LAURIE WEIR

Here are the hot topics from the Perth committee of the whole meeting on Feb. 11, 2025.

Buy Canadian & fly the flag

Coun. Barry Smith is encouraging all businesses to display a Canadian flag in their windows in light of the tentative tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump. He’d also like to see residents purchase Canadian products when possible, and brought a motion to the floor citing this.

Coun. Jim Boldt said he wanted to applaud the motion as the new administration south of the border “has really wakened up a lot of Canadians,” he said, and there is a “lot of things that we can be independent for.”

“I applaud this and I support it, and I hope it catches on,” he said.

Coun. Isabel Anne McRae said it was “a tremendous idea” and will be the first to pass the message on to the Business Improvement Area and Perth and District Chamber of Commerce, which is 430 members strong, collectively.

“Hopefully, we’ll see a lot of flags,” she said.

Coun. David Bird said it may be a “David and Goliath battle, but sometimes they’re the only ones worth fighting … it’s going to be long-term and we have to be prepared for that.”

The motion passed unanimously.

Dog park committee celebrates

Community members raised the required $30,000 to bring the Perth dog park to reality at Darou Farm. With that goal hit, staff will move forward with the dog park implementation, as recommended by Cathy McNally, the town’s director of community services.

Coun. McRae congratulated the group led by Tracy Lettner and Tania Lynn Cadeau for their “resilience and unwavering guidance” to fundraise their half of the $60,000 needed to kickstart the dog park construction. She also thanked McNally for guiding the group through the hurdles.

“The dream of having a dog park has been 20 years in the making, and finally, we have a constructive path forward,” McRae said.

The $30,000 that the town committed to the project is in the 2025 budget as recommended by a motion in 2024 – but first, the dog park committee had to raise the same amount, which they recently surpassed.

Following the meeting, Cadeau said they were “very excited” with the unanimous support. “Now to design what we want!”

Water and sewer charges increase

The water and sewer charges will be increased by six per cent. The change in the rates was required to sustain the balance of the water and sewer reserve. Once annualized, the increase is expected to provide an additional $204,000 in revenue. For an average consumption, the increase would result in an annual increase of $54 in 2025.

Fire service agreement

Fire Chief Trevor Choffe is working with neighbouring townships of Drummond/North Elmsley and Tay Valley to “be as efficient as possible” as they’re collaborating on a tanker and aerial support service agreement.

“We’re not going out to buy a tanker and they’re not going out to buy an aerial truck any time soon and this is a great way to work together, show how we can be efficient and give that service to the citizens that they deserve.”

This agreement covers some gaps. There are areas in the town that don’t have hydrant service — like at the landfill site or parts of North Street North. To provide adequate services to the residents in these areas, a tanker would be required in the event of a fire incident. Financially, it does not make sense to add a tanker to the Perth Fire Services fleet; however, entering into an agreement with the neighbouring department to fill this gap does. Mutual aid does not cover such a request.

And this, said Coun. Gary Waterfield, is an excellent way to bolster shared services.

Drinking water safety

Did you know that the Town of Perth has a permit to take 9.1 million litres of water a day from the Tay River? They only use one-third of that allowed capacity, according to Grant Machan, director of environmental services, in his safe drinking water report to council. The water treatment plant was built in 1964, and there are 45 kilometres of piping, with an elevated tank on Harvey Street that is 86 years old.

“Why am I doing this?” he asked councillors. “I’m trying to keep you out of jail.”

This is due diligence, Machan said, as safe drinking water one of the most fundamental rights for all residents. Following the Walkerton water disaster 25 years ago, where the water was contaminated with E. coli and killed seven people, Machan said these reports are required by the ministry.

There were no issues flagged in the report.

Acting Mayor Ed McPherson asked about the water/wastewater management course offered at Algonquin College and if any staff had taken that program, which he noted, may soon be cut.

Machan said two of his three operators went through the 18-month program at Algonquin College, Ottawa campus. “It’s a strong program; tends to be for veteran employees geared toward second occupations.”

Rapid Relief Team in Perth

Did you know that there was a Rapid Relief Team in Perth?

This global agency provides tangible action to agencies and victims in times of crisis with unique assets and initiatives, noted Guy Magee in a report to the committee of the whole on Feb. 11.

They also support youth by empowering young people to excel beyond adversity.

Magee said they offer quality catering – free to the community – for events like the Coldest Night of The Year in Ottawa. They support fundraising events and want to work closer with municipal governments, he said.

“We just want to let members know we’re available for events but we’d like to make ourselves more available for charitable events.”

They have provided emergency food boxes which will help a family of four for 48 hours, working with The Table Community Food Centre and “elsewhere in Smiths Falls,” Magee said.

In the case of a natural disaster, the RRT can also provide “a lift in self-esteem,” with personal hygiene items or other support.

Magee shared a story of the team helping in Baltimore when the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed last March after it was hit by the Dali, a container ship that had lost power. There were 76 volunteers there within minutes, as the team served 2,100 meals to first responders.

They were even on the ground for the Los Angeles wildfires in January, serving 7,500 meals and logging nearly 3,000 hours by volunteers.

“We’d be really glad to hear from you and see what we can do to help support … to give encouragement and hope,” he said.

McPherson said as a former first responder, he knew of the work that the RRT does, and had invited them to a council meeting to share their work. McPherson said he always worried about the victims in situations like these, but noted that his concern has always been with the first responders and taking care of them too. “Sometimes, we get so busy that we forget to look after ourselves,” McPherson said.

Chief Executive Officer Michael Touw said the RRT works with fire Chief Trevor Choffe and they are part of the town’s emergency plan.