Statement from the Office of the Mayor – Pakenham Flooding

August 7, 2026

To the residents and business owners of Pakenham,

I know how disruptive this past week's flooding has been.

The closure of County Road 29 affected travellers across the region, but the impacts were felt most deeply by the people who call Pakenham home and by the business owners who help make the village thrive. With the Five Span Bridge already closed and the flooding occurring on a holiday Monday, many residents experienced significant disruption to their daily lives, businesses lost an important day during the busy summer season, and families were left concerned about rising water, access to their properties, and what might happen next.

I understand why people are frustrated. I am frustrated too.

At the same time, while the rainfall was intense and the local impacts were very real, I am grateful the damage in our community was not more severe or long-lasting. Communities across Ontario are dealing with devastating losses and significant property damage following the same storm system. I would like to assure residents that as part of our standard emergency preparedness protocols, Director of Protective Services, Fire Chief Mike Williams, immediately put coverage plans in place in case emergency response from the Mississippi Mils Fire Department was required in the flood-impacted areas.

What happened this weekend has renewed a question many residents have been asking for years: why does this keep happening?

Flooding along County Road 29 is not a new issue. There have been more than a dozen flooding events in this area since 2019, including three major events that forced road closures during the spring freshets of 2019 and 2023, and again this past weekend following intense rainfall. That repeated disruption is not acceptable, and I understand why residents want answers.

Over the past week, I have spoken several times with Lanark County Warden Richard Kidd. I believe he understands both my concerns and the frustration being felt throughout Pakenham. I am confident Warden Kidd and I can work together to make sure this issue receives the attention it deserves.

It is also important to recognize that this is a complex issue involving several different parties. County Road 29 and its drainage infrastructure fall under Lanark County's jurisdiction. Much of the land where water flows down the mountain is privately owned, and there are no municipal drains on that side of the mountain.

There is also a longstanding provincial file connected to this watershed that remains unresolved. Following the significant flooding event in 2019, key questions were raised regarding upstream water management and required provincial approvals. Since then, updates and progress on the file have been actively sought, including through MPP John Jordan's office. While this is only one piece of a much larger puzzle, it is an important piece.

None of these details changes the impact on residents, nor does it change my commitment to finding a path forward. Municipal staff and I have already met or spoken with a number of affected residents to better understand their experiences. My door remains open.

In one way, we are in a better position today than we were even a few years ago. Lanark County staff collected drone footage during this latest event, and Mississippi Mills staff have detailed weather station data collected at the Pakenham municipal garage. These tools will help us better understand what happened and guide future decisions.

Mississippi Mills cannot solve this issue alone. It will require collaboration between the Province, the County, local landowners, and the Municipality. In addition to open discussion with Warden Kidd, I have written to County staff, and reached out to MPP Jordan to make clear that Mississippi Mills wants to be an active partner in this work. We need to review what measures have been implemented in the past, determine what is working as intended and what is not. It is equally important that we recognize the reality of a changing climate. Extreme rainfall events are becoming more frequent and more intense, and any discussion about future flood mitigation must take that reality into account.

Residents deserve more than explanations. They deserve progress.

I am committed to keeping residents better informed about what we are learning, what actions are being taken, and what comes next. While there are still pieces of this puzzle that need to be better understood, I will continue advocating for our community and bringing together those who have a role to play so we can find practical, long-term solutions together.

Sincerely, 

Mayor Christa Lowry
Municipality of Mississippi Mills