CALEDONIA—The room was full and the questions were flying as The Haldimand Press hosted its 2026 Mayoral Debate and Candidate Meet & Greet on Wednesday, October 7, 2026 at the Riverside Exhibition Centre in Caledonia.
Many ward and school board candidates were in attendance, along with all four mayoral candidates: Shelley Ann Bentley, Andy Griffin, Jesse Little, and Jake Vandendool.
CALEDONIA—Mayoral candidates (l-r) Shelley Ann Bentley, Andy Griffin, Jesse Little, and Jake Vandendool were in the hotseat at the mayoral debate, held at the Riverside Exhibition Centre. —Haldimand Press photos by Mike Renzella. 
CALEDONIA—The Haldimand Press Mayoral Debate and Candidate Meet & Greet took place October 7, 2026, drawing a crowd of more than 175 people. The event was supported by several sponsors, including the Haldimand Federation of Agriculture (HFA), whose members are pictured in front. The HFA also submitted three agriculture-related questions for the moderator to ask the mayoral candidates.
The debate was made possible with support from sponsors Caledonia Fair, Cornerstone Association of Realtors and the Haldimand Federation of Agriculture (HFA). The HFA also submitted three agriculture-related questions for moderator Connie Smith, a former CHCH anchor, to ask the candidates.
Below are some highlights from the debate.
On the issue of property tax rates in the face of Canada’s affordability crisis, candidates spoke to achieving the best value for the dollars collected.
Griffin vowed to look for efficiencies across County departments to lower spending.
Little said he would push for more industry and employment to offset residential property taxes.
Vandendool shared a vision to decrease the residential tax burden to 70%, from its current 79.4% share, through an “aggressive program to entice employers and expansions here.” He also stressed the need to find efficiencies: “That starts at the procurement process and it goes down to operations, to the boots on the ground, to make sure there’s no waste.”
Bentley talked about Haldimand’s “very healthy” investment portfolio and possibly taking a percentage of that money to assist with tax rates.
Asked to consider which services or projects are worth increasing taxes for, both Little and Griffin spoke to a greater need for accessibility, such as improved sidewalks.
“A lot of our residents are aging … They may not drive cars anymore,” said Griffin.
Bentley would seek further investment in communication resources: “What I’m hearing is that we don’t communicate enough.”
On Empire Communities’ Minister’s Zoning Order request, which still sits on the desk of the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Bentley reaffirmed her opposition to the proposal, stating, “It doesn’t need houses in that dirty industrial park.”
Griffin agreed, suggesting secondary industries that could support heavy industry to drive growth in the park.
Vandendool said Empire’s proposal “doesn’t make sense for a whole host of reasons,” and said Haldimand should be promoting the area’s natural assets, like nearby Lake Erie, to entice industrial development.
Little called the proposal an “opportunity to have a gain for the community,” noting that residents who chose to live there could provide the needed labour force to work in future industrial developments in the area.
“To shoot ourselves in the foot and shut down an opportunity when 40 years of nothing has taken place doesn’t seem like a good investment,” said Little.
On the issue of protecting farmland from urban sprawl, all four candidates rejected the idea of expanding Haldimand’s urban boundaries and spoke to the importance of farmland.
“We need to work within our urban boundaries,” said Bentley.
On strengthening municipal support for local agriculture, Vandendool criticized Haldimand’s current permitting system, vowing to find ways to smooth out the process.
Bentley spoke to raising awareness of agriculture through events like Agstravaganza.
Little suggested Haldimand should offset the costs of drainage updates, which is currently shared by any affected landowners.
“Council could definitely be looking at working with landowners and farmers to address covering these costs,” said Little.
In the past four years, two groups identified as having potential white nationalist views rented County facilities under false pretenses.
Responding to a question on how candidates would ensure all community members feel safe and welcome, all four candidates stated their opposition to groups like Second Sons of Canada and Diagolon.
“When I worked at the OPP, we received briefings, so I am familiar with some of their messaging, and honestly, it’s disgusting,” said Vandendool.
Griffin, who was previously questioned by The Press about sharing Second Sons and Dominion Society of Canada posts to his personal Facebook page prior to campaigning, said he “didn’t have the context” when sharing the posts initially.
“I have no support for these groups, and I never would,” he said. “As people move here and we grow together, we turn into a community.”
Responding to a question submitted by Pride Haldimand Norfolk, all four candidates confirmed they have never attended a Pride event locally, but suggested an openness to attending in the future.
On addressing some of the challenges facing Haldimand’s paramedic services, Vandendool said the staffing deficit is “a big concern,” also citing new streamlined administrative processes to increase workplace efficiency.
Bentley addressed the need for increased support for mental health and job-related PTSD, along with increased staff.
“I support them fully,” she said.
Griffin pledged to look for new ways to entice recruits, while Little said first responders deserve to be paid more.
On opening one or more of Haldimand’s arenas for summer ice time, Griffin and Little both said they would back summer ice if the demand exists, and Bentley pledged to revisit the County policy.
Vandendool asserted the demand does exist.
“I’m not suggesting we can have summer ice in every single facility, but we have to have ice in Haldimand County in the summer,” he said, suggesting Cayuga as a central location.
On the most important criteria to consider for development proposals, Little would prioritize developments that fit within the existing community and zoning.
Vandendool pushed for a “right place at the right time” approach, cautioning that developments need to fit within existing infrastructure capacity.
Griffin would weigh the impact of the project: “What value does that project bring to the community? … Does it bring jobs? Does it bring more traffic?”
On increasing support for local businesses, Little said the County “has the capability of lowering taxes” for small businesses.
Vandendool pledged to help make businesses more aware of the current supports available and to increase the municipality’s approachability: “We need to make sure the conditions are right for businesses to come here and do business.”
Bentley praised Haldimand’s economic development team, which provides grants and support: “I would fall back on my economic development team and our communications team to keep those messages up.”
On the public division noted in this term of Council, Vandendool said the current administration has “a leadership vacuum” creating “a trickle-down effect” if the CAO or staff do not feel supported.
Bentley noted that Vandendool had brought up leadership multiple times, saying, “He’s picking on me, I think, but anyhow, that’s okay.” She acknowledged some divisive conversations over the last term, but said most items are passed unanimously by Council.
“We’re all going to learn together in our next council, because we’re going to have some great education,” she added.
Little also suggested that decorum is driven by leadership, questioning Bentley’s decision to remove him from the audience of a Council meeting in 2023, calling the removal illegal and citing a “leader vacuum” that needs to be addressed.
Griffin pledged to make sitting down with all Council members, the CAO, and County staff a first order of business if elected.
“I want to discuss with (councillors) one important thing that they want to accomplish for their ward over the next year. And in doing that, we will discuss it in Council together,” he said. “Setting that tone is going to be absolutely crucial.”
Click here to read the rest of the Haldimand Press’ election coverage.
View the debate in its entirety, along with statements from participating ward and school board candidates, here:
