Looking for work? Statistics Canada is now hiring 9,000 candidates in Ontario to help conduct the #2021Census next May. For more info, visit census.gc.ca/jobs

Do you love getting to know members of your community? Statistics Canada is hiring over 32,000 employees across Canada for the #2021Census. For more info, visit census.gc.ca/jobs

Program aims to reward sustainable actions

Are you a local business committed to sustainability and climate action? Check this out!

Lanark County has joined the sustainably.eco Strategic Associate Program as part of its climate action strategies. Sustainably.eco aims to connect conscious businesses and people committed to sustainability by promoting sustainable actions and products through their platform. Businesses can apply for and be awarded for 12 badges upon fulfilling the requirements.

“Sustainably.eco helps people identify and support local sustainable businesses,” explains Michelle Vala, Lanark County’s Climate Environmental Coordinator. “Reducing local emissions and greening operations fits well with Lanark County’s Climate Action Plan, which is currently in development.”

Through the program, the county has been able to provide four free memberships to local businesses:

• Top Shelf Distillers (Perth)
• Mississippi Valley Textile Museum (Almonte)
• The Good Food Co. (Carleton Place)
• The Up Wellness Market (Smiths Falls)

There are more free 2021 memberships available for local Lanark County businesses. To qualify, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by February 8^th, 2021 with information about your business and sustainable actions you are already taking or would like to take.

All business members receive support in reducing emissions, greening their operations and sharing successes with their community. Sustainably.eco wants to inspire businesses to operate more sustainably and preserve the planet for generations to come. Visit www.sustainably.eco for more information.

Follow the Lanark County Climate Action Plan Information Page on Facebook for updates on the Climate Action Plan and climate-based activities.

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For more information/media interviews, contact:

Michelle Vala                                                               Kurt Greaves, B.A., CGA, CPA
Climate Environmental Coordinator                             CAO

Lanark County                                                            Lanark County                   

1-888-9-LANARK, ext. 3114                                        1-888-9-LANARK, ext. 1101

MEDIA RELEASE:

Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit

January 20, 2021

Food Safety during the pandemic

The Health Unit recognizes that COVID-19 has been tough financially on many of our citizens and that some people may have started a new home business that involves food to help make some extra money. For people who are thinking of opening a food-related business in their home, it is important to do your research before starting. Public Health Inspectors are available to help guide you through the process which may help prevent delays in opening and extra costs. 

Food businesses (restaurants or in a home setting) must be approved not only by the Health Unit but by your local municipality. Those starting a home based food business must have a kitchen that complies with the Ontario Building Code, the Ontario Fire Code, municipal zoning by-laws and the Ontario Food Premises Regulations. 

Food businesses that require inspection include restaurants, food retail stores, bakeries, caterers, food processors and even home based food businesses. Under the Health Protection and Promotion Act a “food premises” means a premises where food or milk is manufactured, processed, prepared, stored, handled, displayed, distributed, transported, sold or offered for sale. Whether you sell directly from home, deliver, or sell online these regulations still apply.

Anyone intending to operate a food premises must notify the health unit in which they wish to operate. A food premises cannot operate without prior approval from the Health Unit because we need to ensure that the food prepared will be safe for consumption and that safety protocols are in place for staff.

During operating hours, every food premises must have at least one person present who has their Food Handler Certification.  While operating during COVID-19, there are extra rules for keeping the workplace safe, including actively screening all employees for COVID-19 before every shift, using personal protective equipment including masks and most importantly having a workplace safety plan. The Health Unit is here to help guide the opening and operating of food premises.

For more information please visit the https://healthunit.org/health-information/food-safety/food-businesses/">Food Safety section of our website at healthunit.org, email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call us at 1-800-660-5853.

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For media interviews, contact: Susan Healey, Communications Co-ordinator, 613-802-0550 or or Katie Jackson, Manager, 613-812-0416 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Lanark County has partnered to provide child care for school aged children of essential service workers during lockdown

Lanark County has received authorization from the Province of Ontario to open three licensed child care centres to provide care for school aged children of essential service workers during the lockdown. 

Ontario Extends Teacher-Led Online Learning Until January 25 to Keep Students and Staff Safe in Southern Ontario

January 7, 2021

Province Also Extends Provincewide Shutdown in Northern Ontario

TORONTO — As COVID-19 cases continue to rise at an alarming rate throughout the province, the Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health and other health experts, is extending certain measures to keep students, education staff, and residents of Northern Ontario safe.

Community Safety and Well Being - Media Release

“Inclusive Voices” video series launched

A working group of the Community Plan for Safety and Well-being for Lanark County and the Town of Smiths Falls has helped to launch a series of videos to raise awareness and education around issues of racism, hate and diversity.  

Inclusive Voices

Stay Safe and Follow Public Health Advice This Halloween

Statement - Province of Ontario

Stay Safe and Follow Public Health Advice This Halloween
October 19, 2020

TORONTO — Today, Dr. David Williams, Chief Medical Officer of Health, issued the following statement detailing public health advice for Halloween this year:

MEDIA RELEASE:
Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit
October 20, 2020

MOH identifies additional measure for COVID-19 response

Our experience is that people in our community with COVID-19 and their contacts follow public health directions willingly and completely. Individuals with lab confirmed COVID-19 isolate at home until there is no longer any risk that they are infectious, usually 10 days with resolving symptoms and no fever. Close contacts of these individuals isolate for 14 days – one incubation period.

