09/02/2026
Lanark County Council received a progress update on 2025 activities related to the Community Plan for Safety and Well-being for Lanark County and Smiths Falls (2025-2029), which was adopted by all local municipalities last year.
Lanark County OPP Detachment Board Support Coordinator Stephanie Gray outlined progress made in the four theme areas of the plan: affordability and quality of life, health, violence against persons, and priority populations and diversity.
“Affordability and quality of life is the biggest theme area in the plan,” Gray said. Examples of progress in this area include child care space expansion, grant funding to support activities leading to housing stability for clients, completion of the transit feasibility study, numerous activities in local climate action plans, the launch of the Natural Heritage System workplan, and efforts to support diversity, equity and inclusion in communities.
Progress in the health theme was seen with efforts to divert calls from hospital, the creation of the new Lanark Integrated Frontline Team (LIFT) mobile initiative, grant funding for education and wellness fairs, and the expansion of the HART Hub in Smiths Falls.
Violence against persons progress examples included the Coaching Boys Into Men prevention program; grant support for the Victim Advocate program, training and education in intimate partner violence/healthy relationships; anti-hate crime training for officers and the Safe and Inclusive Schools Officer Visits and Books program.
In the priority populations and diversity area, progress was made through youth conferences; increasing efforts to support Indigenous peoples and support Calls to Action; 2SLGBTQIA+ training for hospice volunteers and increasing opportunities related to support groups; and activities by Lanark and Renfrew Immigration Settlement Services to support newcomers.
The full progress update can be found at https://lanarkcounty.civicweb.net/document/183932/.
