Council puts brakes on project support
At Aug 15th’s session of Perth council, a letter of support request that was approved by the committee of the whole, was deferred to October. Ekobuilt Village came to the committee at its last meeting to present their plans for a 60 unit apartment block to be located at 125 Wilson Street. The builders committed that 20 of those units would be priced below market rates to supply affordable housing. They were seeking a letter of support in principle to be used for funding applications from CMHC and federal and provincial programs. Perth council approved their request; a decision which required council ratification. They made a similar request to Lanark County council. Perth councilors expressed concern during their deliberations that such a letter might bind them to other requests that the builder had proposed such as property tax exemptions or reductions as well as waiving of any permit of development fees. The committee voted to defer a decision on the letter until October. Lanark County council voted to refer their request to staff for a detailed report.
Big Brothers Big Sisters marking 50 years
Jennifer Miller, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters Lanark, appeared as a delegation to Perth council to outline their work and challenges ahead. They match young people facing adversity with trained adult mentors in 1-1 or group mentoring programs. Mentoring is an important way to give youth experience with these essential back-and-forth relationships, developing them into healthy young people better able to deal with and overcome life’s adversities. Jennifer told council that recruiting and retaining volunteers and staff would be a key focus going forward. The recent Covid-19 pandemic reduced the numbers of volunteers and they have yet to return in the same numbers as before. She added that the bulk of volunteers fall within the early retirement age group. Mayor Judy Brown proclaimed Sept 18th as Big Brothers Big Sisters Day in Perth. Anyone interested in volunteering to make a difference in a young person’s life can learn more at lanark.bigbrothersbigsisters.ca.
Article by Brian Turner
