Caledon’s Natural Heritage System and Urban Development: How Policy Impacts Fragmentation

Abstract

Caledon does not yet have a comprehensive municipal NHS in place. Although Caledon has large tracts of natural cover, both its locations and ownerships are fragmented. Given Caledon's expected significant expansion of its built environment by 2051, as per both the Future Caledon OP and the Region’s OP, Caledon must identify a municipal NHS to protect and preserve it in the future. Given that Caledon is the least developed of the three municipalities in the Region of Peel, urban expansion does not need to be an inherent threat to Caledon’s natural systems and green identity. Instead, it is an opportunity. With so much natural cover and relatively sporadic development, Caledon has everything required to create a robust NHS. However, time is running out for Caledon to delineate and preserve its NHS. With the new Future Caledon Plan, the new SABE areas risk fragmenting the NHS so much within southern Caledon that it may lose connectivity with natural features located in both Brampton and northern Caledon