Lanark County Council Highlights – September 24, 2025

Press Release – Lanark County  

These are the highlights from the September 24, 2025 meeting of Lanark County Council.

Centralized Waitlist for Child Care: 

Lanark County Council has directed staff to proceed with the implementation of a centralized waitlist for all licensed CWLECC funded child care centres with a service agreement with Lanark County. This initiative aims to streamline the process for families seeking child care services and ensure equitable access across the county. 

The centralized waitlist will have an additional benefit of providing the County with more accurate data related to child care needs by tracking real-time supply, demand and efficiency metrics and giving the County up-to-date information on child care needs and availability.

Director of Social Services, Emily Hollington detailed that this change will be a positive one for ease of use and access for families looking for child care across the County.

“This change will ensure all Lanark County families have fair, equitable access through a single window to review options related to child care across Lanark,” she noted. “The increased data availability will enhance our ability to understand and measure child care needs across the service area.” 

Additionally, Council has exempted Procurement Policy requirements and authorized staff to enter into an agreement with OneHSN to facilitate waitlist management, a proven vendor across the province in the provision of child care waitlist services. Once the child care Service Manager enrolls with OneHSN, families can apply to multiple child care programs with a single application, update their personal information in a secure portal and receive automatic notifications regarding their application and waitlist status.

For more information, contact Emily Hollington, Director of Social Services, at 1-888-9-LANARK, ext. 2101.

Procedural By-law Updates: 

County Council has approved significant updates to the Procedural By-law, aimed at enhancing clarity and efficiency in council and committee meetings. The updated bylaw will take effect on October 1, 2025, ensuring the new inaugural meeting process is in place for the upcoming year.

Several updates were made based on procedural efficiency and clarity, along with updating the inaugural meeting process. The updated by-law is the result of extensive feedback and collaboration between council members and staff, ensuring that the procedures are clear and effective for all parties involved. The Council has approved the amended Procedural By-law and directed staff to proceed with notice requirements. The updated by-law will be placed on an upcoming agenda for final approval and took effect on October 1, 2025.

For more information, please contact: Jasmin Ralph, Clerk, at 1-888-9-LANARK, ext. 1502.