Media Release: County Council Dec 4, 2024

For immediate release
Dec. 4, 2024

Here are the highlights from the Lanark County Council meeting held Dec. 4, 2024.

Lanark in Lanark Campaign Results Outlined: Lanark County Council received a report on the Land in Lanark Campaign, which aimed to position the county as the top choice destination for newcomers seeking relocation and employment opportunities.

Amber Coville, Business Development and Program Officer for Valley Heartland Community Futures Development Corporation, presented the campaign results to the economic development committee last week. It was a six-week digital campaign in July and August, followed by eight weeks of advertising on OMNI Channel from September to November, and focused on health-care professionals and skilled trades workers in the Greater Toronto Area, Ottawa and suburbs of Montreal.

Coville explained the goal was to effectively communicate the rural appeal of Lanark County to urbanites by increasing the number of inquiries from qualified health-care professionals and trade workers, increasing awareness of available job opportunities and highlighting the community’s unique amenities and quality of life.

Coville said the social media content, including YouTube, Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn and Google Max, was seen almost 2.5 million times across those platforms, with more than 56,000 engagements, including likes, comments, link clicks and shares. Male skilled trades workers between ages 25 and 44 had the most engagement. The OMNI campaign featured 240 advertising spots and resulted in 512 visits to the Land in Lanark page during the campaign.

“During the digital campaign, traffic to the county website increased by 356 per cent,” Coville said. This included 45,377 unique users who visited the campaign landing page. From this, 119 people completed contact forms, and there were 51 e-mail responses, 41 phone or Zoom calls and 19 in-person visits. “Out of the 119 contacts, 91 were families, three were couples and 25 were individuals, totaling 188 people.” This resulted in 96 referrals to a range of employment opportunities. Coville indicated engagement continues with individuals who contacted the county. For more information, contact Jasmin Ralph, Clerk, at 1-888-9-LANARK, ext. 1502.

Consultation on Growth Management Study Planned: Lanark County Council has received a consultant’s report on growth management strategy and passed a motion to release it for a consultation period for feedback from local councils, the public and stakeholders.

At the economic development committee meeting last week, Planning Manager Mike Dwyer explained the growth management study is intended to inform long-term planning and growth management policies in the county’s Sustainable Communities Official Plan. “It looks at historic data and trends, and projects anticipated future population, housing and employment for Lanark County. It further provides analysis of land needs and supply for serviced communities based on housing and employment projections.” Previous studies were completed in 2012 and 2019.

Under the Provincial Planning Statement, the county, as an upper tier, is responsible for identifying and allocating population, housing and employment projections for local municipalities. “The overall intent of these policies is to ensure municipalities plan in a coordinated fashion for future growth, including the provision of designated land and necessary infrastructure and services,” Dwyer said. He added the projections are based on historic data, provincial guidance, recent trends and professional experience and opinion. “Society and communities are complex. Trends can and will change…. Growth should accordingly be monitored on an ongoing basis and study updates completed at appropriate intervals.”

In addition to population, housing and employment projections, the Watson study completes a land needs/supply assessment for serviced communities and provides policy recommendations related to eventual updates to the county’s official plan. Following the consultation period, a summary of feedback and a final report is to be brought back to council. Dwyer indicated the official plan update is anticipated in 2025. Local official plans must be consistent with the county’s and include identification of urban boundary and settlement area expansions. “How and where growth is accommodated in each local municipality will remain a matter of local direction through detailed local official plan policies,” Dwyer said.

In his report to the committee, Adam Fischer of Watson and Associates noted the forecasts are not intended to constrain municipalities, but to guide them. “Nothing is stopping a municipality from exceeding these targets. Growth forecasts are intended to provide our best estimate of future growth to ensure that each municipality is adequately prepared to accommodate growth through infrastructure planning, capital plans and urban land requirements.” Anyone interested in staying up to date on the project and opportunities for consultation should contact Dwyer. For more information, contact Mike Dwyer, Planning Manager, at 1-888-9-LANARK, ext. 1520 or mdwyer@lanarkcounty.ca

Vegetation Management Activities Update Received: Lanark County Council received a report on vegetation management and restoration activities for 2024.

Climate Environmental Coordinator Michelle Rabbetts presented her reports to the public works committee last week. The county adopted its Integrated Pest Management Vegetation Management Plan in 2016 and updated it in 2022. It aims to manage weed and brush concerns on roadsides while restoring pollinator habitat.

Rabbetts highlighted the increased activity in hand removal of noxious weeds and decreased reliance on spot spraying. There has been no boom spraying since 2019. In 2024, county staff controlled wild parsnip, which is a designated as a noxious weed, on 68 per cent of the county road system by hand digging, pulling and clipping, with extra attention in hamlets where people are most likely to encounter wild parsnip.

Rabbetts highlighted the risks posed by the invasive weed phragmites, which is a concern for lakes and wetlands. The county continues to monitor, suppress and control it on county roads. There has been at 242 per cent increase in the number of phragmites cells between 2018 and 2024. Control methods include mowing and spraying, with some hand control planned next year. Education and awareness efforts continue in order to discourage its spread and replanting.

Restoration activities in 2024 included hydroseeding 15 kilometres of construction projects, seed giveaways to almost 300 residents for pollinator gardens, providing support and pollinator meadow resources for ALUS Mississippi-Rideau and wetland restoration projects for Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, the annual roadside pollinator habitat survey, and a review of roadside restoration projects. “Our estimated total area of new pollinator habitat created in 2024 is nearly two acres,” Rabbetts said, adding results of the roadside pollinator habitat survey show it is good quality and improving.

Staff will be summarizing lessons learned for a new restoration strategy to establish consistent approaches, provide a checklist for suitable site selection and share best practices with other municipalities. For more information, contact Michelle Rabbetts, Climate Environmental Coordinator, at 1-888-9-LANARK, ext. 3114.

County Adjusting Approach to Wild Parsnip Control: Lanark County Council received a report on a new landscape management approach to control wild parsnip along county roads.

Climate Environmental Coordinator Michelle Rabbetts outlined the new plan at the public works committee meeting last week. “We have tried increasing hand pulling to about 70 per cent of the county road system, but there is too much to complete it thoroughly.”

Rabbetts said boom spraying was eliminated in 2020, but since 2022, herbicide quantities have nearly doubled. “Spot spraying is not effective in some areas due to high density wild parsnip, missed plants and over-spraying to compensate.” She added frequent hot and dry conditions in the summer limit the timeframe for effective herbicide application and also restrict days for hand control. “Since boom spraying uses herbicide more efficiently and uniformly, targeted boom spraying can reduce overall herbicide application.”

Rabbetts suggested a landscape approach for wild parsnip control based on the goal for vegetation management and priority landscapes. Staff are developing a landscape prioritization tool that will optimize spraying and hand-pulling operations. High priority landscapes would include agricultural areas because it is a noxious weed, urban areas and hamlets because it is a poisonous weed and environmentally sensitive areas where it is invasive. Remote rural and forested areas would be lower priority, along with areas where there is a high density of wild parsnip on adjacent properties.

Rabbetts said the new program in 2025 will use the most efficient spraying practices to reduce herbicide application in priority agricultural landscapes, optimize hand pulling by prioritizing urban and environmentally sensitive areas, and suppress wild parsnip in low-priority areas. For more information, contact Michelle Rabbetts, Climate Environmental Coordinator, at 1-888-9-LANARK, ext. 3114.

Community Services Chair Elected: Lanark County Council passed a motion to elect Councillor Rickey Minnille (Mississippi Mills Deputy Mayor) as Community Services Chair. He was nominated by Councillor Christa Lowry (Mississippi Mills Mayor) and Councillor Jeff Carroll (Montague Deputy Reeve). Warden Toby Randell (Carleton Place Mayor) expressed his congratulations to Minnille. For more information, contact Jasmin Ralph, Clerk, at 1-888-9-LANARK, ext. 1502.

Upcoming Meetings: County Council, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 5 p.m.; Public Works, Dec. 11 (following County Council); Economic Development, Dec. 11 (following Public Works). County Council, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 5 p.m.; Community Services, Jan. 15 (following County Council); Corporate Services, Jan. 15 (following Community Services). Watch for details about public access to meetings on agendas and through online notifications. For more information, contact 1-888-9-LANARK, ext. 1502. Like "LanarkCounty1" on Facebook and follow "@LanarkCounty1" on Instagram!