Lanark County Council Highlights – February 26, 2025

Press Release – Lanark County 

Here are the highlights from the Lanark County Council meeting held February 26, 2025.

Update on Public Access Defibrillator Program Received

Lanark County Council received an update on the Public Access Defibrillator (PAD) program.

At the corporate services committee meeting earlier this month, Lanark County Paramedic Services (LCPS) Chief Travis Mellema said there is currently a lack of knowledge around ownership, maintenance and securing supplies for the known automated external defibrillators (AEDs), as well as a lack of response kits in the units. LCPS has partnered with Action First Aid (AFA), an AED specialist, to reach out to owners with information about the state of their units and how to work with AFA for remediation.

Mellema said many of the AEDs have been discontinued and are outside of manufacturer warranty, and AFA is offering supplies to help with some of these units. As well, Mellema noted most AEDs are not being checked regularly and that ambulance dispatch relies on address flags for their locations. AFA has launched a free portal that provides automatic inspection reminders to owners, and LCPS is providing locations, access hours and status of all registered AEDs to ambulance dispatch. A mapping feature through AFA may be linked to the LCPS website to increase knowledge of AED locations for Lanark County residents.

Mellema said priorities include working towards consistency of AED placements across all locations, a webinar by AFA related to monthly checks and accessing their portal, a public awareness campaign for registering unknown AEDs and to encourage more AED ownership, AED/CPR workshops, and ensuring 911 dispatch has up-to-date AED location information. He also outlined ideas for expanding 24/7 access to AEDs and providing a range of related programs.

For more information, contact Megan Beson, Deputy Clerk, at 1-888-9-LANARK, ext. 1102.

2025 Taxation Policies Approved

Lanark County Council has passed a by-law to set the 2025 tax ratios for the various property classes, to refund the county’s portion of landfill taxation to relevant local municipalities and to adopt all provisions available to reduce the number of capped properties. Council also approved a by-law establishing the 2025 tax rates to be levied to local municipalities.

At the corporate services committee meeting earlier this month, CAO Kurt Greaves explained council is responsible for determining two tax areas: the levy, which is established in the budget, and tax ratios, which distribute tax burden between property classes.

Greaves noted the province has added a new tax sub-class for industrial properties in 2025 related to aggregate extraction, which reduces the education tax rate by 95 per cent and a 19-per cent reduction on the local municipal and county tax rates on those properties. Aside from that provincially mandated change, the ratios between the property classes are the same as last year.

Greaves outlined the residential tax rates by municipality along with median single family home assessment values and the associated municipal taxes based on current value assessment being held at 2016 values. He noted Smiths Falls and Carleton Place are in the top 10 municipalities for new assessment in eastern Ontario according to the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation.

Council passed the 2024 budget in December with a levy of $45.1 million and a net tax increase of 3 per cent, which is collected through the towns and townships along with the education tax. The residential property class makes up 85 per cent of the taxes paid in Lanark County and has an assessed value of $9.3 billion. Total assessment of all classes is almost $10.6 billion.

For more information, contact Kurt Greaves, CAO, at 1-888-9-LANARK, ext. 1101.

Year-End Summary for Paramedics Received

Lanark County Council received a report from Lanark County Paramedic Services (LCPS) Chief Travis Mellema summarizing 2024 activities.

At the corporate services committee meeting earlier this month, Mellema highlighted the Community Paramedicine Program, which has seen an increase in new patients in its long-term care pilot program. The overall program has serviced 1,985 clients since 2019, with 6,184 patient interactions in 2024, up from 4,672 in 2023. Activities include various assessments, tests, patient monitoring, and vaccine and wellness clinics. Mellema said an area of focus in 2024 was to conduct follow-up visits within 24 hours of a client calling 911 in order to reduce repeat calls for potentially avoidable reasons. He noted several examples of the positive impact of the program, including connecting patients to services, detecting new medical issues and improving quality of life.

Mellema updated information about vehicles, equipment and communications, and he outlined participation in the External Violence Against Paramedics Program, which aims to change legislation surrounding the protection of first responders and highlighted the need to improve communication with Central Ambulance Communication Centres to provide timely information about noted hazards or potential dangers. A new committee designed and implemented a new equipment bag system that uses blood-borne and pathogen-resistant materials.

The LCPS peer support team attended several training sessions and partners with the Breakwater Institute to ensure staff have fast and reliable access to mental health care. Work also continues on the rebuild and expansion of the Almonte Base, with a projected September move-in date.

In 2024, 21 paramedics were recognized for long service, nine as Community Paramedic Founders, and Commander Janice Steele was awarded the Chief’s Award for her outstanding commitment to the profession of paramedicine. Four staff received the Emergency Medical Service Exemplary Service Medal, and Chief Mellema received the Richard J. Armstrong Leadership Award celebrating his impactful leadership and dedication to advancing paramedicine across Ontario.

Mellema outlined successful staff development efforts, a range of training activities, participation in the Second Annual Lanark County Female First Responders Camp and other outreach activities.

In 2024, total calls dispatched to LCPS were 24,380, an increase of 1,839 from the previous year. The top three reasons for 911 calls were for breathing problems, falls and unknown emergencies. Mellema said Thursdays were the busiest day in 2024, and Perth was the busiest base, followed by Montague. Peak call volume is between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., with 9 a.m. having the highest call volume overall, and 77 per cent of calls are for people aged 51 and older.

For more information, contact Kurt Greaves, CAO, at 1-888-9-LANARK, ext. 1101.

Planning and Design Approved for Two Capital Projects

Lanark County Council passed a motion to approve an elevator project in the public works garage building and a retrofit project for Archives Lanark. Staff were directed to get drawings, permits and estimates for both using capital reserves to fund start-up costs.

At the corporate services committee meeting earlier this month, CAO Kurt Greaves explained having an elevator in the public works garage building was not a requirement under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act when it was built in 2016. The building’s training room is seeing increased use by staff and other groups, and the upper level has a large file storage room for corporate records as well.

“As demand for space increases, it is recommended to make the room fully accessible by adding an elevator,” Greaves said.

One of council’s identified priorities is to work with Archives Lanark to ensure protection of the county’s history, and more space is needed. Greaves explained the group has been looking for a large permanent space for many years, and the lower level of Beckwith Township’s new municipal office is a potential site with some renovations.

“The idea for both projects is to get approval and proceed with drawings and estimates to be ready for any funding opportunities or future budgets,” Greaves said. “Both projects would have community benefits.”

For more information, contact Kurt Greaves, CAO, at 1-888-9-LANARK, ext. 1101.

Upcoming Meetings

County Council, Wednesday, March 12, 5 p.m.; Community Services, March 12 (following County Council); Corporate Services, March 12 (following Community Services). County Council, Wednesday, March 26, 5 p.m.; Public Works, March 26 (following County Council); Economic Development, March 26 (following Public Works). 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.