As local community cases of COVID-19 continue to occur in Leeds, Grenville and Lanark, there is a risk that someone could refuse to adhere to public health requirements. In preparation for this possibility, Dr. Paula Stewart, Medical Officer of Health for the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit, has issued a Class Order pursuant to Section 22 of the Ontario Health Protection and Promotion Act, 1990. Many other Medical Officers of Health have already issued a Class Order 22 for their Health Unit regions. It is one more tool to protect the people in our community from COVID-19 infection.

The Section 22 Class Order (link to document) enforces self-isolation requirements for individuals residing in or present in Leeds, Grenville and Lanark who:

• are a confirmed case or probable case of COVID-19;
• have new symptoms (even mild symptoms) or worsening symptoms of COVID-19, have been tested for COVID-19 and are awaiting the results of their test;
• otherwise have reasonable grounds to believe they have one more symptoms of COVID-19;
• are a close contact* of a person identified in a. even if they do not themselves have any symptoms of COVID-19,  *”close contact “ means you are caring for or living in the same household with someone who has COVID-19 or have otherwise been identified as a close contact by the Medical Officer of Health or Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit staff acting under the direction of the Medical Officer of Health (Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit); or
• are a parent, or person with responsibilities of a parent, of a person under 16 years of age identified in a, b, or c who resides or is present in the Counties Leeds, Grenville and Lanark.

Individuals who are affected by the Class Order are required to self-isolate, which means they are required to stay at home and avoid contact with others for a specified period of time defined by the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit. Individuals who are required to self-isolate are instructed not to leave their home and not to allow any visitors inside the home unless they are essential. Individuals in self-isolation should arrange to have groceries and other necessities delivered to them.

The Class Order is effective at 3:00 pm on October 21, 2020 and will remain in effect until the Medical Officer of Health determines it is no longer required. Individuals who fail to self-isolate can be charged and fined up to $5000.00 per day.

“Ensuring that people self-isolate when necessary helps to limit the spread of COVID-19 and keeps everyone in our community safe,” explains Dr. Paula Stewart, Medical Officer of Health. “Most people are cooperative when they are required to self-isolate, so this Class Order provides an additional tool for the occasions when individuals are ignoring the Public Health requirements.”

More information, including resources for individuals whose life circumstances make it difficult to self-isolate, can be found at https://healthunit.org/health-information/covid-19/contact-tracing/ or call 1-800-660-5853 ext 2222.  For important public health updates, you can connect with LGLHealthunit on Facebook and Twitter.

MEDIA RELEASE
Sept 29, 2020

More Pop-Up Testing in Lanark County this Week

Building on the success of local pop-up testing last week, paramedics from the Lanark County Paramedic Service will once again be performing COVID-19 testing at pop-up (temporary) testing centres in Carleton Place on Wednesday, September 30, and in Perth on Friday, October 2.

The pop-up testing centre in Carleton Place will be located at the Carmabeck Community Centre at 351 Bridge Street, and the pop-up testing centre in Perth will be located at Conlon Farm Recreation Complex at 127 Smith Drive. These pop-up testing centres are coordinated by a number of local health agencies with the goal of increasing local access to COVID-19 testing.

“A key strategy to managing COVID-19 transmission is to have early identification of cases through testing,” explains Dr. Paula Stewart, Medical Officer of Health for the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit. “The sooner we learn that someone has tested positive, the sooner we can provide support and guidance to them, and the sooner we can begin contact tracing to minimize the spread to others.”

Testing will be by appointment only and the pop-up centres will not be open to walk-ins.  Reservations for testing will be taken online through the Eventbrite website starting on Tuesday, September 29 at Noon. Residents requiring testing can log in online to reserve ‘tickets’ for testing.  To book a space for Wednesday, September 30 in Carleton Place or Friday, October 2 in Perth, visit our website https://healthunit.org/health-information/covid-19/assessment-testing-results/

For information about other local COVID-19 Assessment Centres, future pop-up centres and mobile testing, please visit the Health Unit website https://healthunit.org/health-information/covid-19/assessment-testing-results/ , follow the LGL Health Unit on social media, or call 1-800-660-5853.

This is a partnership between Almonte General Hospital, Perth & Smiths Falls District Hospital, Lanark County Paramedic Service, the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit and local primary care providers.

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For media interviews, contact the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit:

Susan Healey, Communications Coordinator, 613-802-0550

Or

FROM/DE: Lanark County Detachment DATE: September 24, 2020

CRIMINAL RECORD CHECKS NOW ONLINE

(Perth, ON) – With the start of school and people returning to work, the Lanark County Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) along with other detachments province-wide, have been inundated with requests for criminal record checks.

In the past, if you required a criminal record check to be done you attended the local detachment, dropped off paperwork and returned on a later date to pick-up the completed form. 

Everything changed, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  In order to keep staff and the public safe, the OPP have switched completely to online record check submissions.  The only time a person needs to attend the detachment is if requiring fingerprints for a vulnerable sector check.

Many people continue to attend the detachment which is not required and due to the pandemic, discouraged for purposes of criminal record checks.

Due to the high number of applications there is a 4-6 week processing time so if you think you may need a check for volunteering, please go online early.

All information on how to complete an application online is available at the OPP website: www.opp.ca.  Follow the link for “criminal record checks” on the home page to learn more.  Fees for non-volunteer record checks which used to be paid for in cash only now are to be paid by credit card.

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Contact:  Provincial Constable Lori LOBINOWICH

                 Community Safety / Media Relations Officer

                 613-264-7233

      This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.           

                 www.opp.ca

 Twitter:  @OPP_ER or @OPP_COMM_ER