Dave Sheen for regional Councillor Wards 1, 2, and 3 in Caledon
Principled Leadership
Experience Serving Our Community
Public service has been a large part of my life.
Before being elected to Caledon Council in 2022, I spent 34 years with the Ontario Public Service. I began my career working directly with young people in conflict with the law and went on to serve in increasingly responsible roles within government. I was proud to receive the Exemplary Service Medal and Bar from the Governor General of Canada recognizing more than 30 years of service.
For 18 of those years, I also worked part-time as a professional telephone counsellor with Kids Help Phone. Thousands of conversations with young people taught me the importance of listening carefully, asking the right questions and understanding that sometimes people simply need someone to take their concerns seriously.
Those lessons have served me well on Council.
I’ve also learned that municipal government is where public service becomes very personal. A traffic concern on someone's street, an overgrown property, a planning application next door or a park that a neighbourhood has been waiting years for may seem like one file among many at Town Hall. To the resident affected by it, it matters a great deal. That is something I try not to forget.
Community Roots
Caledon isn't simply where I entered politics. It is where my wife and I raised our family and where our children grew up.
Like many parents, much of my connection to the community began through our kids — serving on school council, coaching soccer and spending countless hours at schools, parks, arenas and community events. Long before I ever considered running for Council, those experiences introduced me to people from across Caledon and gave me a strong sense of the community we had chosen to call home.
Caledon today is changing quickly. New neighbourhoods are taking shape, thousands of new residents are arriving, and communities that were once surrounded by fields are becoming part of a much larger urban area.
Growth is coming. The challenge is making sure the infrastructure, roads, parks, recreation, libraries and other services people need keep pace — while preserving the villages, hamlets, the countryside, natural environment and community character that make Caledon different from the municipalities around us.
Why I'm Running
When I ran for Council in 2022, I wanted residents to have a representative who would be accessible and who would keep them informed about what was happening at Town Hall.
Four years later, I understand much more clearly both what municipal government can accomplish and where it can fall short.
I’ve seen how persistent advocacy can get a neighbourhood issue addressed. I’ve also seen how decisions affecting residents can become buried in lengthy reports, complicated processes and government language that few people have the time to follow.
That is one reason “Keep Informed, Get Involved and Have Your Say” has become more than a slogan for me. I believe people are more likely to participate in their local government when someone makes the effort to explain what is happening and why it matters.
I haven't been afraid to question the status quo or take a different position when I believe it is in the best interests of the people I represent. I don't expect everyone to agree with every decision I make, but residents deserve to know where I stand, why I voted the way I did, and that I was prepared to listen before making the decision.
I’m running for Regional Councillor for Wards 1, 2 and 3 because I want to continue doing that work on behalf of a larger part of Caledon - bringing the experience of my first term on Council, my years in public service and, most importantly, what I have learned from the residents I represent.
To me, that is what Experience You Can Trust should mean.
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