Arts and Entertainment

Andie Trépanier uses art to advocate for the protection of Swan Lake in Caledon

October 9, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By Constance Scrafield

When Andie Trépanier took the time to talk to the Citizen late last week, they were in the throes of getting ready for the Caledon Studio Tour over the weekend. Yet, there is another subject in addition to their art and the passion they feel for it. It is a matter of concern they had shared with their famous father, painter of the Artic and far north, Cory Trépanier, who died in November 2021.

Cory Trépanier began his wilderness painting by travelling to the rugged northern shores of Lake Superior and Georgian Bay for one month each season, with his wife, Janet. They also brought their two very young daughters, Sydney and Andie. Yet, the Arctic called to their father once those trips had whetted his appetite to experience the astonishing beauty of the even more northern landscape above the Arctic Circle. What Andie has taken from those childhood experiences and the empathy their father felt for the environment has led them irresistibly in this moment, to blend their art with a mission: protecting Swan Lake.

The subject of Swan Lake was their first real agenda for this interview, although some background did begin the conversation, as they talked about being home-schooled until they were 12 years old. At the time, they were mainly drawing in pencil, but their artist father encouraged them to do their own thing.

Since 2019, they have been painting in oils.

“I really asserted my own voice,” Andie said, and, moving to the subject of Swan Lake, they added, “Now I’m asking what do I have to say? What can I share from my experience?”

A call to action was on once they accidentally heard that Swan Lake is to be used as a dump for waste fill from the surrounding planned construction. Swan Lake is a pristine 44-acre body of water set in the Greenbelt. It is a rehabilitated gravel pit, the license for which was surrendered in 2023.

“They call it a ‘pit’ to justify using it as a dump,” Andie said with outrage. “But it’s not a pit; it is a lake with good ground water that people and the wildlife depend upon.”

They went on to say, “I love Caledon. My father worked to protect the environment. What’s being held over our heads – they have the provincial mandates.”

Soon enough, Andie had their own answer: “I’m an artist. I care about the environment.”

Making the point of how they and the local farmers and residents deserve access to safe water, Andie made the best move they could.

Before Caledon Mayor Annette Grove called a July 8 public meeting, Andie made a point to go out and meet all the local farmers, who are concerned about the safety of water in Swan Lake if dumping is permitted.

With the permission of their neighbouring farmer, they climbed up onto the roof of one of his buildings with their paints and equipment to paint the lake as it is. They captured the reality of this place.

Elaine Li, a videographer, accompanied them. She took photographs and a video of everything.

“It was 5 a.m. when we climbed up onto that roof and saw what [Mayor] Grove refers to [as] the site, calling it a pit. It is rehabilitated, already approved fully with protection. They are not using the right vocabulary to justify their plans.

“Hundreds of people have shown up at meetings,” they said with the worry that there is not enough good representation for the lake.

Developers say, “we gotta put this fill somewhere,” but the question comes back to “how can this be the only place?”

Andie insists this is a violation of human rights and grieved, “It’s a shame not to have my father here, who fought to protect the environment in this area.”
They related that when Caledon Council first brought out the proposal, 200 people came to protest.

When Council had another meeting, Andie noted there was no recording of the meeting. But Andie recorded it, and there were consistent numbers of over 100 people then and coming to other meetings, proof of the widespread and urgent pushback.

They complained about the speed of the attempts to push the bylaw through and the sloppiness of its wording.

On the board making these decisions, not a single person lives in this area, Andie said.

“It is hard to see our basic rights pushed aside, hard to watch but if we want to see a change, we need new leadership. The biggest thing is apathy – I started by painting a lake. We have to call on each other or we will be grieving the loss of our democracy,” they told the Citizen.

About Andie’s art, they said they are painting non-stop, how they became close by the land, like being a settler. They are bringing their paints with them to Algonquin Park,

“Communing with the land.”

What is it they want to paint?

“Usually portraits and surreal paintings. I find the puzzle pieces exhilarating.”

Now, Andie is back in the studio in Caledon for schedules.

“Love binds people,” they philosophized. “We’ll keeping working to protect Swan Lake.”

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