipality is otherwise sparsely populated, mostly with farms.
Former hamlets (ghost towns) include:
In the 2021 Canadian census, conducted by Statistics Canada, Caledon had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of 688.82km2, it had a population density of in 2021.[9]
In 2021, the median age was 40.8 years old, slightly lower than the provincial median of 41.6 years old.[10] Caledon's population is made of 49.8% women and 50.2% men.[11] There were 24,795 private dwellings. According to the 2011 National Household Survey, the median value of a dwelling in Caledon is $474,087, significantly higher than the national average of $280,552. The median household income (after-taxes) in Caledon is $83,454, much higher than the national average of $54,089. The average individual's income was $53,870.[12]
According to the 2021 Census, the largest five ethnic origins of the residents of Caledon are Italian (17,630; 23.2%), English (10,320; 13.6%), Indian (9,120; 12.0%), Scottish (8,270; 10.9%), and Canadian (8,095; 10.6%).[10]
66.3% of Caledon residents were white/European, 32.8% were visible minorities, and 0.8% were Indigenous. The largest visible minority groups were South Asian (21.4%), Black (3.6%), Latin American (1.7%), Chinese (1.0%) and Filipino (1.0%)
| 2021[13] | 2016[14] | 2011[15] | 2006[16] | 2001[17] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| European | 50,450 | 53,195 | 52,820 | 52,385 | 47,710 | ||||||
| South Asian | 16,310 | 6,635 | 1,995 | 1,265 | 700 | ||||||
| African | 2,770 | 1,880 | 1,205 | 860 | 770 | ||||||
| Latin American | 1,310 | 905 | 600 | 480 | 175 | ||||||
| Southeast Asian | 1,105 | 730 | 495 | 395 | 80 | ||||||
| Middle Eastern | 1,060 | 495 | 300 | 175 | 255 | ||||||
| East Asian | 975 | 900 | 620 | 525 | 365 | ||||||
| Indigenous | 620 | 615 | 450 | 360 | 145 | ||||||
| Other/multiracial | 1,490 | 855 | 495 | 390 | 175 | ||||||
| Total responses | 76,085 | 66,215 | 58,975 | 56,840 | 50,360 | ||||||
| Total population | 76,581 | 66,502 | 59,460 | 57,050 | 50,605 | ||||||
English is the mother tongue of 65.4% of the residents of Caledon. Native speakers of Punjabi make up 11.1% of the town's population, Italian 5.4%, Portuguese 1.4%, Spanish 1.3%, and Polish 1.0%.[10]
As of 2021, 58.5% of Caledon's population was Christian, down from 77.5% in 2011.[18] 38.2% of residents were Catholic, 10.5% were Protestant, 6.0% were Christian without precision, 1.8% were Christian Orthodox, and 2.0% belonged to other Christian denominations or Christian-related traditions; 19.3% of the population was non-religious or secular, up from 18.6% in 2011. All other religions and spiritual traditions accounted for 22.2% of the population, up from 3.9% in 2011. They included Sikhism (14.3%), Hinduism (4.7%), Islam (2.1%), Buddhism (0.5%), and Judaism (0.4%).
The town is run by a mayor, six town councillors and two regional councillors. The mayor and the two regional councillors represent Caledon at the Region of Peel:
Per capita, Caledon has by far the largest representation on Peel Regional Council of the three municipalities, however Caledon's land mass exceeds that of Mississauga and Brampton combined.
The Peel District School Board operates 14 public schools and two secondary (high) schools in Caledon. The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board operates several Catholic elementary/middle and two secondary schools. The Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir operates one Catholic francophone (first-language French) elementary school. There also several private and Montessori schools.
Caledon Fire & Emergency Services provides firefighting (using both career and volunteer firefighters), and medical emergency services. It has nine stations.
Ambulance service is run by the regional government's Peel Regional Paramedic Services, with three stations (#10, 11 and 12).
