Caledon Won’t Long Be a Kid in Mississauga and Brampton’s Divorce: Mayor

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Even Mayor Annette Groves joked about Caledon being the child in the Mississauga-Brampton divorce case.

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But she doesn’t joke when it comes to the reality that while the other two partners in the Peel region may be the so-called parents in the relationship, Caledon is growing up fast.

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“We’re maybe at 80,000 people now, but we’re going to see growth to 300,000 people in the next 20 years,” she said.

Don’t look now, but this kid will grow up soon.

Even if it does, its role in Mississauga and Brampton’s upcoming split will be that of an equal partner. And Groves made that statement loud and clear when she appeared with her fellow mayors in Queen’s Park last Thursday.

Anyone who thought this divorce would be fought between two powerful political figures: Mississauga’s Bonnie Crombie – who is now running for leader of the Ontario Liberal Party – and Patrick Brown of Brampton, quickly understood that Groves might not be like the Both others have served as MPs, but she has served Caledon as a councilor or regional councilor for two decades and will not be a weakling in the forthcoming negotiations.

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Brampton and Mississauga — each of which is projected to have more than a million residents 20 years from now — can argue over who gets what and who pays whom. Caledon will not be on the sidelines.

“We’ve paid our share to the Peel region,” Groves said, “and we’ll be healed in whatever happens next.”

Mississauga and Brampton won’t be able to get their much-craved freedom from each other without considering that Caledon and Groves have made that clear — though also with the proviso that they want an amicable split, similar to theirs own divorce It didn’t even need a lawyer and her ex-husband is still her boyfriend who helps her with the chairs around the house.

Groves believes Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon have done well in the Peel region and will find a way outside.

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Aside from the police situation where Caledon is being patrolled by the OPP and not the Peel Regional Police, the three have many things in common. When it comes to essential services like water and wastewater treatment and other core services, Groves told Prime Minister Doug Ford that Caledon will not be let down.

“The Prime Minister has been very supportive. He understands the situation,” she said. “Deputy Prime Minister Sylvia Jones also knows Caledon very well. She is the MPP for the region (Dufferin-Caledon) and understands the needs.”

What Caledon doesn’t need is to be underestimated.

“I saw the political weight of Patrick and Bonnie in Queen’s Park,” Groves said. “I respect her.”

But they also saw that while she represents a smaller community, her impact on the unraveling of the Peel region will not be small.

The child in the divorce analogy is a good allusion, but Groves said Caledon has equal rights at every negotiating table.

jwarmington@postmedia.com