From the Office of the Mayor - Public Information Session - MM2048

Planning Our Future Together

One of my goals as your Mayor is to ensure residents have the information you need on important matters. For Council to make fully informed decisions, we need the public to understand the issues and provide feedback in the decision-making process.  In the fall of 2023 Council will have some very important decisions to make for our community. 

This year, Mississippi Mills is undertaking a massive project called MM2048 that involves virtually every service and department.  We’re looking at everything from roads to childcare to water and wastewater to recreation to festivals and events to economic development to quality of life and everything in between, all at the same time.  Before I get too far into the MM2048 project, I’d like to talk about what’s happening with the new development we’re experiencing these days.  

Like many communities in Ontario, there are significant growth pressures on Mississippi Mills.  Up until about 7-8 years ago, the province was consistently growing by around 120,000 people a year (net).  That was already a lot of people, but then in 2018 that number doubled, and last year there were over 300,000 new Ontarians!  It is staggering to think about.  

Where are all these people coming from?  Some are moving into Ontario from other parts of Canada, but largely this rapid growth is the result of changes to federal immigration policies in response to the aging population and workforce needs. With so many new people looking for homes, it has put pressure on cities like Ottawa and in turn, the surrounding communities like Mississippi Mills, Carleton Place, Arnprior, and North Grenville. 

 Lanark County is required to provide growth projections to all lower tiers. Through a study done two terms ago, the County projected that Mississippi Mills will grow to just over 21,000 people by 2038.  Our current population is about 15,000 today across the whole Municipality. To note, the County is due to update the population projections soon, so we can expect that projections will likely go up.  

So where does that leave us?  Well, the municipality is required by the province to plan ahead and show that we can accommodate growth 25 years into the future.   In 2021 and 2022, we had key conversations together about where all 21,000 of us will live. The results were: 

• Official Plan Amendment 22: Urban Settlement Area Review.  After a lot of consultation and public input, we expanded the boundary of Almonte in 4 areas. Some of the recent subdivision applications that you may be aware of are within these expanded areas. 

• Official Plan Amendment 29: Land Evaluation Area Review for Agricultural Lands.  We took over 18 months to talk to farmers and rural landowners to get input into our agricultural mapping which was outdated and no longer accepted by the Province.  This step was necessary so that we can have discussions about growth in rural areas, the hamlets and the Village of Pakenham. 

Things will be different with 6000 more Mississippi Millians moving in over the next fifteen years.  They may be your kids or grandkids moving back home.  They may be new Canadians.  Or they may be people looking for a wonderful community like ours.  Something that small communities like ours has lacked in the past is a true mix of housing - different sizes and kinds of homes for different needs and families.  Municipalities have few levers to pull to address the affordability or attainability of market housing.  But one of the ways we can influence housing prices is by encouraging that homes are built across the whole housing spectrum. This could mean more density or infill in some places.   It could mean secondary suites or accessory units or coach homes.   I was pleased a few weeks ago that a local developer, when challenged by Council, added a number of creative secondary units to their proposed subdivision plan which Council in turn approved unanimously.  

This brings me back to MM2048. 

With growth comes plans and strategies and that’s where you play an important role.  Often what we talk about today influences the community years and years down the road.   The MM2048 project is about planning to accommodate those 6000 more Mississippi Millians but also about setting a course for this community well into the future.  Do you have concerns about Ottawa Street’s capacity?  Think we should build a ring road or another river crossing?  Do you really want to see a Forest Childcare School established? What about trails and parks and recreation programs?  Are you thinking about waste and recycling? How much capacity is there at the Waste-water treatment plant anyways? Are you interested in future employment and economic development strategies?  MM2048 is the time for us to talk about all of that and more.  

Please join us at the MM2048 Public Information Centre this Thursday, April 13^th  from 2-7:30pm at the John Levi Community Centre in Almonte.  It is a drop-in format and staff from all seven project areas will be on hand.   This session is meant to introduce all seven projects and will help you get ready to provide feedback and comments later in the process.  This fall, staff and consultants will be bringing options to Council to shape the community and the services we enjoy. You may not be interested in all the projects, and that’s ok.  Your participation in the portions that matter most to you is just fine! 

For more information please go to www.mississippimills.ca/MM2048

Part of me would love for Mississippi Mills to stay just the way it was when I was a kid.  But, I know that’s not realistic - Council can’t stop growth.  But we can manage growth and guide some of the changes that are coming.   We can work together to make sure our community reflects our values and priorities today, and tomorrow. 

Here’s to MM2048 – let’s plan our future together! 

Mayor Christa Lowry
Municipality of Mississippi Mills