Despite being part of Peel Region, Caledon has its policing conducted from Ontario Provincial Police Caledon Detachment, rather than Peel Regional Police. The OPP also patrols the provincial highways in Caledon.
Highways in the municipality:
Former highways (now Regional roads):
Though never a provincial highway, Airport Road (Peel Poad 7), is a major north-south route to and from the Georgian Triangle for travellers from southern Peel.
GO Transit operates two bus routes in Caledon:
Due to its largely rural nature, Caledon does not have its own transit system; however, Brampton Transit provides a rush hour-only bus line, 41 Bolton in Bolton and travels south down Highway 50 in to Queen Street/Highway 7 (at the border of Brampton and Vaughan) to make connections with other Brampton Transit routes and York Region Transit (YRT). Brampton Transit also operates three other routes short distances into suburban areas bordering Brampton within the town: Route 81 Mayfield West serves Kennedy Road in Mayfield West, and Routes 18 Dixie and 30 Airport Road provide limited service into industrial areas.[19] [20]
Paratransit services for the elderly, disabled, and infirm are provided by Caledon Community Services Transportation and Transhelp. Both are run by the Region of Peel Accessible Transportation Services.
There were two earlier privately-operated transit services running solely within Bolton with no connections to other services: In 1999 a company named Caledon Transit Incorporated ran a trial bus service in the community.[21] In 2006, the growing population of Bolton prompted local resident Darren Parberry to start a second bus service with two routes using leased school buses, called Métis Transit. One route ran briefly in 2006.[22] Both services ceased operations due to low ridership. Between 2019 and 2024, there was a third service, operated by a private contractor, Voyago, which provided minibus service in Bolton and traveled south down Highway 50 to Queen Street/Highway 7 to connect with Brampton Transit and YRT until it was replaced by the current Brampton Transit Route 41 on May 1, 2024. Adult cash fares were $4.00 and there were no free transfers with these systems.[23] [24] [25]
The Alton Mill Arts Centre is located in Caledon.[26] Art galleries include Headwaters Arts[27] and Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives.[28]
Established in 1888 as the Cardwell Observer,[29] The Caledon Enterprise is published weekly from Bolton by Metroland Media.[30] Also based out of Bolton is The Caledon Citizen, established in 1982. A MELINIUM paper, it is published by Caledon Publishing Ltd.[31] A third newspaper, launched by Rick and Shelly Sargent in 2010, The Regional, was published monthly in Bolton. In November 2012, the paper was acquired by Caledon Publishing and ceased publication. The Sargents began working with the Caledon Citizen.
In January 2015 an online publication specific to Caledon, JustSayinCaledon.com, was started by former Bolton Ward 5 Regional Councillor Patti Foley. It publishes stories about local residents and businesses, Caledon event listings, town council highlights, opinion pieces, and a food section about local markets and restaurants.
A short-lived student-run newspaper, The Caledon Underground, was published in 2010.
The creepypasta 1999 depicts a fictional television station based in Caledon, called Caledon Local 21, which was on the air from 1997 to 1999 in the broadcast area of stations in the Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton.[32]
Key Porter Books and its parent H.B. Fenn are headquartered in Bolton. The radio stations CJFB-FM and CFGM-FM are broadcast.
Junior hockey teams include the Caledon Admirals (Jr. A), Caledon Bombers (Jr. B) and the Caledon Golden Hawks (Jr. C). The Caledon Canadians are now defunct.
Minor hockey teams include the Caledon Hawks and the Caledon Coyotes.
Lacrosse in Caledon is represented by the Caledon Vaughan Minor Lacrosse Association, which operates Minor Field and both minor and junior C box teams.
Mike Fox, the winner of the 2007 Queen's Plate, was foaled in Caledon, and Peaks and Valleys currently stands there.
Caledon Equestrian Park, in Palgrave, hosted the equestrian events of the 2015 Pan American Games.[37]
See main article: List of people from Caledon, Ontario.
