Council Highlights – May 26, 2026

Council heard from Brenda Fairbairn, Almonte Civitan Club member and fundraising chair for the club’s accessible community playground project, along with Margaret Miller, a local fundraising consultant hired to help with the campaign. They shared an update on the playground, which will be built next to the Almonte Civitan Community Hall on Almonte Street. It will include features that allow children of all abilities to play, such as ramps that go from the ground to the top and equipment that can be used with mobility devices. So far, 46% of the total $900,000 needed has been fundraised. The Almonte Civitan Club envision this as a regionally accessed park and the next phase of the fundraising campaign has begun. This includes applying for grants, community fundraising and finding sponsors and partnerships.

The Roads and Public Works Service Delivery Review was received as information by Council. The review explains what services the department provides, how those services are delivered, how they compare to other municipalities, where there are gaps and where improvements can be made to deliver services more efficiently. Council also told staff to move ahead with a gravel road review and gravel road needs study. In addition, they asked the Director of Roads and Public Works, the HR Business Partner and the CAO to look at current and future staffing levels and return to Council in June with the results.

Council approved a one-year pilot project for a building permit fee dispute process. This adds a process to the Building By-law that lets people dispute certain fees when the fee is based on the value of construction. The goal of the process is to decide on a fair and reasonable value for the project, which may vary from the actual cost.

A Notice of Motion from Councillor Ferguson was approved by Council, to review the digital sign rules in the current Sign By-law (16-22). The motion asks staff to come back with recommendations on how digital signs should be defined, allowed and enforced, so the rules match with how the current municipal digital sign usage. It also notes that a full review of the entire by-law should be considered in the future.

Council proclaimed June as Pride Month in the Municipality. Mississippi Mills values diversity and is committed to being an inclusive, welcoming and respectful community for all. Pride Month is also a time to raise awareness about the discrimination and barriers still faced by Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual and other gender and sexually diverse communities. The Progress Pride Flag will be raised on Monday, June 1 at 1 p.m. at the Mississippi Mills Municipal Office and will fly for the month of June. Read the full Pride Month proclamation.

Committee of the Whole also discussed the following items, which will be brought forward for approval at a future Council meeting:

• The remaining budget from the Well 7 and 8 expansion project to Well 9 and 10 site selection and testing project. These are short- and medium-term infrastructure projects that are part of the Water and Wastewater Master Plan. There remain no concerns with water source supply.
• The recommendation report to assign the remaining available water and wastewater capacity to new development in 2026. This report shows that the Municipality has a strong water supply and sewer capacity for the next 10 years with the current infrastructure.
• The new pool enclosure by-law that sets rules for safety fences around private outdoor pools on private property.
• The Roads and Public Works Environmental Annual Report for 2025. It summarizes information from reports on the Howie Road landfill, the Pakenham landfill, the wastewater collection and treatment systems, stormwater management systems and the drinking water systems.
• The quarterly report from Protective Services.

Upcoming Meetings:

• Hybrid Council Meeting – Tuesday, June 9, 2026, 6 p.m. Committee of the Whole to follow Council.
• Hybrid Council Meeting – Tuesday, June 23, 2026, 6 p.m. Committee of the Whole to follow Council.